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Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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The only conceivable way of doing this would be Maine-New Hamphire-Vermont as one and Connecticut-Rhode Island-Massachusetts as one. Northern and Southern New England are fairly divided, though NH and VT would probably duke it out frequently in a consolidated legislature. I could never fathom NH and Mass consolidated together, no way!
Its certainly possible, especially since it already happened many years ago!
The Dominion of New England was created by the king in order to bring more control over the northern British colonies. Some of these colonies were very troublesome; New Haven was harboring "the regicides", New York was filled with conquered Dutchmen, Massachusetts Bay had a theocratic religious government. So the idea was to abolish all the colonies and combine them into one single grand colony or Dominion.
At its greatest extent the Dominion of New England stretched from the southern part of New York (todays Pennsylvania and Delaware) to the nothern part of Massachusetts (roughly the middle of modern day Maine). The capital city was Boston and the secondary capital (home of the Lt Governor) was New York City. Thus most of the modern day Northeast was a part of the Dominion, except for the most Southern colony, Maryland.
Anyway, Governor Edmund Andros was not popular and the individual colonies did not like giving up their existence. There was also big differences between the individual colonies, something not apparent to a far off government in London.
When Andros came to Connecticut to take control of that colony, Connecticut hid its colonial charter in the famous Charter Oak Tree. Other resistance continued to grow until eventually Governor Andros was ousted in Boston. A few months later Lt Governor Nicholson was overthrown in New York City (Leisler's rebellion) and unified New England disappeared as the individual colonies rebuilt themselves.
An interesting idea, for sure. But before that question can be answered I think you need to consider what a state needs to be.
In my own, very casual definition, a state should be a representative whole. There are certain states where some regions feel excluded and ignored by the more influential regions (typically the capitol.) For example, Southern Florida vs the Panhandle, Southern Arizona (Tucson area) vs Maricopa County, NYC vs Upstate vs Western New York, the Upper Peninsula vs Michigan, the San Francisco Bay Area vs Orange County vs rural California. That's not even considering the states with an isolated chain of urban areas and their conflicts with the rural parts of the state. IE: Colorado, Oregon, Washington. I think there's a lot of validity to those concerns. I can't see the powers that be in Denver being able to identify with, or adequately represent the interests of, say, Grand Junction, on the other side of the rockies.
So to answer more directly, no. I don't think all of the New England states should consolidate. That doesn't mean I necessarily support the fragmenting of existing states, but I'd agree more with that than wholesale consolidation.
I legit think California should split up. It's downright unfair that 37 million Californians have the same amount of Senate representation as the 600,000 people of Wyoming (don't mean to pick on Wyoming, I loved it when I went there!).
I legit think California should split up. It's downright unfair that 37 million Californians have the same amount of Senate representation as the 600,000 people of Wyoming (don't mean to pick on Wyoming, I loved it when I went there!).
well its their problem, not ours, and thats what the house of Repersitives are for, every state is legally equal, its irrealvant if they have 100 million people or 3 people
While they're all close together, each state is vastly different (although it's true that most of the region roots for Boston-area sports teams). New Hampshire is very conservative/ libertarian, with low taxes, pro-gun ownership, and minimal community services (haul your own trash to the dump, and drive your kids to school yourself) - the slogan on their license plates is "Live Free or Die". They were the first U.S. state to establish a lottery in the 1960s.
Vermont and Mass. (with its many universities) are more liberal and high-tax (The largest city in VT, I think had a socialist-party mayor, Bernard Sanders).
Vermont has a clean, pristine appearance and forbids roadway billboards or advertising - very unlike New Hamp.
Mass. has strict gun laws, and under Gov. Romney a new statewide health care system that's rather unique in the U.S. It would be hard to see New Hampshirans accepting that.
Maine, although it has many classy, coastal tourist towns, in its rural areas has a lot of rednecks and poor, and more unemployment, smoking and obesity.
Part of Connecticut is VERY close to NYC. It would be weird to think of NYC commuters in Greenwich, CT being part of the same state as say, very isolated northern/eastern Maine.
Last edited by slowlane3; 08-11-2011 at 09:13 AM..
ya they should! south park had a good episode called Its a jersey thing where New Jersey invaded the rest of the US and consumed it all as one nation of New Jersey. But South Park CO wasnt about to let that happen so they decided to do something about it.
No but some of the problems are from the cities ruining things for the rest of the state. Up state New York is nothing like the lower half and NYC yet they are pushed around by them and getting laws and taxes they don't want. Same thing for eastern and western Mass. My friend had a good idea. Take up states New York, western Mass and the northwest of Litchfield county in CT and make them one states. They are more rural and have more in common than the rest of the states they would be leaving.
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Should New England be one state?
