Final answer:
The frontier of the New England colonies was along the Atlantic Ocean, and these colonies were settled before 1640 by Puritans and Pilgrims.
Step-by-step explanation:
The frontier of the New England colonies was not along the Mississippi River, nor was it along the Great Lakes or the Pacific Ocean. The frontier of these colonies, which included Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, was along the Atlantic Ocean.
These colonies are usually referred to as "Puritan" because they were settled by Puritans and Pilgrims, who were seeking religious freedom. They established settlements before 1640, and as settlers from New England traveled west, they eventually moved into the upper Midwest and the Great Lakes region.