colonial times

When did the colonial period begin and when did it end? According to many historians, the era started either with failed English attempts to settle on Roanoke Island (1584–87) or their successful founding of Jamestown in 1607. The conclusion is placed either before or after the French and Indian War (1754–60) or at the beginning of the revolutionary period (1775–76). These time frames, regardless of dates, put the thirteen English colonies at the center of American history.