First European settlements are established in the U.S.

In 1565, the first permanent European settlement in the U.S. is established in St. Augustine, Florida by the Spanish in an area already long occupied by the Timucuan Indians. In 1607, colonists seeking riches in competition with Spanish rivals establish the first English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. They encounter the Powhatan Indians, who have lived in the area for centuries before the colonists’ arrival.