By the early 1600's, many European countries had established colonies in North America. Here are a few links about the colonies and people who helped found them.
Quebec: The French town of Quebec thrived on beaver for fur trade.
http://www.quebecheritage.com/en/historique.html
New Amsterdam: By 1626, Dutch settlers from the Netherlands established the town of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island.
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/kingston/colonization.htm
Jamestown: The first permanent English colony.
http://www.historyisfun.org/History-Jamestown.htm
Plymouth: About 100 Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a small ship called the Mayflower. The Mayflower landed in a rocky harbor the English called Plymouth.
http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/history/A0860437.html
John Smith: Under the leadership of John Smith, the colonists built houses, planted crops, and dug wells.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/s/smith.shtml
John Rolfe: In about 1612, an English settler named John Rolfe began raising tobacco in the rich Virginia soil.
http://www.preservationvirginia.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=183
Pocahontas: John Rolfe's marriage to a Powntam woman named Pocahontas helped ensure a time of peace between the English and Powhatan people.
http://www.incwell.com/Biographies/Pocahontas.html
Squanto: A Native American named Squanto showed the Pilgrims the best hunting and fishing areas and he taught them how to grow corn in the rocky New England soil.
http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/History/BiographyTisquantum.php
House of Burgesses: Hoping to attract more settlers from England, leaders of the colony decided to give colonists the right to govern themselves. In 1619 the Virginia House of Burgesses met for the first time.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1151.html
The 13 Colonies: By 1733 the English had established 13 colonies along the east coast of North America.
http://www.timepage.org/spl/13colony.html