What was happening in Colonial America before the late 1700s?

by pwn3dbyth3n00b

In school the most we ever learnt was Columbus 'discovering' America in 1492 then Pilgrim in 1620 a whole 128 years later. Then American revolution in 1776 a whole 156 years later. There's more time between Columbus and the American Revolution than there is between the American Revolution and today. But the time between the American Revolution and today is taught heavily and its a lot of events. Was there nothing massive happening during the Colonial Era of the US?

fearofair

A similar question generated a wide-ranging discussion a few months ago with contributions from /u/uncovered-history, /u/anthropology_nerd and /u/Kochevnik81:

American history education has a quirk where it "jumps" from the earliest settler colonies (Jamestown, Plymouth, etc.) to the Colonial Era and the Revolutionary War. What exactly happened in between these two major "episodes"? Explanations on native peoples, slaves, etc. are greatly appreciated.

If you're looking to read more about this, I'd echo /u/uncovered-history's recommendation of Alan Taylor's American Colonies. The entire book is very readable and has a free preview here. The introduction not only provides a decent summary, but it directly addresses the "traditional" version of the narrative and its narrow focus on select events in the English colonies that you allude to in the question.