English Americans (occasionally known as Anglo-Americans, although this may have a wider linguistic meaning) are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. According to 2000 U.S census data, Americans reporting English ancestry made up an estimated 9.0% of the total U.S. population,
The overwhelming majority of the founding fathers of America were of English extraction, including Ben Franklin, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
As with most immigrant groups, the English later sought economic prosperity and began migrating in large numbers without state support, particularly in the 19th century. Number of English Americans thumb|right|200px|Map of England highlighted in red.Census data1775 censusAccording to the United States Historical Census Data Base (USHCDB) (2002), the ethnic populations in the American Colonies of 1775 were:
1790 censusThe ancestry of the 3.9 million population in 1790 has been estimated by various sources by sampling last names in the very first United States official census and assigning them a country of origin. The results indicate that people of English ancestry made up about 47.5% of the total United States population with 80.7% of the population being of European heritage.2000 censusIn the 2000 census, 24.5 million Americans reported English ancestry, 8.7% of the total U.S. population. This estimate is probably a serious undercount by over 30 million given that, in the 1980 census, around 50 million citizens claimed to be of at least partial English ancestry. In 1980, 23,748,772 Americans claimed wholly English ancestry and another 25,849,263 claimed English along with another ethnic ancestry. 80 million people in the 2000 census were listed under 'other ancestries' and 20 million as 'American.' Thus, the number of people who could be classified, if they so wish, as English Americans in the United States is more likely to be at least 60-80 million.
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' 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 expatriatesIn total, there are estimated to be around 678,000 British born expatriates in the United States with the majority of these being English. Modern England is an increasingly diverse nation, and a significant minority are not indigenous English. By American definition there are around 540,000 English people of any race in the United States, 40,000 Asian English, 20,000 Black English people and approximately 10,000 people of a mixed background.DistributionEnglish Americans are found in large numbers throughout America, particularly in the Northeast and West. According to the , the 10 states with the largest populations of self reported English Americans are
The 10 states with the highest percentages of self reported English ancestry are:
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 Early settlement and colonization The red and pink areas of the map show land over which the British claimed authority in 1775
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. Anglo-Americans in this period were the chief importers of African American slaves (many of whom have been repatriated to Liberia and Sierra Leone) and Irish American servants.
These Anglo-European migrations indicate why German Americans were also integrated in Americana, as the British Royal Family came from 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 1776An estimated 3.5 million English emigrated to the USA after 1776.. English settlers provided a steady and substantial influx throughout the nineteenth century. The first wave of increasing English immigration began in the late 1820s and was sustained by unrest in the United Kingdom until it peaked in 1842 and declined slightly for nearly a decade. Most of these were small farmers and tenant farmers from depressed areas in rural counties in southern and western England and urban laborers who fled from the depressions and from the social and industrial changes of the late 1820s-1840s. While some English immigrants were drawn by dreams of creating model utopian societies in America, most others were attracted by the lure of new lands, textile factories, railroads, and the expansion of mining.
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 o f 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. 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. Political involvement Colonial periodAs the earliest colonists of the United States, settlers from England and their descendants often held positions of power and made or helped make laws , 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 Founding FathersThe lineage of most of the Founding Fathers was English. Such persons include Samuel Adams. Others signatories of the Declaration of Independence, such as Robert Morris were English born . Of the "Committee of Five" (the group delegated to draft the Declaration of Independence), John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut had English roots. English influence in the United States English languageThe 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.
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.
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.Culture260px|thumb|right|[[Baseball has origins from the English immigrant sport - Rounders. (see History of baseball in the United States)'']] thumb|right|220px|[[The Star-Spangled Banner, Original copy written by English-American Francis Scott Key.]] Much of American culture also shows influences from English culture. For example, popular American sports such as baseball and American football have their origins in sports played in England in the 19th century. Another area of cultural influence, the American national anthem takes its melody from the 18th century English song " To Anacreon in Heaven" and lyrics written by an English American called Francis Scott Key. Places in the United States named after those in England include New York (after York), New Hampshire (after Hampshire), Manchester, Boston, Southampton, 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. , the Carolinas were named after King Charles I and Maryland named so for his wife, Queen Henrietta Maria (Queen Mary). Architecture such as the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. which was first designed by English-educated American Architect William Thornton. Also, many American college campuses, such as Yale, Princeton University, and the University of Delaware, have Gothic or Georgian looks. The American legal system also has its roots in English law. For example, elements of the Magna Carta were incorporated into the United States constitution. English law prior to the revolution is still part of the law of the United States, and provides the basis for many American legal traditions and policies. After the revolution, English law was again adopted by the now independent American States. Presidents of English DescentA number of the Presidents of the United States have English Ancestory. The extent of English Heritage varies in the presidents with earlier presidents being predominantly of English Yankee stock. Later US Presidents ancestory can often be traced to ancestors from multiple nations in Europe, including England. The current President, Barack Obama, has English heritage originating from his Kansas born mother whose ancestry is English and Irish, while his father was a black Kenyan. NotablesSee List of English Americans
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