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John Mason

John Mason

John Mason was the name of two prominent figures in colonial New England prior to 1640. See John Mason (disambiguation) ---- Captain John Mason (1586 – 1635) was born in Norfolk. He was a sailor, explorer, cartographer and colonizer and appointed the second Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland's Cuper's Cove colony in 1615, succeeding John Guy. Mason arrived on the island in 1616 and explored much of the territory, mapping the island for the first time and writing a book on his findings. Mason drew up the first known English map of the island of Newfoundland. Published in William Vaughan's Cambrensium Caroleia in 1625, the [http://www.mun.ca/rels/hrollmann/relsoc/texts/pics/map.gif map] included previously established placenames as well as new ones such as Bristol's Hope and Butter Pots, near Renews. His book entitled [http://www.mun.ca/rels/hrollmann/relsoc/texts/mason.html A Briefe Discourse of the New-Found-Land with the situation, temperature, and commodities thereof, inciting our nation to go forward in the hopefull plantation begunne] was published in 1620 by Mason while in England. He returned to New England after becoming tired of mediating disputes between and among settlers and migratory fishermen. Mason ceased to be Cuper's Cove governor in 1621 and was not replaced. The colony was ultimately abandoned by its settlers, possibly as late as the early 18th century. In 1621 Mason moved to New England and consulted with Sir William Alexander about possibly colonizing Nova Scotia. In 1622, Mason and Sir Ferdinando Gorges received a patent from the Council for New England for all the territory lying between the Merrimack and Kennebec rivers. In 1629 they divided the grant along the Piscataqua River, with Mason receiving the southern portion. The colony was recharted as the Province of New Hampshire. It included most of the southeastern part of the current state of New Hampshire, as well as portions of present-day Massachusetts north of the Merrimack. Mason was appointed first vice-admiral of New England in 1635 but died in December of the same year as he was about to return to his plantations there. |width="25%" align="center"|Preceded by:
John Guy |width="25%" align="center"|Governor of Newfoundland
1615-1621 |width="25%" align="center"|Followed by:
Admiral Robert Hayman |- |

John Mason (disambiguation)

John Mason was the name of two prominent figures in colonial New England prior to 1640:
- John Mason School, a state secondary school in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
- Sir John Mason (1503-1566), British diplomat and spy.
- John Mason (1586-1635), founder of the Province of New Hampshire.
- John Mason (c.1600-1672), the military commander of the Connecticut forces in the Pequot War in 1637.
- John Mason (economist)
- John Mason (television), Television and filmmaker, best known for Star Trek work

1586

1586 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.

Events

- September 22 - The battle of Zutphen occurs.
- November 19 - Henry Barrow, English Puritan and Separatist is imprisoned.
- The reign of Emperor Ogimachi of Japan ends and Emperor Go-Yozei ascends to the throne of Japan.
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi becomes grand minister of Japan.
- William Harrison becomes canon of Windsor.
- Luis Barahona de Soto publishes Primera parte de la Angélica.
- William Camden publishes Britannia.
- Simon Stevin, a Dutch mathematician demonstrates that two objects of different weight fall with the same speed.
- St. Augustine, Florida, and Santo Domingo in the modern day Dominican Republic are plundered and burned by English sea captain Sir Francis Drake.
- Jacobus Gallus composes his motet O magnum mysterium.
- Caesar Baronius publishes a new edition of Roman martyrology.
- The first HMS Vanguard is launched in England.
- Thomas Cavendish, English explorer, begins his circumnavigation of the globe.

Births

- January 20 - Johann Schein, German composer (died 1630)
- April 17 - John Ford, English dramatist and poet (died 1640)
- April 30 - Saint Rose of Lima, Peruvian saint (died 1617)
- July 1 - Claudio Saracini, Italian composer (d. 1630)
- July 5 - Thomas Hooker, Connecticut colonist (d. 1647)
- July 7 - Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel, English courtier (died 1646)
- August 14 - William Hutchinson, founder of Rhode Island (died 1642)
- October 9 - Archduke Leopold V of Austria, regent of Tyrol (died 1632)
- December 6 - Niccolo Zucchi, Italian astronomer and physicist (died 1670)
- Johann Valentin Andrea, German theologian (died 1654)
- Johannes Valentinus Andreae, German theologian and Rosicrucian (died 1654)
- Pau Claris i Casademunt, Catalan ecclesiastic (died 1641)
- Giles Fletcher, English poet (died 1623)
- Thomas Hooker, founder of Connecticut (died 1647)
- Gerard de Malynes, English merchant (died 1641)
- John Mason, English explorer (died 1635)
- Jacob Praetorius, German composer and organist (died 1651)
- David HaLevi Segal, Polish rabbi (died 1667)
- Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Arundel and Surrey (died 1646) See also :Category:1586 births.

Deaths

- January 25 - Lucas Cranach the Younger, German painter (born 1515)
- March 20 - Richard Maitland, Scottish statesman and historian (born 1496)
- April 8 - Martin Chemnitz, Lutheran reformer (born 1522)
- May 5 - Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy of Ireland (born 1529)
- June 28 - Primoz Trubar, Slovenian protestant reformer (born 1508)
- September 20 - Chidiock Tichborne, English conspirator and poet (executed) (born 1558)
- September 20 - Sir Anthony Babington, English Catholic conspirator (executed) (born 1561)
- September 21 - Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, French church leader (born 1517)
- October 17 - Sir Philip Sidney, English poet, courtier, and soldier (killed in battle) (born 1554)
- Philips van der Aa, Dutch statesman
- Stephen Bathory, King of Poland (born 1533)
- Margaret Clitherow, English Catholic saint and martyr (born 1556)
- Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley, son of John Sutton, 3rd Lord Dudley and Lady Cicely Grey (born 1525)
- Andrea Gabrieli, Italian composer (born 1510)
- Luis de Morales, Spanish religious painter (born 1510)
- Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma (born 1521) See also :Category:1586 deaths. Category:1586 ko:1586년

1635

Events

- February 10 - The Académie française in Paris is expanded to become a national academy for the artistic elite.
- April 13 – Maronite warlord Fah-al-Din II executed in Constantinople
- May 30 - Peace of Prague (30 Years War)
- October 9 - Founder of Rhode Island Roger Williams is banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony as a religious dissident after he spoke out against punishments for religious offenses and giving away Native American land.
- November 15 - Thomas Parr, dead at the alleged age of 152, is buried in Westminster Abbey
- Guadeloupe becomes a French colony.
- Martinique is settled by France.
- Dominica is claimed by France.
- Franco-Swed. treaty of alliance signed by Cardinal Richelieu and Axel Oxenstierna.
- Académie Française expanded nationally by Cardinal Richelieu.
- Colonization of Connecticut begins.
- Nagyszombat University (predecessor of Budapest University) established.
- The speed limit for the Hackney carriage in London is set at 3 m.p.h.
- Boston Latin School, the oldest continuous public high school in the United States of America founded in Boston, Massachusetts.

Births

- January 8 - Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero, Spanish Archbishop of Toledo (d. 1709)
- January 13 - Philipp Jakob Spener, German theologian (d. 1705)
- February 1 - Marquard Gude, German archaeologist (d. 1689)
- February 18 - Johan Göransson Gyllenstierna, Swedish statesman (d. 1680)
- June 3 - Philippe Quinault, French writer (d. 1688)
- July 18 - Robert Hooke, English scientist (d. 1703)
- August 24 - Peder Griffenfeld, Danish statesman (d. 1699)
- November 22 - Francis Willughby, English biologist (d. 1672)
- November 27 - Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon, second wife of Louis XIV of France (d. 1719) See also :Category:1635 births.

Deaths

- March 27 - Robert Naunton, English politician (b. 1563)
- August 7 - Friedrich von Spee, German writer (b. 1591)
- August 27 - Lope de Vega, Spanish poet and playwright (b. 1562)
- September 6 - Metius, Dutch mathematician and astronomer (b. 1571)
- December 25 - Samuel de Champlain, French explorer and founder of Quebec
- Thomas Parr See also :Category:1635 deaths. Category:1635 ko:1635년

Norfolk

:For alternative meanings see: Norfolk (disambiguation) Norfolk (pronounced NOR-f'k) is a low-lying county in East Anglia in the east of southern England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and with Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast, including The Wash.

History

The Angles, for whom East Anglia and England itself are named, settled in this area in the 5th century and later became the "north folk" and the "south folk", hence, "Norfolk" and "Suffolk". As with all English counties, a rich history exists. The influence of the Early English settlers can be seen in the many "thorpes", "tons" and "hams" of placenames.

Geography

The highest point of the county is Beacon Hill at exactly 100m. It is the highest point of the Cromer Ridge, a ridge of old glacial moraines that stands next to the coast above Cromer. The capital of Norfolk is the city of Norwich. Other principal towns include King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth. For a full list of villages, towns and cities, see the article List of places in Norfolk.

Places of interest

- The Norfolk Broads -- part of The Broads National Park
- North Norfolk Heritage Coast
- Norfolk Wildlife Trust
- National Nature Reserves in Norfolk
- Norfolk Windmills Trust; see also: windpump
- Norfolk wherry - a black-sailed trader
- Norfolk village signs
- Norfolk hawker - a dragonfly
- Blickling Hall, Felbrigg Hall, Oxburgh Hall - National Trust
- Sheringham Park - National Trust
- Walsingham Abbey and Shrine
- Wymondham Abbey (see also Historic houses in England)
- Long distance footpaths:
- Angles Way, Bure Valley Way, Fen Rivers Way, Great Eastern Pingo Trail, Marriott's Way, Nar Valley Way, North Norfolk Coastal Path, Paston Way, Peddars Way, Tas Valley Way, Weavers Way
- RSPB reserves (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds):
- RSPB Berney Marshes, RSPB Breydon Water, Halvergate Marshes, RSPB Snettisham, RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, RSPB Titchwell Marsh
- Heritage railways:
- Bressingham Steam Museum, Bure Valley Railway, Mid-Norfolk Railway, East Anglian Railway Museum, North Norfolk Railway
- Castle Museum, Norwich
- Castle Acre Priory
- Holkham Hall

Proprietary Governor

Proprietary Governors were individuals authorized to govern proprietary colonies. Under the proprietary system, individuals or companies were granted commercial charters by the King of England to establish colonies. These proprietors then selected the governors and other officials in the colony. This system was used to establish several colonies on the island of Newfoundland. The provinces of Maryland, Carolina and several other colonies in the Americas were initially established under the proprietary system. These colonies were distinct from royal colonies in that they were commercial enterprises established under authority of the crown. Proprietary Governors had legal responsibilities over the colony as well as responsibilities to shareholders to ensure the security of their investments. The proprietary system was a mostly inefficient system, in that the proprietors were, for the most part, like absentee landlords. Many never even visited the colonies they owned. By the early 1700s, nearly all of the proprietary colonies had either surrendered their charters to the crown to become royal colonies, or else had significant limitations placed on them by the crown.

External link

- [http://www.heritage.nf.ca/govhouse/governorship/proprietary.html Proprietary Governors, 1610-1728 (Newfoundland)]
- [http://www.dinsdoc.com/greene-2-0a.htm The Provincial Governor in the English Colonies of North America] Category:British Empire

Newfoundland

:This is about the island in the North Atlantic Ocean. For the Canadian province formerly and still colloquially known as Newfoundland, see Newfoundland and Labrador. For other meanings of Newfoundland, see Newfoundland (disambiguation). Newfoundland (disambiguation) Newfoundland (French: Terre-Neuve; Irish: Talamh an Éisc; Latin: Terra Nova) is a large island off the northeast coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. (The province was called "Newfoundland" until 2001, when the name was changed to Newfoundland and Labrador, the postal abbreviation changed from NF to NL.) "Newfoundland" (originally, Terra Nova) was very likely named by the Italian John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) in 1497, which would make it the oldest European name in North America. Newfoundland is separated from the Labrador Peninsula by the Strait of Belle Isle and from Cape Breton Island by the Cabot Strait. It blocks the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River, creating the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world's largest estuary. Newfoundland's nearest neighbour is the small French overseas community of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. It is 111,390 km² in area, making it the world's 15th largest island. The provincial capital, St. John's, is found on the southeastern tip of the island. Cape Spear, just south of the capital, is Canada's easternmost point. The island of Newfoundland has an approximate population of 485,000. Newfoundland is pronounced by Newfoundlanders as new-fin-land or new-fun-land and take exception to it being pronounced with the last syllable slurred, (as new-found-l'nd). Newfoundland has a dialect of English known as Newfoundland English, a dialect of French known as Newfoundland French and a dialect of Irish known as Newfoundland Irish.

First inhabitants

Newfoundland was first inhabited by the Maritime Archaic aboriginal culture around 2500BC-1200BC. This group disappeared and was later replaced by Groswater Paleoeskimos from around 800BC-AD100, Dorset tradition Paleoeskimos from around AD1-AD800, and recent Natives around AD1-AD1700. The exact reason for the disappearances of several of these cultures is unknown, but food scarcity is suspected as a reason. The recent natives on Newfoundland were the probable ancestors of the historical Beothuk inhabitants at the time of European contact. Beothuk means "people" in the Beothuk language. The origins of the Beothuks are uncertain, but it appears that they were an native group that came from Labrador. The culture is now extinct, remembered only in museum, historical and archaeological records. Shanawdithit, the last known Beothuk (a woman), died in St. John's in 1829. It is likely that the natives described by the Vikings as skraelings were Beothuk inhabitants of Labrador and Newfoundland. The first conflicts between Europeans and native peoples may have occurred around 1006 at L'Anse aux Meadows when parties of Norsemen attempted to establish permanent settlements along the coast of Newfoundland. According to Norse sagas, the native Beothuk (called skraelings or skraelingars by the Norse) responded so ferociously that the newcomers eventually withdrew and apparently gave up their original intentions to settle. When other Europeans arrived, beginning with John Cabot in 1497, contact with the Beothuks was established. Estimates of the number of Beothuks on the island at this time vary, ranging from 1,000 to 5,000. As European settlement became year-round and expanded to new areas of the coast the area available to the Beothuks to harvest the marine resources they relied upon was diminished. By the beginning of the nineteenth century there were few Beothuks remaining, many having been killed in misunderstandings with settlers or having died as a result of starvation and disease. Government attempts to open a dialogue with the native peoples of Newfoundland came too late to save them.

Discovery, colonization, and settlement

Newfoundland is the site of the only authenticated Norse settlement in North America, discovered by Norwegian explorer Dr. Helge Ingstad and his archaeologist wife, Anne Stine Ingstad, at L'Anse aux Meadows in 1960. The site of a multi-year archaeological dig, the settlement dating to more than 500 years before Christopher Columbus contains the earliest European structures in North America. Named a World Heritage site by UNESCO, it is believed to be the legendary Vinland settlement of explorer Leif Ericson. After the Norse, the first European visitors to Newfoundland were Portuguese, Spanish, French and English migratory fishermen. Late in the 17th century came Irish fishermen, who named the island Talamh an Éisc, meaning "land of the fish", or "the fishing grounds" in Irish Gaelic. This was to foreshadow the centuries of importance of Newfoundland's offshore fishing waters. Newfoundland was visited by Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) in 1497, who landed near the Strait of Belle Isle, although local tradition has his landfall at Bonavista. It was probably also sighted by Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524, whose expedition was financed by the citizens of Lyon, under the auspices of King François I of France. In 1583, when Sir Humphrey Gilbert formally claimed Newfoundland as a colony of England, he found numerous English, French and Portuguese vessels in St. John's. However there was no permanent population and Gilbert was lost at sea during his return voayge, thereby ending any plans of settlement. On July 5, 1610, John Guy set sail from Bristol, England with 39 other colonists for Cuper's Cove. This, and other early attempts at permanent settlement failed to make a profit for the English investors, but some settlers remained. By 1620 the fishermen of England's West Country had excluded other nations from most of the east coast of Newfoundland, while fishers from France dominated the island's south coast and Northern Peninsula. The French name for the island was Terre Neuve, while the name Newfoundland is one of the oldest European place names in Canada in continuous geographical and cartographical use, dating from a 1502 letter, and clearly stated in the following early poem: A Skeltonicall continued ryme, in praise of my New-found-Land :Although in cloaths, company, buildings faire :With England, New-found-land cannot compare: :Did some know what contentment I found there, :Alwayes enough, most times somewhat to spare, :With little paines, lesse toyle, and lesser care, :Exempt from taxings, ill newes, Lawing, feare, :If cleane, and warme, no matter what you weare, :Healthy, and wealthy, if men carefull are, :With much-much more, then I will now declare, :(I say) if some wise men knew what this were :(I doe beleeue) they'd live no other where. ::From 'The First Booke of Qvodlibets ::Composed and done at Harbor-Grace in ::Britaniola, anciently called Newfound-Land ::by Governor Robert Hayman - 1628. 1628] The European immigrants who settled in Newfoundland brought their knowledge, beliefs, loyalties and prejudices with them, but the society they built in the New World was unlike the ones they had left, and different from the ones other immigrants would build on the American mainland. As a fish-exporting society, Newfoundland was in contact with many places around the Atlantic rim, but its geographic location and political distinctiveness also isolated it from its closest neighbors in Canada and the United States. So much so, that this isolation can be felt even today. Internally, most of its population was spread widely around a rugged coastline in small outport settlements, many of them a long distance from larger centers of population and isolated for long periods by winter ice or bad weather. These conditions had an effect on the culture the immigrants had brought with them and generated new ways of thinking and acting, giving Newfoundland and Labrador a wide variety of distinctive customs, beliefs, stories, songs, and dialects. The First World War had a powerful and lasting effect on the society. From a population of about a quarter of a million, 5,482 men went overseas. Nearly 1,500 were killed and 2,300 wounded. On July 1, 1916, at Beaumont-Hamel, France, 753 men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment went over the top of a trench. The casualties were staggering; the next morning, only 68 men answered the roll-call. It has been suggested that the loss of so many men, proportionally speaking, in the prime of their lives contributed to the economic collapse that was to ultimately influence confederation with Canada. Even now, when the rest of Canada celebrates the founding of the country on July 1, many Newfoundlanders take part in solemn ceremonies of remembrance. World War II also had a lasting impact on Newfoundland. In particular, the war ushered in an American presence at the military base at Argentia. Interaction with the base helped make cash a more widespread economic medium and consolidated a traditional admiration for America contrasted with apprehension of mainland Canada that is often forgotten today. It is also believed that American soldiers coined the word "Newfie". Newfoundland and Labrador is the youngest province in Canada, enjoying the status of a country until 1949. That year, the population voted by a margin of approximately one percent to join Canada, whose history, economy, culture and political institutions were significantly different. The referendum campaign was bitterly fought and interests in both Canada and Britain favoured and supported confederation with Canada. This is exemplified in the role of Jack Pickersgill, a western Canadian native and politican, who worked with the confederation camp during the campaign. Religion played a significant role in the final analysis as well with the Catholic church lobbying for continued independence. Financial incentives played their part, particularly the "baby bonus" which promised Newfoundlanders a cash sum for each child in a family. The Confederates were led by the charismatic Joeseph Smallwood, a former radio broadcaster who had developed socialist political inclinations while working for a socialist newspaper in New York. His policies as premier would assume a form closer to liberalism than socialism. Mr. Smallwood led Newfoundland for decades as the elected premier following confederation and achieved a "cult of personality" amongst his many supporters that persisted long after his political defeat. Indeed, some homes actually had pictures of Joey in their living rooms in a place of prominence. It has been suggested that some members of the public regarded financial incentives like the baby bonus as the direct products of Smallwood's benevolence rather than their right as Canadian citizens. To underline Mr. Smallwood's position in Newfoundland political history an old joke runs as follows: A policeman was driving along when he saw a speeding car. He pursued and pulled over the vehicle. As he approached, he saw none other than Mr. Smallwood in the driver's seat. "Oh my God." Said the Officer. "and don't you forget it..." Mr. Smallwood replied. The province's provincial flag, designed by Newfoundland artist Christopher Pratt, was officially adopted by the provincial legislature on May 28, 1980. Labrador has its own unofficial flag, created in 1973 by Mike Martin, former MLA for Labrador South. There is also an unofficial "Pink, White and Green" flag of nineteenth century origins. It is now flown outside many Newfoundland homes, although it is mistaken by many tourists as the Irish flag.
A nation?
1628 It is undisputed that Newfoundland was once an independent Nation. Yet, there are also hallmarks of "nationhood" readily visible today despite membership in Canada since 1949. Newfoundland and Labrador is the most ethnically homogenous province in Canada. It has many totally unique cultural practices that are the product of centuries of relatively independent development. It has its famous dialect, often jokingly referred to as being difficult enough to understand at times that it may as well be its own language. Newfoundland also demonstrates a separate and distinct democratic practice emphasizing the individual member over the party, has had a unique experience with institutionalized religion in the Canadian context and appears to employ cultural mores in day-to-day interaction markedly different from the rest of Canada provided one is paying close attention. These mores emphasize casual familiarity rather than formal respect irrespective of the size of the local population. They are apparent in St. John's, the second largest urban centre in Atlantic Canada for instance. Discussion of them is an immense topic in itself. Finally, Newfoundlanders consistently rank the highest on polls ascertaining identification with province over country. The results are generally in the seventies to eighties favouring provincial identification. This is markedly higher than similar polls in Quebec, though those polls are clearly affected by the sovereignty issue. The Newfoundland polls need not be read as indicating a separatist consciousness or even an emerging one. Rather, they simply indicate that many Newfoundlanders tend to naturally see themselves as Newfoundlanders who are Canadians and not the other way around. The identities are not irreconcilable but there is the danger they could become so should political or economic developments in the future assume a certain shape. It is instructive to consider the use of "nationalistic" appeals by leaders in provincial politics since Confederation. They have a tendency to be well received and are considered one of the nicest groups of people on earth.
The Ode To Newfoundland (anthem)
This anthem continues to be heard at public events. It was written in the late 19th century. When sun rays crown thy pine clad hills,
And summer spreads her hand,
When silvern voices tune thy rills,
We love thee Newfoundland,
We love thee, we love thee
We love thee Newfoundland. When spreads thy cloak of shimm'ring white,
At winter's stern command,
Thro' shortened day and starlit night,
We love thee frozen land,
We love thee, we love thee,
We love thee frozen land. When blinding storm gusts fret thy shore,
And wild waves lash thy strand,
Thro' sprindrift swirl and tempest roar,
We love thee windswept land,
We love thee, we love thee,
We love thee windswept land. As loved our fathers, so we love,
Where once they stood we stand,
Their prayer we raise to heav'n above,
God guard thee, Newfoundland,
God guard thee, God guard thee,
God guard thee, Newfoundland.
Points of interest and major settlements
Atlantic Canada Being one of the first places discovered in the New World, Newfoundland has a rich history. St. John's is considered to be the oldest city in English speaking North America. Newfoundland is home to two national parks. Gros Morne National Park is located on the west coast of Newfoundland and was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987 due to its complex geology and remarkable scenery. It is the largest national park in Atlantic Canada at 1,805 km² (697 sq. mi.). Terra Nova National Park, on the island's east side, preserves the rugged geography of the Bonavista Bay region and allows visitors to explore the historic interplay of land, sea and man. Stephenville, a town of about 8000, once served as an airport base for the US army in the early 1940s. It is about 20 miles north of its former train station, which is surrounded by the town of Stephenville Crossing. Also on the West Coast, Corner Brook is situated in the Bay of Islands region. The major industry in Corner Brook is newsprint manufacturing, and is serviced by the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Mill. Sandy Point, which is located in Bay Saint George and north of the town of St. George's, was the first and largest settlement of the west coast. However, the last settler, Alphonsus Swyers, was forced to abandon in 1973. 1973 Barachois Brook Park is a provincial park that is considered to be a model forest. Marble Mountain is a major attraction in the winter for skiers. It is said to be the best skiing east of the Rocky Mountains. In March, the annual seal hunt (of the harp seal) takes place. Newfoundland is also host to a well-recognized university, Memorial University of Newfoundland, based in St. John's. Newfoundland, 1800 miles from Ireland, is the only place outside Europe to have its own distinctive name in the Irish language; Talamh an Éisc, literally translated to English as 'Land of the Fish'. Largest communities (2001 population) # St. John's (98,182) # Mount Pearl (24,964) # Corner Brook (20,103) # Conception Bay South (19,772) # Grand Falls-Windsor (13,340) # Gander (9,651) # Paradise (9,598) # Stephenville (7,109) # Marystown (5,908) # Portugal Cove-St. Philip's (5,866) # Torbay (5,474) # Bay Roberts (5,237) # Clarenville (5,104) # Deer Lake (4,769) # Carbonear (4,759) # Channel-Port aux Basques (4,637) # Placentia (4,426) # Bonavista (4,021) # Bishop's Falls (3,688)
Further reading

- Prowse, D.W. 2002. A History of Newfoundland. Boulder Publications, Portugal Cove, Newfoundland.
- Neary, Peter. 1996. Newfoundland in the North Atlantic world, 1929-1949. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, Quebec.
- Gibbons, Henry K. 1997. The Myth and Mystery of John Cabot: The Discoverer of North America. Marten Cat Publishers, Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland.
- Harris, Michael. 1992. Rare Ambition: The Crosbies of Newfoundland. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-023220-6 :::Vintage literature
- Charles Pedley, History of Newfoundland, (London, 1863)
- Philip Tocque, Newfoundland as it Was and Is, (London, 1878)
- Joseph Hatton and Moses Harvey, Newfoundland: Its History and Present Condition, (Lonson, 1883)
- Arnold Kennedy, Sport and Adventure in Newfoundland and West Indies, (London, 1885)
- D. W. Prowse, History of Newfoundland, (second edition, London, 1897)
- Moses Harvey, Newfoundland, England's Oldest Colony, (London, 1897)
- F. E. Smith, The Story of Newfoundland, (London, 1901)
- Beckles Wilson, The Truth About Newfoundland, The Tenth Island, (second edition, London, 1901)
- J. P. Howley, Mineral Resources of Newfoundland, (St. John's, 1909)
- P. T. McGrath, Newfound in 1911, (London, 1911)
- Kevin Major, As Near To Heaven by Sea, (Toronto, 2001)
References
Renouf, M.A.P. 1999 Prehistory of Newfoundland Hunter-Gatherers: Extinctions or Adaptations? World Archaeology 30: 403-420.
See also

- Newfoundland Irish
- Bacalao
- List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador
- List of people of Newfoundland and Labrador
External links

- [http://www.gov.nl.ca/ Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.]
- [http://www.heritage.nf.ca/ Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage (website from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, funded by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)]
- [http://www.gov.nf.ca/tourism/ Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism]
- [http://www.irishdiaspora.net/vp01.cfm?outfit=ids&requesttimeout=500&folder=158&paper=159 Newfoundland: The Most Irish Place Outside of Ireland]
- [http://www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/panl/ Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Archives]
- [http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nl/terranova/index_E.asp/ Terra Nova National Park]
- [http://www2.marianopolis.edu/nfldhistory/index.html Newfoundland History (extensive site from Marianopolis College)]
- [http://www.stats.gov.nl.ca/Statistics/Census2001/PDF/2001Origin.PDF Statistics Canada 2001 Census Information]
Comercial Links

- [http://www.canadiansailingexpeditions.com/ Adventure Cruises in Newfoundland and Labrador.]
- [http://www.newfoundlandandlabrador.com/ Newfoundland and Labrador destinations, activities and accommodations.]
- [http://www.downhomelife.com/ DOWNHOME magazine]
- [http://www.nfinteractive.com/ NF Interactive] Category:Newfoundland Category:Former British colonies Category:Islands of Newfoundland and Labrador zh-min-nan:Newfoundland ko:뉴펀들랜드 섬 ja:ニューファンドランド島

Colony

In politics and in history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a geographically-distant state (or city, in ancient times). Some colonies were historically separate countries, while others were territories without definite statehood at the moment of colonization. The metropolitan state is the state that owns the colony. In Ancient Greece, the city that owned a colony was called the metropolis within its political organization. Mother country is the term used to refer to the metropolitan state by its citizens that live in a colony. Today, the terms overseas territory or dependent territory are preferred. See also the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. People who migrated to settle permanently in colonies controlled by their country of origin were called colonists or settlers. A colony differs from a puppet state or satellite state in that a colony has no independent international representation and the top-level administration of a colony is under direct control of the metropolitan state. The term "informal colony" is used by some historians to describe a country which is under the de facto control of another state, although this description is often contentious.

Definitions

In the modern usage, colony is generally distinguished from oversea possession. In the former case, the local population, or at least the part of it not coming from the "metropolitan" (controlling) country, does not enjoy full citizenship rights. The political process is generally restricted, especially excluding questions of independence. In this case, there are settlers from a dominating foreign country, or countries, and often the property of indigenous peoples is seized, to provide the settlers with land. Foreign mores, religions and/or legal systems are imposed. In some cases, the local population is held for unfree labour, is submitted to brutal force, or even to policies of genocide. By contrast, in the case of overseas possessions, citizens are formally equal, regardless of origin and it is possible for legal independence movements to form; should they gain a majority in the oversea possession, the question of independence may be brought, for instance, to referendum. However, in some cases, settlers have come to outnumber indigenous people in overseas possessions, and it is possible for colonies to become overseas possessions, against the wishes of indigenous peoples. This often results in ongoing and long-lasting independence struggles by the descendants of the original inhabitants. Colony may also be used for countries that, while independent or considering themselves independent of a former colonizing power, still have a political and social structure where the rulers are a minority originating from the colonizing power. Such was the case with Rhodesia after the Unilateral Declaration of Independence. The term informal colony has also been used in relation to countries which, while they have never been conquered by force or officially ruled by a foreign power, have a clearly subordinate social or economic relationship to that power.

History

informal colony Originally, as with the ancient (Hellenic) Greek apoikia, the term colonization referred to the foundation of a new city or settlement, more often than not with nonviolent means (but see for instance the Athenian re-colonisation of Melos after wiping out the earlier settlement). The term colony is derived from the Latin colonia, which indicated a place meant for agricultural activities; these Roman colonies and others like them were in fact usually either conquered so as to be inhabited by these workers, or else established as a cheap way of securing conquests made for other reasons. The name of the German city Cologne also derives from colonia. In the modern era, communities founded by colonists or settlers became known as settler colonies. The "age of imperialism" began in the 15th century with the initiation of the vast Portuguese Empire and also the Spanish Empire in the Americas and lasted until the mid-20th century with the dismantling of the British Empire. During these centuries European states, the United States and others took political control of much of the world's population and landmass. The term "colony" came to mean an overseas district with a majority indigenous population, administered by a distant colonial government. (Exceptions occurred: Russian colonies in Central Asia and Siberia, American settlements in the American West, and German colonies in Eastern Europe were not "overseas"; British colonies (or "overseas territories") like the Falkland Islands and Tristan da Cunha lacked a native population.) Most non-European countries were colonies of Europe at one time or another, or were handled in a quasi-colonial manner. The European colonies and former colonies in America made extensive use of slave labor, initially using the native population, then through the importation of slaves from black Africa. The Spanish colonial empire once encompassed all of South and Central America except for Brazil, with few exceptions; it crumbled starting in the early 19th century. After the Spanish and the Portuguese, the Dutch East India Company (VOC-1602) and later the Dutch West India Company (WIC) took over a lot of Portuguese possessions and expanded their large trade empire (See; Dutch colonial empire). In the 19th century, the largest European colonial empire was the British Empire under Queen Victoria, including India. France once held much of Western and Central Africa, along with Indochina. There existed various statuses and modes of operation for foreign countries, direct control by the colonizing country being the most obvious. Some colonies were operated through corporations (the British East India Company for India; the Congo Free State under the very brutal rule of Léopold II of Belgium); some were run as protectorates. Quasi-colonies were run through proxy or puppet governments, generally kingdoms or dictatorships. For instance, it may be argued that Cuba before the Revolution was a quasi-colony of the United States, with an enormous influence of US economic and political interests; see banana republic. The United Kingdom used Australia as a penal colony: British convicts would be sent to forced labor there, with the added benefit that the freed convicts would settle in the colony and thus augment the European population there. Similarly, France once deported prostitutes and various "undesirables" to populate its colonies in North America, and until the 20th century operated a penitenciary on Devil's Island in French Guiana. The independence of these colonies began with that of 13 colonies of Britain that formed the United States, finalised in 1783 with the conclusion of a war begun in 1776, and has continued until about the present time, with for example Algeria and East Timor being relinquished by European powers only in 1962 and 1975 respectively (although the latter was forcibly made an Indonesian possession instead of becoming fully independent). This process is called decolonization, though the use of a single term obscures an important distinction between the process of the settler population breaking its links with the mother country while maintaining local political supremacy and that of the indigenous population reasserting themselves (possibly through the expulsion of the settler population). The movement towards decolonization was not uniform, with more newer powers, sometimes themselves ex-colonies or once threatened by colonial power, trying to carve a colonial empire. The United States, itself a former colony, expanded westwards by waging brutal wars against the Native American population, including whole massacres of civilians, so as to make it possible for settlers to colonize the American West. It also colonized Hawaii, and waged various wars and conduct armed expeditions so as to assert power over local governments (in Japan, with Commodore Perry and in Cuba, for example). European countries and the United States, exploiting the weakness of China's waning imperial regime, also maintained so-called international concessions in that country, a sort of colonial enclave; the coastal towns of Macau and Hong Kong were held on long-term leases by Portugal and the United Kingdom. During the first half of the 20th century, until its defeat the Second World War, Japan, once afraid of becoming a European or American colony, built itself a colonial empire in China, Korea and the Western Pacific, using brutal military force. Under the Geneva Conventions of 1949, it is a war crime to transfer, directly or indirectly, the civilian population of a country power onto land under that country's military occupation. The reasoning for this crime is apparently to emphasise that it is now a violation of international law to annex territory through military force. This phrase describes many of acts of colonisation in the past, and arguably outlaws colonisation. See also: British Empire, Portuguese Empire, Spanish Empire, French colonial empire, Dutch colonial empire, Colonialism, Colonial mentality,Colonization, British Nationality Law, Slavery, Imperialism, New Imperialism, settler. Compare protectorate, Crown colony, dominion, Proprietary colony. The Latin name colonia also became the name of several towns, the most famous of which is Cologne.

Colonies in ancient civilizations (examples)

- Assyria was originally a colony of Babylonia
- Carthage was a Phoenician colony
- Cyrene was a colony of the Greeks of Thera
- Naples formed as a Greek colony See also Colonies in antiquity

Recent colonies (examples)

- West Papua has been a colonial possession of Indonesia since 1969.
- India was a Dominion in the British Empire until 1947. See also Crown colony.
- Rhodesia was formally a colony in the British Empire until 1980.
- Korea was a colony of Japan
- The Philippines were a colony of the United States until 1946 Today, none of the colonizing European and North American powers hold colonies in the traditional sense of the term. Some of their former colonies have been integrated as dependent areas or have closer integration with the country. Category:Colonialism zh-min-nan:Si̍t-bîn-tē ja:植民地

1615

Events

- June 2 - First Récollet missionaries arrive at Quebec City, from Rouen, France.
- June 4 - Forces under the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu took Osaka Castle in Japan, beginning a period of peace which lasts nearly 250 years.
- The second volume of Miguel Cervantes' Don Quixote is published.
- End of the Sengoku Period in Japan.

Births

- January 14 - John Biddle, English theologian (d. 1662)
- January 25 - Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (d. 1660)
- January 30 - Thomas Rolfe, Virginia colonist and son of Pocahontas
- March 13 - Pope Innocent XII (d. 1700)
- September 7 - Colonel John Birch, English soldier (d. 1691)
- November 5 - Ibrahim I, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1648)
- November 12 - Richard Baxter, English clergyman (d. 1691)
- November 24 - Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine (d. 1690) See also :Category:1615 births.

Deaths

- January 31 - Claudio Aquaviva, Italian Jesuit (b. 1543)
- February 4 - Dom Justo Takayama, Japanese warlord (b. 1552)
- March 4 - Hans von Aachen, German painter (b. 1552)
- May 4 - Adriaan van Roomen, Flemish mathematician (b. 1561)
- May 7 - Sanada Yukimura, Japanese samurai (b. 1567)
- May 27 - Marguerite de Valois, queen of Henry IV of France (b. 1553)
- June 23 - Mashita Nagamori, Japanese warlord (b. 1545)
- September 1 - Étienne Pasquier, French lawyer and man of letters (b. 1529)
- November 24 - Sethus Calvisius, German calendar reformer (b. 1556) See also :Category:1615 deaths. Category:1615 ko:1615년 simple:1615

1616

Events

- October 25 — Dirk Hartog makes the second recorded landfall by a European on Australian soil, at an island off the Western Australian coast
- Pocahontas arrives in England
- War between Venice and Austria
- Collegium Musicum founded in Prague
- Nicolaus Copernicus' De revolutionibus is placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Roman Catholic Church

Births

- January 13 - Antoinette Bourignon, Flemish mystic (d. 1680)
- January 16 - François de Vendôme, duc de Beaufort, French soldier (d. 1669)
- May 18 - Johann Jakob Froberger, German composer (d. 1667)
- May 24 - John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale, (d. 1682)
- May 25 - Carlo Dolci, Italian artist, (d. 1686)
- October 11 - Andreas Gryphius, German writer (d. 1664)
- October 20 - Thomas Bartholin, Danish physician, mathematician, and theologian (d. 1680)
- November 22 - John Wallis, English mathematician, (d. 1703)
- William Sancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1693) See also :Category:1616 births.

Deaths

- January 6 - Philip Henslowe, English theatre manager
- April 23 (N.S.) - Miguel Cervantes, Spanish author (b. 1547)
- April 23 (O.S.) - William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet (b. 1564)
- June 1 - Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japanese shogun (b. 1543)
- July 20 - Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone, English soldier
- July 25 - Andreas Libavius, German physician and chemist (b. 1550)
- August 7 - Vincenzo Scamozzi, Italian architect (b. 1548)
- October 23 - Leonhard Hutter, German theologian (b. 1563)
- November 23 - Richard Hakluyt, English writer
- Alexander Whitaker, Virginia Colony religious leader (drowned) (b. 1585)
- Tang Xianzu, Chinese playwright and poet (b. 1550) See also :Category:1616 deaths. Category:1616 ko:1616년

William Vaughan

Sir William Vaughan (1575 – August 1641) was a Welsh writer and colonial investor. He was the son of Walter Vaughan (died 1598) and was born at Golden Grove, Carmarthenshire, his father's estate. He was descended from an ancient prince of Powys. He was brother to John Vaughan, 1st Earl of Carbery (1572–1634) and General Sir Henry or Harry Vaughan (1587–1659), a well-known royalist leader in the English Civil War. William was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, and took the degree of Doctor of Laws at Vienna. In 1616 he bought a grant of land on the south coast of Newfoundland, to which he sent two batches of settlers. In 1622 he visited the settlement, which he called Cambriol, and returned to England in 1625. Vaughan apparently paid another visit to his colony, but his plans for its prosperity were foiled by the severe winters. In 1628 he transferred his interests to the colony of Virginia. He died at his house of Torcoed, Carmarthenshire, in August 1641. His chief work is The Golden Grove (1600), a general guide to morals, politics and literature, in which the manners of the time are severely criticized, plays being denounced as folly and wickedness. The section in praise of poetry borrows much from earlier writers on the subject. The Golden Fleece … transported from Cambriol Colchis, by Orpheus junior (1626) is the most interesting of his other works. A long and fantastic prose allegory, it demonstrates "the Errours of Religion, the Vices and Decayes of the Kingdome, and lastly the wayes to get wealth, and to restore Trading" through the colonization of Newfoundland.

References

External links

- [http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=34692 Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online]
- [http://www.mun.ca/rels/hrollmann/relsoc/texts/vaughan/contents.html Text of The Golden Fleece] Vaughan, Sir William Vaughan, Sir William Vaughan, Sir William Vaughan, Sir William Vaughan, Sir William Vaughan, Sir William

New England

:This article is about the region in the United States of America. For other uses, see New England (disambiguation). New England (disambiguation) The New England region of the United States is located in the northeastern corner of the country. Boston is its business and cultural center and its most populous city. The region is made up of the following states:
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont New England is the most well-defined region of the United States, with more uniformity and more shared heritage than other regions of the country. But, while there is cultural and historical uniformity throughout the whole region, Northern and Southern New England differ in the fact that the former is more rural whereas the latter is very urban. This difference has always existed, however, even when the region was young, and thus does not imply a growing or changing trend, but rather the result of historical population patterns. Western and Eastern New England share similar differences, with the former not only being much more rural, but also usually lacking the Boston accent that typifies the region in the eyes of outsiders. While some parts of Western New England closely border metropolitan New York City, they are still historically, and, for the most part, culturally part of New England. Together, the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions are generally referred to as the Northeastern region of the United States.

History

The indigenous peoples of New England

New England has long been inhabited by Algonquian-speaking native peoples, including the Abenaki, the Penobscot, the Wampanoag, and many others. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Europeans such as Giovanni Verrazano, Jacques Cartier and John Cabot (known as Giovanni Caboto before being based in England) charted the New England coast. They referred to the region as Norumbega, named for a fabulous native city that was supposed to exist there. See also: List of place names in New England of aboriginal origin.

Early European settlement (1610s-1630s)

List of place names in New England of aboriginal origin while its interior is rendered New Belgium, New Netherland and Irocoisia]] The name New England dates to the earliest days of European settlement: in 1616 Captain John Smith described the area in a pamphlet "New England." The name was officially sanctioned in 1620 by the grant of King James I to the Plymouth Council for New England. The region was subsequently divided through further grants, including the 1629 royal grant of "Hampshire" which was issued for "makeing a Plantation & establishing of a Colony or Colonyes in the Countrey called or knowen by ye name of New England in America."

The New England Confederation (1630s-1650s)

Following the Pequot War in 1637, the colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, New Haven, and Connecticut joined together in a loose compact called the New England Confederation. The confederation was designed largely to coordinate mutual defense against the Dutch in the New Netherland colony to the south and the French in New France to the north, as well as to enforce the return of runaway slaves. The confederation had a council comprising two delegates from each of the four colonies, but it had no formal enforcement powers and relied on the individual colonies to voluntarily follow council decisions. The confederation disintegrated in the 1650s when the powerful Massachusetts Bay Colony refused to follow decisions of the confederation council regarding the conflict with the Dutch. King Philip's War (1675-1676), the bloodiest Indian war of the early colonial period, had a devastating effect on the colonies of southern New England, but effectively ended the power and influence of the Indians in the region.

The Dominion of New England (1686-1689)

In 1686, King James II, concerned about the increasingly independent ways of the colonies, in particular their open flouting of the Navigation Acts, decreed the Dominion of New England, an administrative union comprising all the New England colonies. Two years later, the provinces of New York and New Jersey, which had been acquired from the Dutch, were added. The union, imposed from the outside, was highly unpopular among the colonists. In 1687, when the Connecticut Colony refused to follow a decision of the dominion governor Edmund Andros, he sent an armed contigent to seize the colony's charter, which the colonists, according to popular legend, hid inside the Charter Oak tree. Andros' efforts to unify the colonial defenses met little success and the dominion ceased after only three years, after the removal of King James II in the Glorious Revolution in 1689.

Modern New England (1689-present)

Glorious Revolution The colonies were not formally united again until 1776, when they became part of the United States; however, especially in the 18th century and the early 19th century, New England was still considered to be a very distinct region of the country, as it is today. During the War of 1812, there was talk of secession from the Union, as New England merchants opposed the war with Great Britain. Aside from the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, or "New Scotland", New England is the only North American region to inherit the name of a kingdom in the British Isles. New England has largely preserved its regional character, especially in its historic sites. Its name is a reminder of the past, as many of the original English-Americans have migrated further west.

Politics

The early European settlers of New England were English Protestants fleeing religious persecution. This, however, did not prevent them from establishing colonies where religion was legislated to an extreme, and where those who deviated from the established doctrine were persecuted greatly.

Town meetings in New England

A derivative of meetings held by church elders, town meetings were an integral part of governance and remain so today in towns across New England. At such meetings, any citizen of the town may discuss issues of the day with other members of the community, and vote on them. This is the most direct democracy in the United States today, and the form of dialogue has been adopted under certain circumstances elsewhere. Such a strong democratic tradition was even apparent in the early 19th century, when Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in Democracy in America that: In New England, where education and liberty are the daughters of morality and religion, where society has acquired age and stability enough to enable it to form principles and hold fixed habits, the common people are accustomed to respect intellectual and moral superiority and to submit to it without complaint, although they set at naught all those privileges which wealth and birth have introduced among mankind. In New England, consequently, the democracy makes a more judicious choice than it does elsewhere.

New England and political thought

Democracy in America spirit that, in many ways, is still alive and well in New England today.]] In the colonial period and the early time of the republic, New England leaders like John Hancock, John Adams, and Samuel Adams joined those in Philadelphia and Virginia to direct the country. At the time of the Civil War, New England, the mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest combined against slavery, eventually ending the practice in the United States. Henry David Thoreau, one of New England's most iconic thinkers, made the case for civil disobedience, libertarianism, and even had some anarchist tendencies; this spirit is still alive in the Free State Project and occasional discussions of secession. New England led the rest of the country in abolishing the death penalty for crimes like robbery and burglary in the 19th century. In the 20th century, the region remained a source of political thought and intellectual ferment in the nation, eventually becoming the forefront of the civil rights issue of same sex marriage, with Vermont being the first state to allow civil unions between same sex couples, and Massachusetts being the first state to allow marriage between same sex couples. As of 2005, Connecticut now also allows for civil unions. While well known for its liberal tendencies, the region still has a history similar to the rest of the country. Puritan New England, of course, was highly intolerant of any deviation from the strict social norms. Arguments against slavery, at first, were not moral, but economic, since owning slaves was expensive and not very useful in the northern climate. During the civil rights era, Boston brewed with tension over school busing to end de facto segregation of its public schools. Despite these examples, the region is still known as one of the more liberal regions of the United States.

Contemporary New England politics

Today, the dominant party in New England is the Democratic Party, though most states have a significant Republican electorate, especially New Hampshire and Maine which are both represented in the U.S. Senate by two Republicans. As of the 2004 elections, Maine is the only state that has its governorship and legislature controlled by one party (the Democrats). In the 2000 presidential election, Democratic candidate Al Gore carried all of the New England states except for New Hampshire, and in 2004, John Kerry, a native New Englander himself, carried all six New England states for the Democrats. New Hampshire and Connecticut are the only New England states with capital punishment, although New Hampshire currently has no person on death row and has not had an execution since 1939. Connecticut last had an execution in 2005, the first in New England in forty-five years.

Education

Higher education

2005.]] New England contains some of the oldest and most renowned institutions of higher learning in the United States. The first such institution, Harvard, was founded at Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1636. According to US News and World Report, 8 of the nation's top-50 universities and 13 of its top-50 liberal arts colleges are located in New England. These include Amherst College, Bates College, Boston College, Bowdoin College, Brandeis University, Brown University, Colby College, Connecticut College, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, College of the Holy Cross, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Middlebury College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Trinity College, Tufts University, Wesleyan University, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, Williams College, and Yale University. A number of the graduates settle in the region after school, providing the area with a well-educated population and one of its most valuable resources.

Public and private education

In terms of public education, many New England states spend higher than the national average on their students and schools. Massachusetts and Connecticut, for instance, have some of the best and highest-rated public schools in the United States. The state of Massachusetts, on average, is consistently ranked as one of the most educated states in the country. A recent government-funded survey of the 50 states ranked Massachusetts as number one in public education. The renowned Boston Latin School is the oldest public high school in America. In addition, New England is also home to many of the United States' most prominent independent schools (also known as private schools), such as Roxbury Latin and Phillips Academy in Massachusetts, St. Paul's School and Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, and Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. The concept of the elite "New England prep school" and the "preppy" lifestyle is an iconic part of the region's image, especially when viewed from the rest of the United States. Culturally, education is considered to be very important, especially in the more-populated, more-urban states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Population

In 1910, 6,552,681 people lived in New England. Today, the total population of New England is 13,922,517. If New England were one state, the population would rank 5th in the nation, behind Florida. The total area in this scenario (181,440 sq km) would rank 20th behind North Dakota.

Regional population layout

North Dakota As some of the original English New England settlers migrated westward, immigrants from Canada, Ireland, Italy, and eastern Europe moved into the region. Massachusetts in particular has the highest concentration of persons of Irish heritage in the country. Rhode Island has the highest concentration of Italians (percentage-wise). Today, although the region has attracted quite a few Jewish and Asian-American residents, it remains one of the whitest parts of the nation and has a smaller proportion of African-Americans and Hispanic Americans than much of the country. Connecticut (which is adjacent to New York City) and Massachusetts (which has Boston) have higher minority populations than the rest of New England, while Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are largely populated with people of European descent. New England still retains a large English population, especially in the more rural areas. The region has remained consistently openminded towards other backgrounds however, a tradition which has continued from the abolitionist days of William Lloyd Garrison and Charles Sumner.

Southern New England

The bulk of the region's population is concentrated in southern New England, which contains Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The most populous state is Massachusetts, whose population is centered mostly around its political and cultural capital, Boston; whereas Western Massachusetts is less densely populated and more spread out. The resulting effect is a minor cultural divide between urban New Englanders, typically Bostonians, and rural New Englanders, who hail from western Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Coastal New England

The coastline is more urban than western New England, which is typically rural, even in urban states like Massachusetts. These characteristics of the region's population are due mainly to historical factors; the original colonists settled mostly on the coastline of Massachusetts Bay. The only state without access to the Atlantic Ocean, Vermont, is also the least-populated. After nearly 400 years, the region still maintains, for the most part, its historical population layout. New England's coast is dotted with urban centers, such as Portland, Portsmouth, Boston, Providence, New Haven, and Bridgeport, as well as smaller cities, like Newburyport, Gloucester, and New London. The smaller fishing towns, like Gloucester, are popular tourist attractions, as they tend to retain their historical character, and often have colorful pasts. Cape Cod, also a popular tourist attraction, is lined with sandy beaches and dotted with bed and breakfasts. The rocky coast of Maine is best known for its lobster. New Hampshire, which has the smallest coastline of all of the coastal New England states, is home to Hampton Beach, also frequented by visitors to the region.

Urban New England

Cape Cod neighborhood, with Cambridge on the northern bank of the Charles River.]] Three of the four most densely populated states in the United States are in New England. In order, the four most densely populated states are: New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Indeed, southern New England forms an integral part of the BosWash megalopolis, a conglomeration of urban centers that spans from Boston to Washington, D.C. The largest cities by population in New England are: Greater Boston: approx. 5,800,000
- Boston, Massachusetts: 589,141
- Cambridge, Massachusetts: 101,355
- Lynn, Massachusetts: 88,025
- Quincy, Massachusetts: 88,025
- Newton, Massachusetts: 83,829
- Somerville, Massachusetts: 77,478
- Brookline, Massachusetts: 57,107 Brookline, Massachusetts Providence, Rhode Island: 173,618 Worcester, Massachusetts: 172,648 Springfield, Massachusetts: 152,082 Hartford, Connecticut: 141,578 Bridgeport, Connecticut: 139,529 New Haven, Connecticut: 123,626 Stamford, Connecticut: 117,083 Waterbury, Connecticut: 107,271 Manchester, New Hampshire: 107,006 Lowell, Massachusetts: 105,167

Regional nomenclature

A person from New England is known as a New Englander. Sometimes, they are also referred to as Yankees, although this term has grown to refer to the people of the greater region of the northeastern United States.

Culture

See Cuisine of New England

Historico-cultural roots

The first European colonists of New England were focused on maritime affairs such as whaling and fishing, rather than more continental inclinations such as surplus farming. As the oldest of the American regions, New England has developed a distinct cuisine, dialect, architecture, and government. New England cuisine is known for its emphasis on seafood and dairy; clam chowder, lobster, and other products of the sea are among some of the region's most popular foods.

New England's unique culture

Despite a changing population, much of the original spirit of the region remains. It can be seen in the simple, woodframe houses and quaint white church steeples that are features of many small towns, and in the traditional lighthouses that dot the Atlantic coast. New England is also well known for its mercurial weather and its crisp chill. (Mark Twain is quoted as saying "If you don't like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes.") For its vibrant colored foliage in autumn, the region is a popular tourist destination. As a whole, New England tends to be progressive in its politics, although somewhat Puritan in its personal mores. Due to the fact that so many recent European immigrants live in the region and due to the influence of the many universities, the region often shows a greater receptivity to European ideas and culture than the rest of the country. The region has remained consistently openminded towards other backgrounds, a tradition which has continued from the abolitionist days of William Lloyd Garrison and Charles Sumner to the region's recent controversial legal battle in regarding relationships between homosexual couples. As of 2005, Massachusetts permits same sex marriages, and Vermont and Connecticut allow for civil unions between gay couples. Although New England has always been one of the more socially progressive regions of the United States, its internal cultural and social battles have always been somewhat paradoxical. Its fervent abolitionism, for instance, was often met with intense racism on the part of the recently-immigrated Irish segment of its population, which resented the control of native born Protestants over the region, and often competed economically with African-Americans. It was Alexis de Tocqueville who noted, in 1835, that New England was the only region of the United States at the time to have properly separated religion from its government, an ironic mixture of the region's heavy Puritan heritage and strong tradition of direct democracy.

Social life in New England

Bars and pubs, especially those with Irish themes, are popular social venues. Closer to Boston, musicians from Ireland often tour pubs, playing traditional Irish folk music, usually with a singer, a fiddler, and a guitarist. In the rural parts of the region, people socialize through typical common activities such as church, sports, and town government.

The continuing European influence

The overall feeling of the region can be described as decidedly European, with the region's colonial past still alive and thriving through tourism, the hundreds of historic sites that dot the region, and the rich cultural traditions that have endured and developed over centuries. Long-time and native residents are typically knowledgeable of the history of the region, and proud of it, as well. The often-parodied dialect of the region is most commonly known as Boston English, although, in reality, this accent is reserved mo