Who colonized New England?

• A. The Dutch merchants and English Puritans.
• B. The Spanish and Portuguese.
• C. The French and English Cavaliers.
• D. The Swedes and Russians.

Answer: (A)

New England’s settlements grew from English Puritans who traveled to the northeastern coast in the 1620s and 1630s to practice their religion freely and build communities based on their beliefs. Alongside them, Dutch merchants had already been active along the Atlantic coast, establishing trading posts and a presence in nearby areas that helped shape early contact and commerce in the region. Because the northeastern coast saw both these English colonial efforts and Dutch commercial activity, this combination best fits the idea of who contributed to colonizing New England.

The other groups were more tied to different regions or times: Spanish and Portuguese colonization focused largely on the southern and western Atlantic and the Caribbean; the French and English Cavaliers relate to different historical contexts and areas; Swedes and Russians had only limited footholds in parts of the broader area, not the core New England colonies.