The colonial era 1600–1775

Spanish, Portuguese, British, French and Dutch colonies and the plantation economy.

Map of the Americas in 1650, during the The colonial era — Border map for 1650. See the world in 1650.

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Border maps in this era

Timeline

Year	Event	Where
1607	Jamestown is founded	Jamestown
1620	The Mayflower reaches Plymouth	Plymouth Colony
1759	Battle of the Plains of Abraham	Battle of Plains of Abraham
1773	The Boston Tea Party	Boston

Battles and sites

← Conquest and the Columbian Exchange The age of independence →

Notable people of the colonial era

Lived	Person
c. 1574 – 1635	Samuel de Champlain	Explorer
c. 1648 – 1695	Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz	Poet and scholar
1706 – 1790	Benjamin Franklin	Scientist and statesman
1732 – 1799	George Washington	First president of the United States
1743 – 1826	Thomas Jefferson	Third president of the United States
1746 – 1792	Tiradentes	Forerunner of Brazilian independence

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.