British colonization of the Americas

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European colonization
of the Americas
First colonization
Colonization of Canada
Colonization of the U.S.



Britain in the Americas

North America[edit]

Pre-British colonization of North America[edit]

English colonies in North America[edit]




Scottish colonies in North America[edit]

There was also an early unsuccessful attempt by the Kingdom of Scotland to establish a colony at Darién, and the short-lived Scottish colonization of Nova Scotia (New Scotland) from 1629 to 1632. Thousands of Scotsmen also participated in the English colonization even before the two countries were united in 1708.

British colonies in North America[edit]



Thirteen of Great Britain's colonies rebelled with the American Revolutionary War, beginning in 1775, primarily over representation, local laws and tax issues, and established the United States of America, which was recognized internationally with the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783) on September 3 of that year (1783).



List of English and British colonies in North America[edit]

The British Colonies in North America, 1763-1775

Non-colonial British territories in North America[edit]

  • Stikine Territory, aka Stickeen Territories, founded in 1862 in response to the Stikine Gold Rush in order to prevent an American takeover.

Central and South America, Caribbean[edit]

English and later British Caribbean colonies[edit]

Planter and his wife, with a servant, circa 1780

In order of settlement or founding:

  • Nevis - The island was permanently settled in 1628. It became independent as Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1983.
  • Providencia Island - part of an archipelago off the coast of Nicaragua, this island was settled in 1630 by English Puritans. The colony was conquered by the Spanish and became extinct in 1641. The island today is Providencia Island, which is administered by Colombia. Providence Island colony was a sister colony to the more well known Massachusetts Bay Colony.
  • Antigua - The island was settled in 1632. It became independent as Antigua and Barbuda in 1981
  • Barbuda - The island was settled about 1632. It became independent as Antigua and Barbuda in 1981.
  • Montserrat - The island was settled in 1632. It was occupied by the French in 1664-68 and 1782-84. It remains a British territory.
  • Bahamas - The islands were settled from 1647. They became independent in 1973.
  • Anguilla - The island was settled in 1650. Its government was united with St. Christopher from 1882 until 1967, when it declared its separation. It was brought back under British administration in 1969. It remains a British territory.
  • Jamaica - The island was conquered from Spain in 1655. It became independent in 1962.
  • British Virgin Islands - The islands were settled from 1666. They remain a British territory.
  • Cayman Islands - The islands were acquired from Spain in 1670. It remains a British territory.
  • Turks and Caicos Islands - The islands were first permanently settled in the 1750s. They remain a British territory.
    A linen market in the West Indies, circa 1780
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Saint Vincent was colonized in 1762. France captured it in 1779 but returned it to Britain in 1783. The islands were formerly part of the British colony of the British Windward Islands from 1871 to 1958. The nation gained full independence in 1979.
  • Grenada - The island was conquered from France in 1762. The French reoccupied it from 1779 to 1783. It became independent in 1974.
  • Saint Lucia - The island was captured from the French in 1778, but returned in 1783. 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]

  • Belize - 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 British colony in 1717, 1730, 1754 and 1779. The Spanish attacked a final time in 1798, but were defeated. The colony was known as 'British Honduras' from the 19th century until 1973, whereupon its name changed to 'Belize'. Although Guatemalan claims to Belize delayed independence, full independence was granted in 1981.[6]
  • Mosquito Coast (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.[citation needed]
  • Falkland Islands - The first British base of 1765 was abandoned in 1776. The Islands have been under British control since the Argentine administration was expelled in 1833, save for a brief Argentine occupation during the Falklands War of 1982.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ "William Vaughan and New Cambriol". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site Project. Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved 2010-01-09. 
  3. ^ "Early Settlement Schemes". Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site Project. Memorial University of Newfoundland. 1998. Retrieved 2010-01-09. 
  5. ^ Colony of Avalon, [1], Colony of Avalon Foundation, Revised March 2002, accessed August 27, 2006
  6. ^ "The Belize Position". Government of Belize. Retrieved 2006-09-12. 

External links[edit]