All interesting replies.
Definitely can't forget the Dutch, or the Germans (a lot of Prussians fought in the Revolutionary War.)
And yes, many people from the midwest are of scandinavian descent and it can be heard in their speech.
My thinking is not simply a guess. My family is from both sides of the border so I do hear the various accents clearly in both countries. However, I still sincerely wonder about the develpment of the accent that is so different from that of the "Mother Country".
It seems that in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and in other countries the accent is more closely related to the English of GB. And these countries have had a substantial germanic influence. I have to admit that the Irish were and are present in these countries too.
But still... The US and Canada seem to be so similar in speech. I have noticed that in both of these countries the accent seems to vary a lot from west to east.
Funny thing. Once when I was on a plane in Southern Mexico a North American (from the US; yes, I know that we are all North Americans in Canada, the US, and Mexico)
, the guy starts talking to me and asks if I'm Canadian. I asked him why and he replied, "um, because you talk good". It still makes me smile.
But my question still remains. Is there anyone out there who has some idea of the reason for the difference in accent between North America and the rest of the English speaking world?
Marcos