| New England | |
| Political history | |
|---|---|
| Chartering as Plymouth Council for New England | 1620 |
| Formation as United Colonies of New England | 1643 |
| Formation as Dominion of New England | 1686 |
| Admission to U.S. - Connecticut - Massachusetts - New Hampshire - Rhode Island - Vermont - Maine | - January 9, 1788 (5th) - February 6, 1788 (6th) - June 21, 1788 (9th) - May 29, 1790 (13th) - March 4, 1791 (14th) - separated from Mass. March 15, 1820 (23rd) |
| Regional statistics | |
| Largest city | Boston |
| U.S. States | Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut |
| Area - Total | 71,991.8 mi² (186,458.8 km²) |
| Population - Total (2006) - Density | 14,269,989 198.2 people/mi² (87.7 people/km²) |
In one of the earliest English settlements in the New World, English Pilgrims fleeing religious persecution in Europe first settled in New England in 1620, in the colony of Plymouth. In the late 18th century, the New England colonies would be among the first North American British colonies to demonstrate ambitions of independence from the British Crown, although they would later oppose the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain.
In the 19th century, it played a prominent role in the movement to abolish slavery in the United States, hosted the first pieces of American literature and philosophy, was home to the beginnings of free public education, and was the first region of the United States to be transformed by the North American Industrial Revolution.
