Why are the six northeastern United States often refered to as New England?

Question

What is the history behind the six northeastern United States (Maine, Massachusettes, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut) often being refered to as New England? What does this area of the country have to do with Great Britain or England proper?

Best answer is the one with most detail and not sarcastic!

Answer 1

After a few false starts, the English settlers started to come to the Northeastern coast of North America between 1620 and 1675. Nearly 100% of the early settlers in that area were from English. They received charters from the King of England to settle, and they were subjects of the king.

The main settlements were at Plymouth (MA) and Boston (MA) but those settlers soon spread out to cover the areas that are now CT, RI and NH. The state of ME was part of MA until well after 1800. VT was more or less attached to NH until after the Revolution.

So, MA was actually a part of England from the 1620s until after the American Revolution in the 1780s -- more than 150 years! It has only been part of the United States for 220 years or so. So that's why, although New England has people from every ethnic and racial heritage today, it still carries the name that it held for more than a century and a half after it was settled by Europeans.

Answer 2

The people that settled the area came from England. It was common for people to name new areas after areas they came from. For example when the Dutch settled the area that is now New York they called it New Amsterdam after the capital of the Netherlands. When the English obtained New Amsterdam they renamed it New York after the Dutchy of York. The name New England works under the same principle. The settlers named the area New England after the country they came from.

Answer 3

When the pilgrims came over form England they settled in the Northeast. Since they came from England they name the states New England. If you notice most of the places in New England are named after places in England. I live in New Hampshire and the majority of the towns in my area are named after cities in England. The first colonists did not intend to break away completely from England issues with taxes and such made the colonists want to break away from England and declare independence.

Answer 4

The name came from Captain John Smith in 1614, who says he got the name from Francis Drake (who voyaged to a place in North America and called it Nova Albion, the Latin for "New England). This was after King James I (early 17th century UK King) had sent some ships to colonise the region in the early 17th century to create trade and profit. The name was officially sanctioned 3 November 1620.

The English pilgrims came to New England later on in the century to escape religious persecution

Answer 5

Initially, most of the settlers that landed in that area left England. They colonized the whole area first, and it became "New England". Afterward, it broke up into partitions of the whole (or states, if you will,) which gained their own names.

Answer 6

Because they are in the area first settled by immigrants from England

Answer 7

AS wedjb said they are the first colonies, and they left ENGLAND.

Answer 8

these were the first colonies where the pilgrims settled. i am from connecticut (the constitution state)