4 Oct 1629: Massachusetts Bay Colony chartered,King Charles I granted a royal charter to the Massachusetts Bay Company, leading to a large Puritan migration to the New World.
2
1630
1 Sep 1630: Founding of Boston,Puritan colonists led by John Winthrop founded the city of Boston, which became the capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
3
1636
18 Sep 1636: Harvard College founded,The General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony established Harvard College, the first institution of higher learning in the United States.
4
1639
14 Jan 1639: Fundamental Orders of Connecticut,The settlements of Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield adopted the "Fundamental Orders," considered to be the first written constitution in America.
5
1643
25 Sep 1643: New England Confederation formed,The colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven formed a military alliance for mutual defense against Native Americans.
6
1652
30 May 1652: Rhode Island outlawed slavery,Rhode Island passed a law prohibiting slavery, though it was largely ignored and later repealed.
7
1663
24 Mar 1663: Carolina Charter granted,King Charles II granted a charter to eight proprietors to establish the Carolina colony.
8
1664
2 Sep 1664: English seize New Netherland,The English fleet seized the Dutch colony of New Netherland without a fight, renaming it New York.