From Plymouth to Hampton Roads

From Plymouth to Hampton Roads is an itinerary along the Atlantic coast of the United States, showcasing the nation's early history, from the first Anglo-American settlements in the 17th century to the American Civil War, which ended in 1865.

Understand
As for most American historical routes, it follows a chronology of migration and development, beginning with the first colonies in Massachusetts, along the Freedom Trail in Boston, following the relocation of the capital from New York City to Philadelphia and finally Washington DC, coming up to the American Civil War and the confederate capital in Richmond (Virginia) with the Civil War battlegrounds.

Get around
The route is long as the crow flies, and more than  by road.

Outside the cities, driving is practical. In many of the cities, in particular the historic districts, public transport is more useful.

Connecting itineraries:
 * U.S. Highway 1, one of the main thoroughfares of the Atlantic coast.
 * Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway

Destinations
As the northeast corridor has too many colonial and antebellum locations to list, this article describes National historic areas in the United States, United States National Monuments, the state equivalent of those, historical sites with organized hospitality, and other sites of great importance.

Some other locations from the colonial and antebellum years can be found in other historical articles:
 * Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail, a Revolutionary War campaign throughout the Northeastern corridor.
 * Touring prestigious and notable universities in the U.S.
 * Black Belt, the plantation region in the South along the Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line
 * Underground Railroad, the road for fugitives from slavery in the South
 * American Industry Tour, describing settlements in inland Massachusetts, the Mid-Atlantic states and the Midwest
 * Touring Shaker Country: Americas silent revolutionaries
 * Assassin's Creed Tour, a video game which depicts an alternate story of the Revolution in Boston, New York and Philadelphia
 * Presidents of the United States
 * Knowledge Corridor
 * From St. Augustine to Hampton Roads, the southern Atlantic coast

Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded in 1620. Massachusetts has since then been a state of firsts - the first public school (Boston Latin School), the first public library (Boston Public Library), the first public park (Worcester), the first American university (Harvard), and the first National Armory (Springfield).
 * , Brookline &mdash; Former home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of American landscape architecture and designer of many of the most noted American parks of the 19th century.
 * , Brookline &mdash; Former home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of American landscape architecture and designer of many of the most noted American parks of the 19th century.
 * , Brookline &mdash; Former home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of American landscape architecture and designer of many of the most noted American parks of the 19th century.
 * , Brookline &mdash; Former home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of American landscape architecture and designer of many of the most noted American parks of the 19th century.
 * , Brookline &mdash; Former home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of American landscape architecture and designer of many of the most noted American parks of the 19th century.
 * , Brookline &mdash; Former home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of American landscape architecture and designer of many of the most noted American parks of the 19th century.
 * , Brookline &mdash; Former home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of American landscape architecture and designer of many of the most noted American parks of the 19th century.
 * , Brookline &mdash; Former home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of American landscape architecture and designer of many of the most noted American parks of the 19th century.
 * , Brookline &mdash; Former home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of American landscape architecture and designer of many of the most noted American parks of the 19th century.
 * , Brookline &mdash; Former home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of American landscape architecture and designer of many of the most noted American parks of the 19th century.
 * , Brookline &mdash; Former home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of American landscape architecture and designer of many of the most noted American parks of the 19th century.



Rhode Island
The state's historic full name, as established by the Royal Charter granted by King Charles II in 1663, was "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." However, due to the connotation of plantation with slavery, the official name of the state has been shortened to "Rhode Island" in 2020 after a referendum.

New York
New York City was the capital of the United States from 1785 to 1790.



Maryland

 * , Towson &mdash; Preserves a remnant of a huge 18th century estate, including a mansion that was the largest private home in America when it was completed.
 * , Towson &mdash; Preserves a remnant of a huge 18th century estate, including a mansion that was the largest private home in America when it was completed.
 * , Towson &mdash; Preserves a remnant of a huge 18th century estate, including a mansion that was the largest private home in America when it was completed.
 * , Towson &mdash; Preserves a remnant of a huge 18th century estate, including a mansion that was the largest private home in America when it was completed.
 * , Towson &mdash; Preserves a remnant of a huge 18th century estate, including a mansion that was the largest private home in America when it was completed.
 * , Towson &mdash; Preserves a remnant of a huge 18th century estate, including a mansion that was the largest private home in America when it was completed.
 * , Towson &mdash; Preserves a remnant of a huge 18th century estate, including a mansion that was the largest private home in America when it was completed.
 * , Towson &mdash; Preserves a remnant of a huge 18th century estate, including a mansion that was the largest private home in America when it was completed.
 * , Towson &mdash; Preserves a remnant of a huge 18th century estate, including a mansion that was the largest private home in America when it was completed.
 * , Towson &mdash; Preserves a remnant of a huge 18th century estate, including a mansion that was the largest private home in America when it was completed.
 * , Towson &mdash; Preserves a remnant of a huge 18th century estate, including a mansion that was the largest private home in America when it was completed.
 * , Towson &mdash; Preserves a remnant of a huge 18th century estate, including a mansion that was the largest private home in America when it was completed.

District of Columbia
Washington, D.C. was founded in 1800 and contains many artifacts from the Independence era. In the War of 1812, the British invaded the city and burnt many of the buildings.

Virginia
The English crown claimed Virginia already in the 16th century, naming the territory in honour to the "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth I. The 1585 Roanoke Colony failed, and the 17th century colonies were marked by death, desertion and rebellion. From the 18th century, Virginia thrived on plantation farming based on intendured service and slavery. Virginia had a leading role in the American Revolution, with founding fathers such as George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson. As the Confederacy seceded, Delaware and Maryland remained in the union, together with the counties that today form West Virginia. For most of the four years of the Confederacy, Richmond was its capital. Virginia was the most contested state during the Civil War, the event that concludes this tour.

Go next
With the country's independence, colonization of the Midwest began; see industrialization of the United States and American Industry Tour. The West was first sought out by the Lewis and Clark expedition, and early settlers followed the Oregon Trail. The Civil War started the golden age of the Old West. The Trail of Tears was the Native Americans' forced migration westwards in the 1830s.