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British of the From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from British colonisation of the Americas) European colonization of the Americas First colonization British Couronian Danish Dutch French German Hospitaller Italian Norse Portuguese Russian Scottish Spanish Swedish Colonization of Colonization of the U.S. v t e British colonization of the Americas (including colonization by both the Kingdom of and the before the Acts of Union, which created the in 1707) began in 1607 in Jamestown, and r eached its peak when had been established throughout the Americas. The English, and later the British, were among the most important colonizers of the Americas, and their American came to rival the Spanish American colonies in military and economic might. Three types of colonies existed in the in America during the heig ht of its power in the eighteenth century. These were charter colonies, propriet ary colonies and royal colonies. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars (18031815), British territories in the Americas were slowly granted more responsible govern ment. In 1838 the Durham Report recommended full for Cana da but this did not get fully implemented for another decade. Eventually with th e of Canada, the Canadian colonies were granted a significant amou nt of autonomy and became a self-governing in 1867. Other colonies in t he rest of the Americas followed at a much slower pace. In this way, two countri es in , ten in the , and one in South America have receive d their independence from the . All of these are members of the Co mmonwealth of Nations and nine are realms. The eight remaining Brit ish overseas territories in the Americas have varying degrees of self-government .

Britain in the Americas Contents [hide] 1 North America 1.1 Pre-British colonization of North America 1.1.1 English colonies in North America 1.1.2 Scottish colonies in North America 1.2 British colonies in North America 1.2.1 List of English and British colonies in North America 1.2.2 Non-colonial British territories in North America 2 Central and South America, Caribbean 2.1 English and later British Caribbean colonies 2.2 English and later British Central and South American colonies 3 See also 4 References 5 External links North America[edit] Main articles: Colonial history of the and Pre-British colonization of North America[edit] English colonies in North America[edit] Main articles: English overseas possessions and English colonial grants in North America (16211639) Plaque in St. John's, and , commemorating Gilbert's foundin g of the British overseas Empire A number of English colonies were established under a system of Proprietary Gove rnors, who were appointed under mercantile charters to English joint stock compa nies to found and run settlements, most notably the , which crea ted the first successful English settlement at Jamestown and the second at St. G eorge's, . In 1664, England also took over the Dutch of , (including t he settlement), which England renamed the of . Wi th New Netherland, the English also came to control the former (in wh at is now ), which the Dutch had conquered earlier. This later became pa rt of after it was established in 1680. Scottish colonies in North America[edit] Main article: Scottish colonization of the Americas There was also an early unsuccessful attempt by the Kingdom of Scotland to estab lish a colony at Darién, and the short-lived Scottish colonisation of (New Scotland) from 1629 to 1632. Thousands of Scotsmen also participated in the English colonisation even before the two countries were united in 1708. British colonies in North America[edit] See also: , and The Kingdom of Great Britain acquired the French colony of in 1713 and th en Canada and the Spanish colony of in 1763. After being renamed the Pro vince of , the former French Canada was divided in two , the Cana das, consisting of the old settled country of (today Quebec) and th e newly settled (today ). In the north, the Hudson's Bay Company actively traded for fur with the indigeno us peoples, and had competed with French, Aboriginal, and Metis fur traders. The company came to control the entire drainage basin of Hudson Bay called Rupert's Land. The small part of the Hudson Bay drainage south of the 49th parallel went to the United States in the Anglo-American Convention of 1818. Thirteen of Great Britain's colonies rebelled with the American Wa r, beginning in 1775, primarily over representation, local laws and tax issues, and established the United States of America, which was recognised international ly with the signing of the on 3 September of that year (1783). Great Britain also colonised the west coast of North America, indirectly via the Hudson's Bay Company licenses west of the , the Columbia Distric t and fur district, most of which were jointly claimed as the Oreg on Country by the United States from 1818 until the 49th parallel was establishe d as the international boundary west of the Rockies by the Treaty of 1846 . The Colony of Island, founded in 1849, and the Colony of British Col umbia, founded in 1858, were combined in 1866 with the name Colony of British Co lumbia until joining Confederation in 1871. also was expanded w ith the inclusion of the Stikine Territory in 1863, and upon joining Confederati on with the addition of the Peace River Block, formerly part of Rupert's Land. In 1867, the colonies of , Nova Scotia, and the (the southern portion of modern-day Ontario and Quebec) combined to form a self- governing dominion, named Canada, within the British Empire (the term "kingdom" was avoided so as to not provoke the United States). Quebec (including what is n ow the southern portion of Ontario) and Nova Scotia (including what is now New B runswick and ) had been ceded to Britain by the French. The colonies of Prince Edward Island and British Columbia joined over the next six y ears, and Newfoundland joined in 1949. Rupert's Land and the North-Western Terri were ceded to Canada in 1870. This area now consists of the provinces of Ma nitoba (admitted after negotiation between Canada and a Métis provisional governme nt in 1870), Saskatchewan, and (both created in 1905), as well as the No rthwest Territories, the Yukon Territory (created 1898, following the start of t he Klondike ), and Nunavut (created in 1999). List of English and British colonies in North America[edit] The British Colonies in North America, 17631775 , founded 1586, abandoned the next year. Second attempt in 1587 di sappeared (also called the Lost Colony). Cuttyhunk Island, Bartholomew Gosnold established a small fort and trading post in 1602, abandoned after one month Virginia Company, chartered 1606 and became the Virginia Colony in 1624 Company Jamestown, Virginia, founded 1607, briefly abandoned in 1610. Bermuda, these islands, located in the North Atlantic, were first settled in 160 9 by the London Virginia Company; Administration passed to The Somers Isles Comp any, formed by the same shareholders, in 1615. Also known officially as The Some rs Isles, they remain a British overseas territory. Citie of Henricopolis, founded in 1611 as an alternative to the swampy Jamestown site and was destroyed in the Indian massacre of 1622. Company , founded 1607, abandoned 1608 Society of Merchant Venturers (Newfoundland) Cuper's Cove, founded 1610, abandoned in the Bristol's Hope, founded 1618, abandoned in the London and Bristol Company (Newfoundland) The massacre of Jamestown settlers in 1622. Soon the colonists in the South fear ed all natives as enemies. New , founded 1617, abandoned before 1637. Renews, founded 1615, (abandoned in 1619[1]) St. John's, Newfoundland, chartered by Sir Humphrey Gilbert in 1583; seasonal se ttlements ca. 1520;[2] informal year-round settlers before 1620.[3][4] Plymouth Council for , founded 1620, merged with Bay Colony in 1691 , Newfoundland granted to George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore in 1620, first settlers in August 1621[5] Province of , granted 1622, sold to Colony in 1677 South Falkland, Newfoundland, founded 1623 by Henry Cary, 1st Viscount Falkland Province of , later New Hampshire settled in 1623, see also New Ham pshire Grants Dorchester Company Colony, (Dorchester Company planted an unsuccessful fishing c olony on at modern Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1624) Salem Colony, later Salem, Massachusetts, settled in 1628, merged with Massachus etts Bay Colony the next year , later part of Massachusetts, founded 1629 New Scotland, in present Nova Scotia, 16291632 Colony, later part of Connecticut founded 1633 Province of , later Maryland, founded in 1634 The Treaty of with the Indians. Penn's Treaty was never violated. , chartered in 1634, failed by 164950, not to be confused with Nova Alb ion on the Pacific coast (see next section) , founded 1635, merged with Connecticut in 1644 and , first settled in 1636 , founded 1638, merged with Connecticut in 1665 , founded 1639, now part of East Hampton, New York , captured 1664 Province of New , captured in 1664 divided into and after 1674, each held by its own compan y of Proprietors. , later Pennsylvania, founded 1681 as an English colony, although first settled by Dutch and Swedes , later Delaware, separated from Pennsylvania in 1704 Carolina Colony , first settled at Roanoke in 1586, became separate colony in 1710 Province of , first permanent settlement in 1670, became separate colony in 1710. Province of , later Georgia; first settled in about 1670, formal colony i n 1732 Nova Scotia, site of abortive Scottish colony in 1629; British colony 1713, but this did not permanently include until 1758. Province of Quebec, which had been called Canada under French rule. Canada was b y far the most settled portion of . Britain gained complete control of French Canada in 17591761, from the events within the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War; France ceded title with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Becam e in the Province of Canada, which also included Ontario (Upper Cana da) as Canada West, from 1841 to 1867. and , acquired from in 1763 in exchange for retur ning , taken from Spain in 1761; the were recovered by Spain in 178 3. Island of St. John, separated from Nova Scotia 1769, renamed Prince Edward Islan d in 1798 New Brunswick, separated from Nova Scotia in 1784 Ontario, separated from Quebec in 1791 as the Province of Upper Canada until 184 1, when it became Canada West in the Province of Canada. Fur traders in Canada, trading with Indians, 1777 Province of Canada combined the colonies of Quebec (Lower Canada) and Ontario (U pper Canada) from 1841 to 1867. Colony of , founded by the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Victoria in 1843. Received for the Island as a colony in 1849, and merged with the colony of British Columbia in 1866. Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands, founded in 1852, merged with the Colony o f Vancouver Island in 1863. Colony of British Columbia, aka the Mainland Colony or the Gold Colony, founded in 1858 from the New Caledonia fur district and the remnant of the Columbia fur district north of the 49th parallel (see below). The colony was expanded with th e addition of most of the Stikine Territory (aka Stickeen Territory) and the Col ony of the Queen Charlotte Islands in 1863. the Colony of British Columbia, formed in 1866 from a merger of the Vancouver Is land and Mainland Colonies. The name British Columbia was chosen for the newly m erged colony despite the opposition from Vancouver Island colonists. Non-colonial British territories in North America[edit] Rupert's Land, territory of the Hudson's Bay Company, founded in 1670 and transf erred to the new Dominion of Canada in 1867 as the Northwest Territories , the trading district of the Columbia Department of the Hudson 's Bay Company from 1821 to the of 1846, by which most of the Colu mbia District was formally annexed to the United States. HBC lands south of the 49th parallel were guaranteed by the Oregon Treaty but ownership and compensatio n issues were not fully resolved until 1861. New Caledonia, fur district. First created in 1805 as part of for operations, administered by Hudson's Bay Company following the two companie s' forced merger in 1821, until incorporated as the part of the Colony of Britis h Columbia in 1858, by which time the term "New Caledonia" had come to refer to the whole of the British Columbia mainland, not just the original fur district i n what is now its Central Interior. Stikine Territory, aka Stickeen Territories, founded in 1862 in response to the Stikine Gold Rush to prevent an American takeover. North-Western Territory, a Hudson's Bay Company trading area covering lands nort h and northwest of Rupert's Land and, after 1863, north of the Stikine Territory 's original boundary at the 62nd parallel. Its remnant was incorporated at the Y ukon Territory after the part of it south of the 60th parallel was amalgamated t o British Columbia. Nova Albion, never incorporated or settled, exact location unknown, claimed by S ir and one of the precedents for the British claims to the during the . the southeastern Alaska Panhandle was leased from the Russian Empire, from 1839 to 1867, until the lease was ignored by both the Russians and Americans and, sub sequently, by the Canadian and the British imperial governments, despite British Columbia's protests. Central and South America, Caribbean[edit] English and later British Caribbean colonies[edit] Main articles: History of the British and History of the Caribbean Planter and his wife, with a servant, circa 1780 In order of settlement or founding: The island was settled by Sir Thomas Warner in 1623. The following y ear the French also settled part of St Kitts. After they massacred the Caribs, t he British and French turned on each other and St Kitts changed hands between th e two several times before the Treaty of Paris (1783) gave the island to Britain . It became independent as Saint Kitts and in 1983. The island was claimed for the British Empire in 1625, and later settle d in 1627 as a of Anglo-Dutchman William Courten. It became a n independent nation in 1966. Nevis The island was permanently settled in 1628. It became independent as in 1983. Providencia Island part of an archipelago off the coast of , this islan d was settled in 1630 by English . The colony was conquered by the Spani sh and became extinct in 1641. The island today is Providencia Island, which is administered by Colombia. was a sister colony to the mo re well known Massachusetts Bay Colony. The island was settled in 1632. It became independent as Antigua and Bar buda in 1981 The island was settled about 1632. It became independent as in 1981. The island was settled in 1632. It was occupied by the French in 16646 8 and 178284. It remains a British territory. Bahamas The islands were settled from 1647. They became independent in 1973. The island was settled in 1650. Its government was united with St. Chri stopher from 1882 until 1967, when it declared its separation. It was brought ba ck under British administration in 1969. It remains a British territory. The island was conquered from Spain in 1655. It became independent in 19 62. The islands were settled from 1666. They remain a British territory. The islands were acquired from Spain in 1670. It remains a Britis h territory. The islands were first permanently settled in the . They remain a British territory. A linen market in the West Indies, circa 1780 The island was captured from the French in 1761. The French occupied it again from 1778 to 1783. Dominica became independent in 1978. Trinidad and The island of Tobago was captured in 1762. The island of Tri nidad was captured from the Spanish in 1797. The two governments were joined in 1888. They became independent in 1962. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent was colonised in 1762. France cap tured it in 1779 but returned it to Britain in 1783. The islands were formerly p art of the British colony of the from 1871 to 1958. The nation gained full independence in 1979. The island was conquered from France in 1762. The French reoccupied it f rom 1779 to 1783. It became independent in 1974. Saint Lucia The island was captured from the French in 1778, but returned in 178 3. In 1796 and in 1803 it was captured again, and permanently annexed by Britain in 1814. Saint Lucia became independent in 1979. English and later British Central and South American colonies[edit] English adventurers starting in 1638, used Belize as a source for logwood , a tree used to make a wool dye. The area was claimed by Spain but they had not settled it or been able to control the natives. The Spanish destroyed the Briti sh colony in 1717, 1730, 1754 and 1779. The Spanish attacked a final time in 179 8, but were defeated. The colony was known as 'British ' from the 19th c entury until 1973, whereupon its name changed to 'Belize'. Although Guatemalan c laims to Belize delayed independence, full independence was granted in 1981.[6] (Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast) This area was first settled by the English in 1630. It was briefly assigned to Honduras in 1859, along with the Bay Islands north of the country, then ceded to Nicaragua in 1860 and the area was disputed until a treaty of 1965 divided the Mosquito coast for each country.[cit ation needed] The English began colonies in the Guiana area in the early 17th c entury. In the , the Dutch gained control of these colonies. Brit ain later controlled various colonies in the area. Britain ceded Suriname in exc hange for New Amsterdam. The Congress of Vienna (1815) awarded the settlements o f Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo in the Guiana region to Great Britain; they w ere united as British Guiana in 1831. It became independent as in 1966. T ill this day, Venezuela claims sovereignty over half of Guyana's territory. The first British base of 1765 was abandoned in 1776. The Islan ds have been under British control since the Argentine administration was expell ed in 1833, save for a brief Argentine occupation during the of 19 82. See also[edit] Atlantic World British America British Empire American gentry British invasions of the Río de la Plata British North America Colonial history of the United States Colonialism Former colonies and territories in Canada History of Canada Imperialism Kecoughtan, Virginia, claims to be oldest continually occupied British settlemen t in the US Quia Emptores Thirteen Colonies Welsh settlement in the Americas References[edit] Jump up ^ "William Vaughan and New Cambriol". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site Project. Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved 9 January 2010 . Jump up ^ Nicholas Canny, The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I: Th e Origins of Empire: British Overseas Enterprise to the Close of the Seventeenth Century , 2001, ISBN 0-19-924676-9. Jump up ^ "Early Settlement Schemes". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Sit e Project. Memorial University of Newfoundland. 1998. Retrieved 9 January 2010. Jump up ^ Paul O'Neill, The Oldest City: The Story of St. John's, Newfoundland, 2003, ISBN 0-9730271-2-6. Jump up ^ Colony of Avalon, [1], Colony of Avalon Foundation, Revised March 2002 , accessed 27 August 2006 Jump up ^ "The Belize Position". Government of Belize. Retrieved 12 September 20 06. External links[edit] The Modern History Sourcebook has the account of the Gilbert's trip to North Ame rica [show] v t e Former colonies and territories in Canada [show] v t e Americas (orthographic projection).svg Categories: British colonization of the Americas Navigation menu Create accountLog inArticleTalkReadEditView history Main page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Donate to Wikipedia Wikimedia Shop Interaction Help About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact page Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Wikidata item Cite this page Print/export Create a book Download as PDF Printable version Languages ??????? Català Dansk Deutsch Español Français Bahasa Lietuviu Bahasa Melayu Nederlands ??? Norsk bokmål Norsk nynorsk Polski Português ??????? Svenska Türkçe ?????????? Edit links This page was last modified on 31 October 2014 at 16:08. 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