English American

In 1860, an estimated 11 million or almost 35% of the population of the United States was wholly or primarily of English ancestry. The population has increased by almost ten times the numbers in 1860. As with any ethnicity, Americans of English descent may choose to identify themselves as just 'American ethnicity' if their ancestry has been in the United States for many generations or if, for the same reason, they are unaware of their lineage.

English expatriates

Distribution

• California (2,521,355 - 7.4% of state population)
• Florida (1,468,576 - 9.2%)
• Texas (1,462,984 - 7%)
• New York (1,140,036 - 6%)
• Ohio (1,046,671 - 9.2%)
• Pennsylvania (966,253 - 7.9%)
• Michigan (988,625 - 9.9%)
• Illinois (831,820 - 6.7%)
• Virginia (788,849 - 11.1%)
• North Carolina (767,749 - 9.5%)

The 10 states with the highest percentages of self reported English ancestry are:

• Utah (29.0%)
• Maine (21.5%)
• Vermont (18.4%)
• Idaho (18.1%)
• New Hampshire (18.0%)
• Wyoming (15.9%)
• Oregon (13.2%)
• Montana (12.7%)
• Delaware (12.1%)
• Colorado, Rhode Island, Washington (12.0% each)

English was the highest reported European ancestry in the states of Maine, Vermont and Utah; joint highest along with German in the Carolinas.

Maps

On the left, a map showing the population density of Americans who declared English ancestry in the census. Dark blue and purple colours indicate a higher density: highest in the east and west (see also Maps of American ancestries). Center, a map showing the population of English Americans by state. On the right, a map showing the percentages of English Americans by state.

History

There were also Dutch and Swedish immigrants, who were allowed to move in by neglect to settle fast enough the claims made by Queen Elizabeth (who had a Dutch protectorate governed by the Puritan Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, relative of Lady Jane Grey and of Anne Bradstreet, an influential Pilgrim; Protestant William III of England was Dutch as well and had a feud with his uncle & father-in-law Catholic James II of England, who had conquered the Dutch settlement for himself and added it to New England), similar to the French presence in Canada due to failures by the Tudor era English government to occupy Newfoundland following John Cabot's discovery for Henry VII of England. England itself seized upon the failure of France to seriously follow up on the claims of Francis I of France made by Giovanni da Verrazzano. England was preoccupied with the English Reformation and France was preoccupied by the French Wars of Religion. The Low Countries is where English exiles have usually gone to, for either religious or political reasons, since the Pale of Calais was English. Both the pro-Mary I of England Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible and the pro-Edward VI of England Puritan Marian exiles had English connections there. Sweden was where Church of Scotland Covenanters went to fight on behalf of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in the Thirty Years' War and this is why their settlement had connections with the Stuart Scottish settlements of the Carolinas on the Great Wagon Road and also Nova Scotia in Canada, sharing together the same log cabin tradition.

These Anglo-European migrations indicate why German Americans were also integrated in Americana, as the British Royal Family came from and continued to rule the Kingdom of Hanover and their toponymy is reflected in Georgia (U.S. state), as well as New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Alberta and the Northwest Territories (once known as Rupert's Land) in Canada. Despite the voyage of Cabot, English colonists knew themselves as "Americans" chronologically before "Canadians", since the latter country was founded by elements of the American population who were either politically attached to the Georgians, or were interested in the spoils of war with French Canada (before called "Quebec", a description which included the Great Lakes, as separate from the Mississippi River-centered French Louisiana), in the Second Hundred Years' War. Anglo-Spanish ties dating at least as far back as Queen Mary Tudor and her husband Philip II of Spain (if not Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon, or John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster) influenced American sentiment and policy towards annexation of Spanish and Mexican territories, which is why Mexican Americans eventually became citizens. They were also co-monarchs of Southern Italy, from whence priests catered to the English and Irish Catholics and most Italian Americans today source their heritage there. Also, one of the famous First Families of Virginia, was Taliaferro (anglicized Toliver). Thus, statewide majority ancestries of Americans largely owe their place in America, due to the English component, save for Japanese Americans, whose country did not have significant relations with England as the others, during the time of founding the USA—although it was Italian navigators who charted the early, Catholic claims for England and other preeminent colonial nations and their attempt by sailing West, was to reach places such as Japan. English colonial government also resulted in, after the most significant chapter was concluded in the French and Indian War (Royal Proclamation of 1763), the first Indian Reserve (1763) (eponym of Indiana), model of Jeffersonian plans for Indian removal to the Wild West, originally in Oklahoma's Indian Territory.

English immigration after 1776

A number of English settlers moved to United States from Australia in 1850s (then a British political territory), when California Gold Rush boomed; these included the so-called “Sydney Ducks” (see Australian Americans).

During the last years of 1860s, annual English immigration increased to over 60,000 and continued to rise to over 75,000 per year in 1872, before experiencing a decline. The final and most sustained wave of immigration began in 1879 and lasted until the depression of 1893. During this period English annual immigration averaged more than 80,000, with peaks in 1882 and 1888. The building of America's transcontinental railroads, the settlement of the great plains, and industrialization attracted skilled and professional emigrants from England. Also, cheaper steamship fares enabled unskilled urban workers to come to America, and unskilled and semiskilled laborers, miners, and building trades workers made up the majority of these new English immigrants. While most settled in America, a number of skilled craftsmen remained itinerant, returning to England after a season or two of work. Groups of English immigrants came to America as missionaries for the Salvation Army and to work with the activities of the Evangelical and Mormon Churches.

The depression of 1893 sharply decreased English immigration, and it stayed low for much of the twentieth century. This decline reversed itself in the decade of World War II when over 100,000 English (18 percent of all European immigrants) came from England. In this group was a large contingent of war brides who came between 1945 and 1948. In these years four women emigrated from England for every man. In the 1950s, English immigration increased to over 150,000.and rose to 170,000 in the 1960s»http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Du-Ha/English-Americans.html. While differences developed, it is not surprising that English immigrants had little difficulty in assimilating to American life. The American resentment against the policies of the British government as rarely transferred to English settlers who came to America in the first decades of the nineteenth century.

Throughout American history, English immigrants and their descendants have been prominent in every level of government and in every aspect of American life. Eight of the first ten American presidents and more than that proportion of the 42 presidents, as well as the majority of sitting congressmen and congresswomen, are descended from English ancestors. The descendants of English expatriates are so numerous and so well integrated in American life that it is impossible to identify all of them. While they are the third largest ethnic nationality identified in the 1990 census, they retain such a pervasive representation at every level of national and state government that, on any list of American senators, Supreme Court judges, governors, or legislators, they would constitute a plurality if not an outright majority.The Laws of Olde England Stateside, Marcus Hampshire

Political involvement

As the earliest colonists of the United States, settlers from England and their descendants often held positions of power and made or helped make laws »Historians.org, often because many had been involved in government back in England. In the original 13 colonies, most laws contained elements found in the English common law system.»The Colonial Period

The Founding Fathers

The lineage of most of the Founding Fathers was English. Such persons include Samuel Adams»http://kinnexions.com/kinnexions/johnson/rr01/rr01_199.htm "Laban Adams belongs to the illustrious family of Henry Adams who came from Devonshire, England, about 1636 and settled in Quincy, Mass. His great great grandson, Samuel Adams, was the "Father of the Great American Revolution,". Others signatories of the Declaration of Independence, such as Robert Morris were English born »UShistory - Robert Morris. Of the "Committee of Five" (the group delegated to draft the Declaration of Independence), John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin »Benjamin Franklin Timeline of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut had English roots. The United States Declaration of Independence was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson.

Sense of identity

English influence in the United States

distribution in the United States.]]

The English have contributed greatly to American life. Today, English is the most commonly spoken language in the U.S where it is estimated that one third of all native speakers of English live.»Languages Spoken in the United States. English was inherited from British colonization, and it is spoken by the vast majority of the population. It serves as the de facto official language: the language in which government business is carried out. According to the 1990 census, 94% of the U.S. population speak only English. Adding those who speak English "well" or "very well" brings this figure to 96%. Only 0.8% speak no English at all as compared with 3.6% in 1890. American English is different from British English in terms of spelling (a classic example being the dropped "u" in words such as color/colour), grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and slang usage. The differences are not usually a barrier to effective communication between an American English and a British English speaker, but there are certainly enough differences to cause occasional misunderstandings, usually surrounding slang or region dialect differences.

Some states, like California, have amended their constitutions to make English the only official language, but in practice, this only means that official government documents must at least be in English, and does not mean that they should be exclusively available only in English. For example, the standard California Class C driver's license examination is available in 32 different languages.

American cultural icons

American flag

• Flag of the United States - Based on the British Grand Union Flag and is considered to be the first national flag of the United States, first flown on December 2, 1775.

Cuisine

• Apple pie - New England was the first region to experience large scale colonization in the early 17th century, beginning in 1620, and it was dominated by East Anglian Calvinists, better known as the Puritans. Baking was a particular favorite of the New Englanders and was the origin of dishes today seen as quintessentially "American", such as apple pie and the baked Thanksgiving turkey.Fischer, pp. 74, 114, 134–39. "As American As Apple Pie" is a well known phrase used to imply everything that is All-American.

Harvest festivals

• Thanksgiving - The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by English settlers to give thanks to God for helping the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony survive the brutal winter.William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647, 85 The modern Thanksgiving holiday traces its origins from a 1621 celebration at the Plymouth Plantation, where the Plymouth settlers held a harvest feast after a successful growing season. William Bradford is credited as the first to proclaim what the American cultural event is generally referred to as the "First Thanksgiving".

Music

• American national anthem - takes its melody from the 18th century English song "To Anacreon in Heaven" written by John Stafford Smith from England for the Anacreontic Society, a men's social club in London and lyrics written by Francis Scott Key of English descent. This became a well-known and recognized patriotic song throughout the United States, which was officially designated as the U.S. national anthem in 1931.»Star-Spangled Banner origins»Star Spangled Banner

• "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", whose melody was derived from the British national anthem, also served as a de facto anthem before the adoption of "The Star-Spangled Banner." On January 20, 2009 Aretha Franklin sang the song at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

• "Amazing Grace" - written by English poet and clergyman John Newton became such an icon in American culture that it has been used for a variety of secular purposes and marketing campaigns, placing it in danger of becoming a cliché.»Tracing the History of a Beloved Hymn

Motorcycle maker

• Harley-Davidson - co-founder was William S. Harley born to English parents, was one of the people who began the American motorcycle manufacturer.»Littleport England and the Harley connection

Sports

• Baseball - English lawyer William Bray recorded a game of baseball on Easter Monday 1755 in Guildford, Surrey; Bray's diary was verified as authentic in September 2008.»Baseball 'origin' uncovered videoclip»Base Ball History This early form of the game was apparently brought to North America by English immigrants. The first appearance of the term that exists in print was in "A Little Pretty Pocket-Book" in 1744, where it is called Base-Ball. Today, Rounders which has been played in England since Tudor times holds a similarity to Baseball. Although, literary references to early forms of "base-ball" in England pre-date use of the term "rounders".»Major League Baseball told: Your sport is British, not American

• American football - can be traced to early versions of rugby football, played in England and first developed in American universities in the mid-19th century.[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dhBw1RpvhLwC&pg=PA89&dq=The+new+American+sport+history+american+football+rugby&cd=1#v=onepage&q=The%20new%20American%20sport%20history%20american%20football%20rugby&f=false The new American sport history]

Beverages

Coca-Cola was formulated at the Eagle Drug and Chemical Company, a drugstore in Columbus, Georgia by John Pemberton, originally as a coca wine called Pemberton's French Wine Cocoa.»Coca Cola Inventor was Local Pharmacist, Columbus Ledger

The first sales were at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886. It was initially sold as a patent medicine for five cents a glass at soda fountains, which were popular in the United States at the time due to the belief that carbonated water was good for the health. Pemberton claimed Coca-Cola cured many diseases, including morphine addiction, dyspepsia, neurasthenia, headache, and impotence. Pemberton ran the first advertisement for the beverage on May 29 of the same year in the Atlanta Journal.

Dr Pepper is a soft drink and was invented in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first made in 1885. Charles Courtice Alderton was born in Brooklyn, New York to English parents who was later sent to England to be educated.[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2PJICBnrpDgC&pg=PA4&dq=Charles+Alderton&cd=10#v=onepage&q=Charles%20Alderton&f=false Entrepreneur magazine encyclopedia of entrepreneurs] By Anthony Hallett[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jXhvV3YERdIC&pg=PA86&dq=Charles+Alderton&cd=6#v=onepage&q=Charles%20Alderton&f=false Made in America: From Levi's to Barbie to Google] By Nick Freeth It is the oldest of the major brand soft drinks in America.»Oldest of the major brand soft drinks in America

English family names

English place names in the United States

There are many places in the United States named after places in England as a result of the many English settlers and explorers. these include New York (after York»50 States - NY.), New Hampshire (after Hampshire»Netstate - New Hampshire.), Manchester»Manchester History., Boston»Boston History., Southampton»Southampton, Massachusetts., Gloucester and the region of New England. In addition, some places were named after the English royal family. The name Virginia was first applied by Queen Elizabeth I (the "Virgin Queen") and Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584.In 1584 Sir Walter Raleigh sent Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe to lead an exploration of what is now the North Carolina coast, and they returned with word of a regional "king" named "Wingina." This was modified later that year by Raleigh and the Queen to "Virginia", perhaps in part noting her status as the "Virgin Queen." , the Carolinas were named after King Charles I and Maryland named so for his wife, Queen Henrietta Maria (Queen Mary).»Introduction to Maryland

Architecture

Law

Presidents of English Descent

A number of the Presidents of the United States have English Ancestry. The extent of English Heritage varies in the presidents with earlier presidents being predominantly of colonial English Yankee stock. Later US Presidents ancestry can often be traced to ancestors from multiple nations in Europe, including England.

1. George Washington, 1st President 1789-97 (great-grandfather, John Washington from Purleigh, Essex, England.)
2. John Adams, 2nd President 1797-1801 (great-great-grandfather, Henry Adams born 1583 Barton St David, Somerset, England, immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts.»Henry Adams born 1583 Barton St David, Somerset, England»Henry Adams)
3. Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President 1801–1809 (Maternal English ancestry from William Randolph.)
4. James Madison, 4th President 1809-17»http://www.americanheritage.com/people/presidents/madison_james.shtml
5. James Monroe, 5th President 1817-25
6. John Quincy Adams, 6th President 1825-29 (Henry Adams born 1583 Barton St David, Somerset, England.)
7. William Harrison, 9th President 1841-1841 »http://www.americanheritage.com/people/presidents/harrison_william.shtml
8. John Tyler, 10th President 1841-1845 »http://www.americanheritage.com/people/presidents/tyler_john.shtml
9. Zachary Taylor, 12th President 1849-50
10. Millard Fillmore, 13th President 1850-1853 »http://www.americanheritage.com/people/presidents/fillmore_millard.shtml
11. Franklin Pierce, 14th President 1853-1857 »http://www.americanheritage.com/people/presidents/pierce_franklin.shtml
12. Abraham Lincoln, 16th President 1861-65 (Samuel Lincoln baptised 1622 in Hingham, Norfolk, England, died in Hingham, Massachusetts.[http://books.google.com/books?id=5jlOsSwW85cC&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=%22swanton+morley%22+lincoln+norfolk&source=web&ots=4jwJ4mFq2m&sig=rF5pUF8AWiinJ_3Z4JZWELgEfTM&hl=en#PPA13,M1 The Ancestry of Abraham Lincoln, James Henry Lea, Robert Hutchinson, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1909], p. 4.»Ancestors of Abraham Lincoln)
13. Andrew Johnson, 17th President 1865-1869 »http://www.americanheritage.com/people/presidents/johnson_andrew.shtml
14. Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President 1869-77
15. Rutherford Hayes, 19th President 1877-1881 »http://www.americanheritage.com/people/presidents/hayes_rutherford.shtml
16. James A. Garfield, 20th President 1881-81 »http://www.americanheritage.com/people/presidents/garfield_james.shtml
17. Chester A. Arthur, 21st President 1881-85
18. Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President 1885-89, 1893–97
19. Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President 1889-93
20. William McKinley, 25th President 1897-1901
21. Theodore Roosevelt, 16th President 1901-1909 »http://www.americanheritage.com/people/presidents/roosevelt_theodore.shtml
22. William Taft, 27th President 1909-1913 »http://www.americanheritage.com/people/presidents/taft_william.shtml
23. Warren G. Harding, 29th President 1921-23
24. Calvin Coolidge, 30th President 1923-1929 »http://www.americanheritage.com/people/presidents/coolidge_calvin.shtml
25. Franklin D. Roosevelt 32nd President 1933-45
26. Harry S. Truman, 33rd President 1945-53
27. Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President 1963-69
28. Richard Nixon, 37th President 1969-74
29. Gerald Ford, 38th President 1974-77
30. Jimmy Carter, 39th President 1977-81 (Thomas Carter Sr. emigrated from England to Isle of Wight County, Virginia.»ANCESTRY OF PRESIDENT CARTER)
31. Ronald Reagan, 40th President 1981-1989 »http://www.americanheritage.com/people/presidents/reagan_ronald.shtml
32. George H. W. Bush, 41st President 1989-93
33. Bill Clinton, 42nd President 1993-2001
34. George W. Bush, 43rd President 2001-2009 (Reynold Bush from Messing, Essex, England emigrated in 1631 to Cambridge, Massachusetts.»George W Bush, Essex boy)
35. Barack Obama, 44th President 2009–Present (His mother Ann Dunham's heritage consists mostly of English ancestors.»Ancestry of Barack Obama)

See also

• Anglo America
• English (ethnic group)
• Anglo-American relations
• Anglo-Celtic Australian
• Anglosphere
• Anglo-Utahns
• Boston Brahmin
• British American
• Demographic history of the United States
• English colonization of the Americas
• English place names in the United States
• European American
• Hyphenated American
• Immigration to the United States
• Indentured servant
• List of English Americans
• Maps of American ancestries
• White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
• Yankee

References