PopulationThe eastern and northern frontier around the initial New England settlements was mainly settled by the American descendants of the original New England colonists. Emigration to the New England colonies after 1640 and the start of the English civil war decreased to less than 1% (about equal to the death rate) in nearly all prior to 1845. The rapid growth of the New England colonies (total population ~700,000 by 1790) was almost entirely due to the high birth rate (>3%) and low death rate (<1%) per year. Germs were killed off by the cold winters causing a decrease in overall deaths by disease, compared to the other colonies.
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