Colonial America

In 1607, the first English colonists arrived in what is now Virginia and established the first permanent colony in Jamestown. Plymouth Colony followed in 1620, and between 1630 and 1640, over 20,000 more colonists arrived. By 1763, the entire eastern seaboard was settled. 

By 1765, several events escalated tensions between the colonists and the British occupiers, and an American identity had emerged. After the British began attacks on coastal towns in 1775, the colonies aligned against the Crown. 

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress. This unanimous proclamation by the thirteen colonies severed all connections to Great Britain as they declared themselves an independent nation.  

On September 3, 1783, Great Britain formally recognized their former colonies as an independent nation with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, and the United States of America became a free and sovereign state.