| Term | Definition |
| Ponce de Leon | first European to reach what is now the U.S. mainland |
| John Cabot | claimed part of North America for England in 1497 |
| Henry Hudson | claimed the area of New York for the Dutch |
| Samuel de Champlain | claimed the area of New York for the French |
| John White | governor of Roanoke |
| Lord De La Warr | first governor of Jamestown |
| John Carver | first governor of Plymouth |
| William Bradford | second goernor of Plymouth |
| John Winthrop | governor of Massachusetts |
| Peter Stuyvesant | governor of New Netherland; forced to surrender to the British |