Colonial history of the United States

The colonial history of the United States covers the period of European colonization of North America from the early 16th century until the unifying of thirteen British colonies and creation of the United States in 1783, during the American War of Independence. Native Americans occupied the territory of North America prior to European colonization and remained a factor throughout the colonial era. The Spanish were the first Europeans to establish a permanent settlement in what became the United States, at Saint Augustine, Florida (1565).

Although Spain claimed sovereignty over all North America, its main interest was central Mexico with dense, hierarchically organized indigenous populations, who rendered tribute and labor to overlords, and newly discovered deposits of precious metals.
Those resources made Spain wealthy.
In the late sixteenth century, other European powers including England, France, and the Dutch Republic sought to replicate Spain's colonial success and launched colonization expeditions in North America in territory that Spain claimed but had not colonized.

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Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain