Explorers and Early Settlers

The first Europeans who came to America and built it into what it is today. Explorers like Christopher Columbus and early settlers who established the first colonies.

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas.

John Smith

English explorer and soldier, played a crucial role in the establishment of the Jamestown colony, the first permanent English settlement in America.

William Bradford

Leader of the Pilgrims and longtime governor of the Plymouth Colony, he helped shape the colony's government and wrote an important history of its development.

John Winthrop

Leader of the Puritans who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he envisioned the colony as a "city upon a hill" and played a central role in its early governance.

Myles Standish

Military leader of the Plymouth Colony, he helped defend the settlers and maintain order in the early years.

Roger Williams

Founder of Rhode Island, he advocated for religious freedom and the separation of church and state, establishing a refuge for dissenters.

Anne Hutchinson

Early settler who challenged the religious orthodoxy of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, she was a key figure in the development of religious freedom in America.

Henry Hudson

English navigator and explorer who explored the river that would later be named after him, contributing to the Dutch colonization of the Hudson River Valley.

Samuel de Champlain

French explorer and founder of Quebec City, he played a major role in the establishment of New France.

Jacques Cartier

French explorer who claimed what is now Canada for France, making significant contributions to the exploration of the St. Lawrence River.

Hernando de Soto

Spanish explorer who led the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, crossing the Mississippi River.

Giovanni da Verrazzano

Italian explorer serving France, he explored the Atlantic coast of North America, including New York Harbor and Narragansett Bay.

Juan Ponce de León

Spanish explorer who led the first known European expedition to Florida and became the first Governor of Puerto Rico.

Sir Francis Drake

English sea captain and privateer who circumnavigated the globe and explored the western coast of North America.

Ferdinand Magellan

Although Portuguese, Magellan’s expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe, proving the vastness of the Earth and contributing to the understanding of its geography.

Cabeza de Vaca

Spanish explorer who wandered the American Southwest for eight years after being shipwrecked, documenting his journey and interactions with Native American tribes.

Bartolomé de las Casas

Spanish colonist and historian who became an advocate for the rights of indigenous peoples in the Americas, documenting the atrocities committed against them.

Sir Walter Raleigh

English adventurer who sponsored the failed Roanoke Colony and popularized tobacco in England.

Pere Marquette

French Jesuit missionary and explorer who mapped the northern portion of the Mississippi River.

Jean Nicolet

French explorer who was the first European to reach what is now Wisconsin, making significant contributions to the exploration of the Great Lakes region.

John Rolfe

Early English settler of Jamestown who introduced tobacco cultivation to Virginia, helping ensure the colony's economic success.

John White

Governor of the Roanoke Colony who made detailed maps and drawings of the area, his return to find the colony vanished remains a historical mystery.

John Carver

First governor of the Plymouth Colony and a signatory of the Mayflower Compact, he played a crucial role in the early survival of the Pilgrims.

John Harvard

English minister who bequeathed his library and half his estate to the institution that became Harvard University, playing a foundational role in American education.

Henry the Navigator

Although Portuguese, his patronage of exploratory voyages laid the groundwork for European exploration of the Americas.

William Penn

Founder of Pennsylvania, he established the colony based on principles of religious tolerance and good relations with Native Americans.

James Oglethorpe

Founder of the Georgia Colony, he sought to create a haven for debtors and the poor, as well as a buffer against Spanish Florida.

Captain John Mason

Co-founder of the Province of New Hampshire, he played a significant role in the early settlement of New England.

Peter Minuit

Dutch colonial governor who purchased Manhattan Island from Native Americans, establishing the settlement of New Amsterdam, which became New York City.

Thomas Hooker

Founder of Connecticut, he was a prominent Puritan colonial leader and advocate for the fundamental orders of Connecticut, considered the first written constitution in America.

Peter Stuyvesant

Last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland before it was ceded to the English and renamed New York.

George Calvert (Lord Baltimore)

Founder of Maryland, he sought to create a haven for Catholics in the New World.

Robert de La Salle

French explorer who led expeditions down the Mississippi River, claiming the entire Mississippi Basin for France.

Martin Waldseemüller

German cartographer who first used the name "America" on a map in honor of Amerigo Vespucci.

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado

Spanish explorer who led a large expedition from Mexico to present-day Kansas through parts of the southwestern United States.

Jean Ribault

French naval officer who led expeditions to the southeastern United States and established the short-lived Charlesfort settlement in South Carolina.