The Colonial Period in American History began in 1607 with the founding of the Jamestown Colony.  After over a century and a half of loyalty to the crown, the Founding Fathers decided that change was necessary.  That change took the form of the American Revolution, which established the first modern democracy and unleashed the ideas of freedom and individual rights across the globe.  The consequences of the Revolutionary War continue to shape human history and the United States, which from those humble beginnings, remains a leader on the world stage.