Indigenous Peoples
The Northeast carries a unique history with Indigenous culture and colonist settlements. The states clustered in the region consist of tight knit communities and are known for their sharp winters and breezy summers.
The first people to settle in this region are the Algonquian Peoples and the Iroquois Nations. These tribes relied heavily on hunting and gathering and established complex governance systems. Fishing was a large part of the tribes' lifestyles because many of the tribes resided near the coast or bodies of water. The Iroquois Confederacy was one of the earliest yet prominent form of democracy ever to exist. The U.S. Constitution was influenced by some of the provisions mentioned in the legal documents of the Confederacy and their government. Separation of powers and passage of legislation are such examples that the U.S. Constitution implemented from the Iroquois Confederacy.
Northern U.S. (present day Vermont and New Hampshire as well as Western Maine), the the Western Abenaki Indians were the initial residents of these states. Their lifestyle was reliant upon hunting, gathering, and fishing. In Maine, the Penobscots were also reliant on hunting and fishing. When the Europeans arrived, the Penobscots followed the Christian teachings, which were brought by the Europeans.
In Rhode Island, Narragansett people were based in Narragansett Bay. They were split into eight tribes in which there was one main leader ruling the individual tribe. They were known for hunting and gathering, but also for cultivating maize.
European Arrival
The first European to arrive to the Northern coast of U.S.A was Portuguese explorer Estêvão Gomes. Sailing for the Spanish in the 16th century, he arrived to the coasts of Maine. In 1604, Samuel de Champlain founded the first European settlement in the Northeast, which is located in present day Saint Croix Island, Maine. He established a relationship with the Indians present through trading fur and metal.
The Pilgrims arrived to Northern U.S.A in 1620 to find a new area to practice their religion and tradition. They were supposed to land in Virginia, but ended up in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Europeans brought disease with them, leading to numerous deaths of Native Americans already present in the land. With Europeans settling in the new land, many of them suffered from the humid summers and cold winters. Warfare between the Indigenous People and Europeans also occurred frequently due to the conflict over the ownership of the land.
A decade later, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was established by a group of Puritans from England. The phrase "City Upon a Hill" was stated by John Winthrop, who was the governor of the colony at that time. Later on, colonies were established in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Connecticut colony was established in 1636 by a Puritan minister named Thomas Hooker. He helped draft up the laws of the colony, which were known as the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. These laws became very influential in creating the U.S. Constitution later on.
Rhode Island was the first colony to grant religious toleration after Roger Williams was removed from Massachusetts because he believed in the tenant of freedom of religion. Anne Hutchinson was another prominent figure in the creation of Rhode Island. An advocate for freedom of religion, Hutchinson went to Rhode Island and created Portsmouth, another colony.
Education centers were popping up throughout the Northeast. Harvard College was the first college to be established in 1636 by John Harvard. Public schools were also coming up with the first one established in 1635 in Boston. These educational institutions were created to train young men into becoming religious ministers. Yale College was created in 1701, and then Brown University appearing in Rhode Island in 1764. Later on, Dartmouth College was established in 1769.
In Rhode Island, a war broke out between the colonists and the Indigenous people because the Native American people were angry that the English colonists continued to settle and take land away from them. This became known as Metacom's war, and it took placee in 1675.
The Dutch arrived to America in 1609 with Henry Hudson arriving to present day New York. The Dutch were also involved in the fur trade and conducted the trade in New York and all the way down to present day Delaware. The Dutch eventually gained control over modern day New York, but called it New Netherlands. To build a strong economy, the Dutch set up an interstate trading system. The Chesapeake colonies were trading their tobacco for fur from the New Netherlands. In 1664, the English gained control over New Netherlands, but switched the name to New York.
Although slavery was common in the colonies, African Americans as slaves were minimal in the Northern New England area. African Americans were present as early as 1638 in New England when a slave ship (Desire) from West Indies brought in slaves to Boston. Rhode Island controlled a majority of the slave trade in northern U.S.A. African Americans play a key role in the American Revolution. Slaves and free people of color would have secret religious meetings in homes in Newport, Rhode Island.
To grasp tighter control over the colonies, England established the Dominion of New England. The Dominion of New England restricted the rights of the colonies and wanted to make sure that England was gaining some sort of economic profit. The Navigation Acts were passed during this time to make sure that traded goods would go through England to ensure profit for England. It took action to fend off any threats from Indigenous Peoples, so England sent in more troops to monitor the situation.
The Dominion also revoked the charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony because of the Puritan beliefs of the colony. The English wanted the Church of England to be represented more in the colonies.
The Dominion of England collapsed once James II came into power, promoting more religious toleration, and the Glorious Revolution sparked more social reform in England.
End of the 17th century marked a tumultuous time in Salem, Massachusetts where the Salem Witch Trials were occurring. A group of young women were accused of witchcraft after a group of young girls were experiencing some fits and other strange sensations. The verdict of the trial was 19 people were accused of bewitching the girls, and they were hanged.
With the Spanish power coming to a halt after the heir dies, England and France as well as the Indigenous nations were eyeing the land on the Eastern side of the country in which the Spanish had control over. As a result, Queen Anne's war broke out in 1702 , and it was one of the many wars that made up the French-Indian war. As a result, France lost control over Newfoundland, Acadia, and Hudson Bay to England.
Conflict with Native Americans
Shortly in 1704, Deerfield Raid took place in Deerfield, Massachusetts. This results in several deaths of English colonists as the French and Native Americans attacked and raided the land of the colonists.
English and Native American conflict kept escalating. In 1725, the Battle of Pequawket took place in Maine between the English and Abenaki Indians. The Abenaki Indians launched a surprise attack on the English, which led to numerous lives lost. The English retaliated back by placing a bounty to kill Native Americans.
Rising to the Revolution
Another war took place between the colonial powers. In 1739, King George's War led to England gaining more territory and land from the French, especially in the eastern side of the country. England received ownership of Fort Louisbourg in Cape Breton Island.
Later on, the French-Indian (known as the Seven Year's War) was fought from 1756-1763. This resulted in Britain gaining control over French land. The Treaty of Paris of 1763 was passed to end the war. However, with the war debts, Britain had to find a way to pay for them. As a result, the Proclamation of 1763 was passed to restrict the rights of the colonists. Colonists cannot settle in lands west of the Appalachian mountains.
The infamous Stamp, Sugar, and Townshend Acts were passed in the British Parliament, and later implemented in the colonies. This was a way for Britain to earn money by taxing the goods being sold at a higher rate. British troops were also sent to the colonies to suppress any rebellions and to establish law and order. This angered the colonists and motivated them to seek independence as well as taking other actions, such as boycotting the purchase of those specific goods.
The 1770s marked a turning point with Britain's control over America. In 1772, a group of colonists in Rhode Island burned a ship, known as the HMS Gaspee to defy the power of the British. As a result, it brought the colonies together to combat the power of the British by creating the Committees of Correspondence. This motivated colonists to attack British goods in order to send a message back to the British.
In 1773, a group of colonists in Boston dressed up as Indians and dumped 342 chests of tea in the Boston Harbour; this incident is known as the Boston Tea Party. As a statement back to the colonists, the British passed the Intolerable Acts, which ended self-governance for the Massachusetts colony and closed the Boston Harbour.
American Revolution
This lead to the American Revolution because American colonists were motivated in seeking independence. The first shots of the battle started off in Concord, Massachusetts where the first battles (Battle of Lexington and Concord) took place. With the New England area, the British held control over Boston, Newport, and other parts of Maine, but eventually lost control over them as the war progressed along. This led to America winning independence on July 4th, 1776.
African Americans free and enslaved also fought alongside the colonists. As a result of their service, they were set free and many of the states abolished slavery when passing their state constitutions. Vermont outlawed slavery in 1777, followed by Massachusetts in 1780, and then Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire in 1784. However, African Americans still faced discrimination.
Post- Independence
In 1781, the Articles of Confederation were ratified, leading to states having their own form of government instead of a strong national government. Because of the weak management of the Articles of Confederation, Shay's Rebellion breaks out in Massachusetts due to an anger stemming from the veteran community on paying additional money to pay for the war debt. This resulted in the Constitutional Convention bringing in delegates from the eastern side of the country to create a stronger national law.
The Constitution was created and called for strong three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial branch, balance between state and federal government, and amendment passage process. Rhode Island and New York were the last states to ratify the Constitution because of their concerns on having a powerful national government. The Bill of Rights was also added in the Constitution, leading the states to ratify it.
New York was the capital of the country until 1790 and then it moved to Philadelphia until 1800. The capital was eventually at Washington D.C. after 1800.
The War of 1812 broke out between Britain and the U.S. due to U.S. wanting to add more land. During the war, the Federalists (prominent party up in the New England area) met up in 1814 at the Hartford Convention to brainstorm solutions on how their party can stay in power and limit the federal government's power and control because they have been losing influence nationally. They were also against the U.S. in participating in the War of 1812. The Federalists consider leaving the Union to start their own nation, but those efforts failed.
Abolition Movement
Eventually, Maine was admitted as a state through the Missouri Compromise. To balance free and slave states, Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, and Maine was entered as a free state.
The Abolition movement began in New England. While not a state yet, Vermont was the first to abolish slavery and others followed suit. Throughout the 19th century, anti-slavery societies were created to advocate for the abolishment of slavery. Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison created the The American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833 and the newspaper, The Liberator, to convince people about the horrors of slavery.
The shackles and separation of families were used for arguments to abolish slavery. This motivated women and other people of color help raise money to support African Americans escaping from slavery and write books and poems to detail the horrors of slavery. The Underground Railroad was one of the efforts that allowed slaves to escape safely from slavery by seeking refugee in the North.
Industrialization
Industrialization drove new changes to the economy in New England. Textile mills and factories were dominating the landscape of several cities and towns all across the New England region.
In 1790, Samuel Slater helped create the first textile mill, built in present day Rhode Island. It was a cotton spinning mill that relied on water as the power source. These mills began to spread into other parts of New England.
Massachusetts was the earlier states who drove industrialization in the U.S. Several towns were created in Massachusetts to house textile mills. Several women and immigrants worked in running these mills.
Connecticut held an abundant source of natural resources, which led to the state to develop modes of transportation and factories to extract the resources.
In Maine, conveyor builts were built in the 1820s and 1830s to increase lumber production. Cotton and textile mills soon began to appear as well.
There are also new modes of transportation developed. In 1807, Robert Fulton created the first steamboat, the Clermont, which traveled from New York to Albany. The 363 mile long Erie Canal was also developed in 1825, and it connected the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes through the Hudson River. The canal turned New York into an economic center for commerce and trade. It also resulted in New York being the entry point for new immigrants entering the U.S.
However, the Erie Canal caused negative effects on the Native American populations. It drove their removal because more people came and took over their land, and were pushed to the Midwest. The canal was also built on the land of Native American tribes.
Conflict with Indigenous Peoples
The 1830s marked a rocky time between Americans and Native Americans. With the Indian Removal Act in place, many Indigenous peoples were stripped off from their lands and were forced to migrate westward.
In 1833, William Apess, a member of the Pequot tribe, revolted nonviolently against the Massachusetts government because the government controlled the land of his tribe, which was known as the Mashpee Revolt. He wanted to make sure the concerns of the Mashpee tribe were recognized and noticed. As a result, Apess constructed a Mashpee Declaration of Independence to list the grievances the tribe had faced.
Aroostook War took place from 1839 to 1839. The cause of the war was because of a conflict between Britain and America over the border dispute between Maine and New Brunswick. Webster–Ashburton Treaty ended the turmoil between the two nations. The disputed land was resolved and the slave trade was banned through the passage of this treaty.
Women's Rights
Women's rights began to grow traction. In 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention took place in Seneca Falls, New York. It brought together women rights activists, suffragists, and abolitionists to discuss how to advance the right to vote for women. The Declaration of Sentiments was passed. The document covered grievances and recommendations that the activists wanted to be see taken in order to advance women's rights in the country. This paved way for the 19th amendment, which was eventually passed and ratified in 1920. Previously, New Jersey gave women the right to vote, but it was taken away from them in 1807.
While women had limited rights, several states in the New England area allowed more freedom for women to own property or to earn their own income.
Civil War
New England was central to the newly formed anti-slavery party, the Republican Party. All the states in the region were on the Union side. Maine and Massachusetts provided the largest number of sailors to serve in the Navy. Massachusetts allowed Black people to fight alongside them by serving in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
New York provided the most amount of troops to fight in the war. In 1863, shortly after the Emancipation Proclamation, the federal draft law went in place, drafting more men between ages 20-45 to serve in the military. Irish men were upset by this move, and they began to attack government and military institutions and kill many people, including African Americans. This event became known as the New York Draft Riots.
The Civil War ended up abolishing slavery through the passage of the 13th amendment.
Railroads
Railroads were another crucial mode of transportation for traveling and trade that helped connect the country together.
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad was first built in 1872 and closed its service in 1968. It connected Connecticut and New York, becoming one of the prominent regional railroads in the New England area.
The lumber industry in Maine relied heavily on railroads for transportation. Calais Railroad was the first railroad in Maine, and it connected the entire state together.
Vermont has been working on constructing railroads since the 1830s. The Underground Railroad is one of the well known railroads that allowed slaves to escape from the South and move up North.
Gilded Age
American began to see their economy grow and develop. This led to increased corruption in local and federal government, which became known as the Gilded Age. Many wealthy politicians and businessmen were finding ways to earn more money, which increased corruption in several governmental and non-governmental institutions.
Rhode Island was a central state for robber barons to purchase homes. Robber barons were known for busting unions and implementing harsh conditions for their workers.
The Gilded Age exacerbated income inequality between the rich and working class. The rich had the opportunity to live in pristine conditions whereas the working class resided in poor living conditions, such as crowded housing.
20th Century
The World Wars in the 20th century drastically altered the economy in the New England area. Coming into the 20th century, New England had a booming economy. That came short when spending was going more towards fighting in the war. In World War I, Connecticut was leading manufacturer in ammunition, supplying 54% of the national supply. They also produced rifles and pistols.
The region was also heavily impacted by the Spanish flu, leading to thousands of inhabitants dying.
Shortly after the end of World War I, the Ku Klux Klan gained more followers, especially in the rural areas of Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine. The KKK targeted African Americans and Catholics, specifically French Canadians.
Because of discrimination in the South, African Americans moved number for economic opportunities. With the Great Migration of African Americans to the North, segregation was still in place in many of the states up North. African Americans lived in separate neighborhoods than the White people.
Jazz grew from this period as more African Americans were getting together to celebrate their culture and share their stories. Up North, African Americans faced more freedom when it came to contributing to democracy of the nation. They were allowed to vote and eventually run for office.
Eventually, the Great Depression hit, affecting many working class families to lose their jobs and face financial obstacles in maintaining a living. With the Roosevelt administration in place, the New Deal helped those families out find work and a source of income.
Labor strikes were still occurring throughout the New England region. In Maine, Lewiston-Auburn Shoe Strike resulted in 4,000 to 5,000 workers protesting for higher wages. It led to a brutal confrontation between the workers and police, who were trying to limit the activities of the protestors.
World War II eventually took place and further drove industrialization in the New England area. Automobiles began to appear more on the roads, which leads to construction of highways. The highways lead to new suburbs being built throughout the states. Suburbs offered larger land for families to live and raise their children.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is passed, eliminating discrimination in public spaces. However, the effects of slavery and discrimination are still felt this day for many minority communities, especially when it comes to housing inequality and poor living conditions.
Several states in the region began to change politically and economically. Rhode Island amended their constitution in the 1970s to include a state income tax. It was updated and ratified in 1987.
New York became the hub for the entertainment industry. Several news organizations centered their headquarters in New York. It also became a space for culture and music to spread, such as hip hop and rap.
21st Century
In the beginning of the 21st century, New York and the nation experienced one of the horrific terrorist actions to have occurred in the country on September 11th. Two planes crashed into the Twin Tower buildings and another plane hit the Pentagon. A total of about 3,000 lives were lost from this incident.
Today, the New England region is known for its rich history of the origins of political dynasties and activities, such as the Kennedy and Bush families. It has been the center of political action with new political ideologies forming and people wanting to be a lasting force in the community.
The Northeast carries a unique history with Indigenous culture and colonist settlements. The states clustered in the region consist of tight knit communities and are known for their sharp winters and breezy summers.
The first people to settle in this region are the Algonquian Peoples and the Iroquois Nations. These tribes relied heavily on hunting and gathering and established complex governance systems. Fishing was a large part of the tribes' lifestyles because many of the tribes resided near the coast or bodies of water. The Iroquois Confederacy was one of the earliest yet prominent form of democracy ever to exist. The U.S. Constitution was influenced by some of the provisions mentioned in the legal documents of the Confederacy and their government. Separation of powers and passage of legislation are such examples that the U.S. Constitution implemented from the Iroquois Confederacy.
Northern U.S. (present day Vermont and New Hampshire as well as Western Maine), the the Western Abenaki Indians were the initial residents of these states. Their lifestyle was reliant upon hunting, gathering, and fishing. In Maine, the Penobscots were also reliant on hunting and fishing. When the Europeans arrived, the Penobscots followed the Christian teachings, which were brought by the Europeans.
In Rhode Island, Narragansett people were based in Narragansett Bay. They were split into eight tribes in which there was one main leader ruling the individual tribe. They were known for hunting and gathering, but also for cultivating maize.
European Arrival
The first European to arrive to the Northern coast of U.S.A was Portuguese explorer Estêvão Gomes. Sailing for the Spanish in the 16th century, he arrived to the coasts of Maine. In 1604, Samuel de Champlain founded the first European settlement in the Northeast, which is located in present day Saint Croix Island, Maine. He established a relationship with the Indians present through trading fur and metal.
The Pilgrims arrived to Northern U.S.A in 1620 to find a new area to practice their religion and tradition. They were supposed to land in Virginia, but ended up in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Europeans brought disease with them, leading to numerous deaths of Native Americans already present in the land. With Europeans settling in the new land, many of them suffered from the humid summers and cold winters. Warfare between the Indigenous People and Europeans also occurred frequently due to the conflict over the ownership of the land.
A decade later, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was established by a group of Puritans from England. The phrase "City Upon a Hill" was stated by John Winthrop, who was the governor of the colony at that time. Later on, colonies were established in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Connecticut colony was established in 1636 by a Puritan minister named Thomas Hooker. He helped draft up the laws of the colony, which were known as the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. These laws became very influential in creating the U.S. Constitution later on.
Rhode Island was the first colony to grant religious toleration after Roger Williams was removed from Massachusetts because he believed in the tenant of freedom of religion. Anne Hutchinson was another prominent figure in the creation of Rhode Island. An advocate for freedom of religion, Hutchinson went to Rhode Island and created Portsmouth, another colony.
Education centers were popping up throughout the Northeast. Harvard College was the first college to be established in 1636 by John Harvard. Public schools were also coming up with the first one established in 1635 in Boston. These educational institutions were created to train young men into becoming religious ministers. Yale College was created in 1701, and then Brown University appearing in Rhode Island in 1764. Later on, Dartmouth College was established in 1769.
In Rhode Island, a war broke out between the colonists and the Indigenous people because the Native American people were angry that the English colonists continued to settle and take land away from them. This became known as Metacom's war, and it took placee in 1675.
The Dutch arrived to America in 1609 with Henry Hudson arriving to present day New York. The Dutch were also involved in the fur trade and conducted the trade in New York and all the way down to present day Delaware. The Dutch eventually gained control over modern day New York, but called it New Netherlands. To build a strong economy, the Dutch set up an interstate trading system. The Chesapeake colonies were trading their tobacco for fur from the New Netherlands. In 1664, the English gained control over New Netherlands, but switched the name to New York.
Although slavery was common in the colonies, African Americans as slaves were minimal in the Northern New England area. African Americans were present as early as 1638 in New England when a slave ship (Desire) from West Indies brought in slaves to Boston. Rhode Island controlled a majority of the slave trade in northern U.S.A. African Americans play a key role in the American Revolution. Slaves and free people of color would have secret religious meetings in homes in Newport, Rhode Island.
To grasp tighter control over the colonies, England established the Dominion of New England. The Dominion of New England restricted the rights of the colonies and wanted to make sure that England was gaining some sort of economic profit. The Navigation Acts were passed during this time to make sure that traded goods would go through England to ensure profit for England. It took action to fend off any threats from Indigenous Peoples, so England sent in more troops to monitor the situation.
The Dominion also revoked the charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony because of the Puritan beliefs of the colony. The English wanted the Church of England to be represented more in the colonies.
The Dominion of England collapsed once James II came into power, promoting more religious toleration, and the Glorious Revolution sparked more social reform in England.
End of the 17th century marked a tumultuous time in Salem, Massachusetts where the Salem Witch Trials were occurring. A group of young women were accused of witchcraft after a group of young girls were experiencing some fits and other strange sensations. The verdict of the trial was 19 people were accused of bewitching the girls, and they were hanged.
With the Spanish power coming to a halt after the heir dies, England and France as well as the Indigenous nations were eyeing the land on the Eastern side of the country in which the Spanish had control over. As a result, Queen Anne's war broke out in 1702 , and it was one of the many wars that made up the French-Indian war. As a result, France lost control over Newfoundland, Acadia, and Hudson Bay to England.
Conflict with Native Americans
Shortly in 1704, Deerfield Raid took place in Deerfield, Massachusetts. This results in several deaths of English colonists as the French and Native Americans attacked and raided the land of the colonists.
English and Native American conflict kept escalating. In 1725, the Battle of Pequawket took place in Maine between the English and Abenaki Indians. The Abenaki Indians launched a surprise attack on the English, which led to numerous lives lost. The English retaliated back by placing a bounty to kill Native Americans.
Rising to the Revolution
Another war took place between the colonial powers. In 1739, King George's War led to England gaining more territory and land from the French, especially in the eastern side of the country. England received ownership of Fort Louisbourg in Cape Breton Island.
Later on, the French-Indian (known as the Seven Year's War) was fought from 1756-1763. This resulted in Britain gaining control over French land. The Treaty of Paris of 1763 was passed to end the war. However, with the war debts, Britain had to find a way to pay for them. As a result, the Proclamation of 1763 was passed to restrict the rights of the colonists. Colonists cannot settle in lands west of the Appalachian mountains.
The infamous Stamp, Sugar, and Townshend Acts were passed in the British Parliament, and later implemented in the colonies. This was a way for Britain to earn money by taxing the goods being sold at a higher rate. British troops were also sent to the colonies to suppress any rebellions and to establish law and order. This angered the colonists and motivated them to seek independence as well as taking other actions, such as boycotting the purchase of those specific goods.
The 1770s marked a turning point with Britain's control over America. In 1772, a group of colonists in Rhode Island burned a ship, known as the HMS Gaspee to defy the power of the British. As a result, it brought the colonies together to combat the power of the British by creating the Committees of Correspondence. This motivated colonists to attack British goods in order to send a message back to the British.
In 1773, a group of colonists in Boston dressed up as Indians and dumped 342 chests of tea in the Boston Harbour; this incident is known as the Boston Tea Party. As a statement back to the colonists, the British passed the Intolerable Acts, which ended self-governance for the Massachusetts colony and closed the Boston Harbour.
American Revolution
This lead to the American Revolution because American colonists were motivated in seeking independence. The first shots of the battle started off in Concord, Massachusetts where the first battles (Battle of Lexington and Concord) took place. With the New England area, the British held control over Boston, Newport, and other parts of Maine, but eventually lost control over them as the war progressed along. This led to America winning independence on July 4th, 1776.
African Americans free and enslaved also fought alongside the colonists. As a result of their service, they were set free and many of the states abolished slavery when passing their state constitutions. Vermont outlawed slavery in 1777, followed by Massachusetts in 1780, and then Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire in 1784. However, African Americans still faced discrimination.
Post- Independence
In 1781, the Articles of Confederation were ratified, leading to states having their own form of government instead of a strong national government. Because of the weak management of the Articles of Confederation, Shay's Rebellion breaks out in Massachusetts due to an anger stemming from the veteran community on paying additional money to pay for the war debt. This resulted in the Constitutional Convention bringing in delegates from the eastern side of the country to create a stronger national law.
The Constitution was created and called for strong three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial branch, balance between state and federal government, and amendment passage process. Rhode Island and New York were the last states to ratify the Constitution because of their concerns on having a powerful national government. The Bill of Rights was also added in the Constitution, leading the states to ratify it.
New York was the capital of the country until 1790 and then it moved to Philadelphia until 1800. The capital was eventually at Washington D.C. after 1800.
The War of 1812 broke out between Britain and the U.S. due to U.S. wanting to add more land. During the war, the Federalists (prominent party up in the New England area) met up in 1814 at the Hartford Convention to brainstorm solutions on how their party can stay in power and limit the federal government's power and control because they have been losing influence nationally. They were also against the U.S. in participating in the War of 1812. The Federalists consider leaving the Union to start their own nation, but those efforts failed.
Abolition Movement
Eventually, Maine was admitted as a state through the Missouri Compromise. To balance free and slave states, Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, and Maine was entered as a free state.
The Abolition movement began in New England. While not a state yet, Vermont was the first to abolish slavery and others followed suit. Throughout the 19th century, anti-slavery societies were created to advocate for the abolishment of slavery. Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison created the The American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833 and the newspaper, The Liberator, to convince people about the horrors of slavery.
The shackles and separation of families were used for arguments to abolish slavery. This motivated women and other people of color help raise money to support African Americans escaping from slavery and write books and poems to detail the horrors of slavery. The Underground Railroad was one of the efforts that allowed slaves to escape safely from slavery by seeking refugee in the North.
Industrialization
Industrialization drove new changes to the economy in New England. Textile mills and factories were dominating the landscape of several cities and towns all across the New England region.
In 1790, Samuel Slater helped create the first textile mill, built in present day Rhode Island. It was a cotton spinning mill that relied on water as the power source. These mills began to spread into other parts of New England.
Massachusetts was the earlier states who drove industrialization in the U.S. Several towns were created in Massachusetts to house textile mills. Several women and immigrants worked in running these mills.
Connecticut held an abundant source of natural resources, which led to the state to develop modes of transportation and factories to extract the resources.
In Maine, conveyor builts were built in the 1820s and 1830s to increase lumber production. Cotton and textile mills soon began to appear as well.
There are also new modes of transportation developed. In 1807, Robert Fulton created the first steamboat, the Clermont, which traveled from New York to Albany. The 363 mile long Erie Canal was also developed in 1825, and it connected the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes through the Hudson River. The canal turned New York into an economic center for commerce and trade. It also resulted in New York being the entry point for new immigrants entering the U.S.
However, the Erie Canal caused negative effects on the Native American populations. It drove their removal because more people came and took over their land, and were pushed to the Midwest. The canal was also built on the land of Native American tribes.
Conflict with Indigenous Peoples
The 1830s marked a rocky time between Americans and Native Americans. With the Indian Removal Act in place, many Indigenous peoples were stripped off from their lands and were forced to migrate westward.
In 1833, William Apess, a member of the Pequot tribe, revolted nonviolently against the Massachusetts government because the government controlled the land of his tribe, which was known as the Mashpee Revolt. He wanted to make sure the concerns of the Mashpee tribe were recognized and noticed. As a result, Apess constructed a Mashpee Declaration of Independence to list the grievances the tribe had faced.
Aroostook War took place from 1839 to 1839. The cause of the war was because of a conflict between Britain and America over the border dispute between Maine and New Brunswick. Webster–Ashburton Treaty ended the turmoil between the two nations. The disputed land was resolved and the slave trade was banned through the passage of this treaty.
Women's Rights
Women's rights began to grow traction. In 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention took place in Seneca Falls, New York. It brought together women rights activists, suffragists, and abolitionists to discuss how to advance the right to vote for women. The Declaration of Sentiments was passed. The document covered grievances and recommendations that the activists wanted to be see taken in order to advance women's rights in the country. This paved way for the 19th amendment, which was eventually passed and ratified in 1920. Previously, New Jersey gave women the right to vote, but it was taken away from them in 1807.
While women had limited rights, several states in the New England area allowed more freedom for women to own property or to earn their own income.
Civil War
New England was central to the newly formed anti-slavery party, the Republican Party. All the states in the region were on the Union side. Maine and Massachusetts provided the largest number of sailors to serve in the Navy. Massachusetts allowed Black people to fight alongside them by serving in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
New York provided the most amount of troops to fight in the war. In 1863, shortly after the Emancipation Proclamation, the federal draft law went in place, drafting more men between ages 20-45 to serve in the military. Irish men were upset by this move, and they began to attack government and military institutions and kill many people, including African Americans. This event became known as the New York Draft Riots.
The Civil War ended up abolishing slavery through the passage of the 13th amendment.
Railroads
Railroads were another crucial mode of transportation for traveling and trade that helped connect the country together.
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad was first built in 1872 and closed its service in 1968. It connected Connecticut and New York, becoming one of the prominent regional railroads in the New England area.
The lumber industry in Maine relied heavily on railroads for transportation. Calais Railroad was the first railroad in Maine, and it connected the entire state together.
Vermont has been working on constructing railroads since the 1830s. The Underground Railroad is one of the well known railroads that allowed slaves to escape from the South and move up North.
Gilded Age
American began to see their economy grow and develop. This led to increased corruption in local and federal government, which became known as the Gilded Age. Many wealthy politicians and businessmen were finding ways to earn more money, which increased corruption in several governmental and non-governmental institutions.
Rhode Island was a central state for robber barons to purchase homes. Robber barons were known for busting unions and implementing harsh conditions for their workers.
The Gilded Age exacerbated income inequality between the rich and working class. The rich had the opportunity to live in pristine conditions whereas the working class resided in poor living conditions, such as crowded housing.
20th Century
The World Wars in the 20th century drastically altered the economy in the New England area. Coming into the 20th century, New England had a booming economy. That came short when spending was going more towards fighting in the war. In World War I, Connecticut was leading manufacturer in ammunition, supplying 54% of the national supply. They also produced rifles and pistols.
The region was also heavily impacted by the Spanish flu, leading to thousands of inhabitants dying.
Shortly after the end of World War I, the Ku Klux Klan gained more followers, especially in the rural areas of Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine. The KKK targeted African Americans and Catholics, specifically French Canadians.
Because of discrimination in the South, African Americans moved number for economic opportunities. With the Great Migration of African Americans to the North, segregation was still in place in many of the states up North. African Americans lived in separate neighborhoods than the White people.
Jazz grew from this period as more African Americans were getting together to celebrate their culture and share their stories. Up North, African Americans faced more freedom when it came to contributing to democracy of the nation. They were allowed to vote and eventually run for office.
Eventually, the Great Depression hit, affecting many working class families to lose their jobs and face financial obstacles in maintaining a living. With the Roosevelt administration in place, the New Deal helped those families out find work and a source of income.
Labor strikes were still occurring throughout the New England region. In Maine, Lewiston-Auburn Shoe Strike resulted in 4,000 to 5,000 workers protesting for higher wages. It led to a brutal confrontation between the workers and police, who were trying to limit the activities of the protestors.
World War II eventually took place and further drove industrialization in the New England area. Automobiles began to appear more on the roads, which leads to construction of highways. The highways lead to new suburbs being built throughout the states. Suburbs offered larger land for families to live and raise their children.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is passed, eliminating discrimination in public spaces. However, the effects of slavery and discrimination are still felt this day for many minority communities, especially when it comes to housing inequality and poor living conditions.
Several states in the region began to change politically and economically. Rhode Island amended their constitution in the 1970s to include a state income tax. It was updated and ratified in 1987.
New York became the hub for the entertainment industry. Several news organizations centered their headquarters in New York. It also became a space for culture and music to spread, such as hip hop and rap.
21st Century
In the beginning of the 21st century, New York and the nation experienced one of the horrific terrorist actions to have occurred in the country on September 11th. Two planes crashed into the Twin Tower buildings and another plane hit the Pentagon. A total of about 3,000 lives were lost from this incident.
Today, the New England region is known for its rich history of the origins of political dynasties and activities, such as the Kennedy and Bush families. It has been the center of political action with new political ideologies forming and people wanting to be a lasting force in the community.
States: Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont
Sources:
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