New England

:This article is about the region in the United States of America. For other uses, see New England (disambiguation).

Culture

See Cuisine of New England

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Historico-cultural roots

The first settlers of New England were focused on maritime affairs such as whaling and fishing, rather than more continental inclinations such as surplus farming.

Related Topics:
Maritime - Whaling - Fishing - Continental - Surplus - Farming

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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.

Related Topics:
Cuisine - Dialect

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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.

Related Topics:
Mark Twain - Progressive - Puritan

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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, putting the region at the forefront of this most recent American civil rights struggle. 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.

Related Topics:
Abolitionist - William Lloyd Garrison - Charles Sumner - Homosexual - As of 2005 - Civil unions - Civil rights - Paradox - Racism - Alexis de Tocqueville - 1835 - Religion - Direct democracy

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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.

Related Topics:
Bar - Pub - Musician - Ireland - Traditional - Folk music - Fiddler - Guitarist - Church - Sports - Town government

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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 mostly for the coasts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine. It is the result of an incomplete transition from 17th century British English, which the standard American dialect imitates, and modern British English. There are also other regional accents as well, such as the Cape Cod Brahmin accent, which is also often heavily parodied.

Related Topics:
European - Colonial - Tourism - Parodied - Dialect - Boston English - Accent - 17th century - British English

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Intraregional cultural differences

While Boston is typically viewed as the region's cultural center, the extent to which it influences the rest of New England is debatable. Perhaps as a result of the "Hub of the Universe" mentality that is demonstrated by many Bostonians, people from Massachusetts may sometimes have a tendency to over-emphasize the importance of the role that their state and city play in New England. People from the northern parts of the region, such as northern Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, as well as the southwestern part of the region, such as Fairfield County, Connecticut, may have divergent views with regard to the cultural influence of Boston, with some rejecting its influence entirely. Much of southwestern Connecticut, for example, is considered a part of metropolitan New York City. Boston, however, certainly only exemplifies, for the most part, the gritty culture of urban New England; therefore, to say that its sphere of influence does not encompass all of New England.

Related Topics:
Boston - Bostonians - Massachusetts - Fairfield County, Connecticut

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New England culture in the mainstream

Family Guy, a highly-popular and very successful animated series created by Seth MacFarlane on the FOX television network, parodies the culture of Eastern New England. Peter Griffin, a resident of the fictional Providence, Rhode Island suburb of Quahog, exemplifies the stereotypical urban New Englander, and especially the loudness, abrasiveness, and belligerence sometimes associated with the stereotypical working class Bostonian.

Related Topics:
Family Guy - Seth MacFarlane - FOX - Peter Griffin - Providence, Rhode Island - Quahog

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