Analysis of the Driving Factor Behind Early Colonists Essay

Contrary to the pilgrims of New England, those who settled in the Chesapeake area colonized the region for more economic purposes. Many people who settled in the Chesapeake were down-on-their-luck English citizens living in swamps and slums hoping to stake it out in the New World, because it couldn’t be much worse than the conditions they faced back in England. Most received their tickets to America through indentured servitude, paying for their trip with a few years of free labor for a wealthy master. Document C is a roster of indentured servants bound for Virginia who are all set to work for the same master. Indentured servitude had long lasting effects on the colonies, the most impactful being Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 (Document H). This uprising was caused former indentured servants who had no land or property of their own once their work contracts expired. Because the land westward was populated by Natives and therefore almost impossible to acquire, the dissenters focused against the rich and powerful members of the colonies. The successful uprising led to reforms such as work regulations explained in Document E, as well a shift away from indentured servitude and towards slavery of blacks. Other settlers besides indentured servants were aspiring traders and gold-hunters mentioned in Document F. While traders had little success early on and treasure hunters definitely didn’t find their fields of

The immigrants that settled the colonies of Chesapeake Bay and New England came to the New World for two different reasons. These differences were noticeable in social structure, economic outlook, and religious background. As the colonies were organized the differences were becoming more and more obvious and affected the way the communities prospered. These differences are evident from both written documents from the colonists and the historical knowledge of this particular period in time.

Although the Chesapeake and New England colonies were the earliest English colonies to flourish in the New World, they were both extremely different in the ways that they developed. Similarities between the colonies can be found, but the colonies were mostly different. The colonies differed most in religion, society, culture, economy, and their relationships with the American Indians of the region. The reasons for such differences can be understood by realizing that the colonies were settled by incredibly different people who possessed different cultures, religious beliefs, and motivations for settling in their respective colonies in the first place. The Chesapeake and New England colonies had similarities and differences in their development, including how each colony affected nearby American Indians. Their differences and similarities can be understood by analyzing each colony’s geography, economy, religions, and cultures.

Religion was the foundation of the early Colonial American Puritan writings. Many of the early settlements were comprised of men and women who fled Europe in the face of persecution to come to a new land and worship according to their own will. Their beliefs were stalwartly rooted in the fact that God should be involved with all facets of their lives and constantly worshiped. These Puritans writings focused on their religious foundations related to their exodus from Europe and religions role in their life on the new continent. Their literature helped to proselytize the message of God and focused on hard work and strict adherence to religious principles, thus avoiding eternal damnation. These main themes are evident in the writings of

John Winthrop’s “Model of Christian Charity” was delivered to the colonists bound for Massachusetts Bay Colony to unite them and help them become a model community for England. Through his use of metaphors and biblical allusions, Winthrop is able to thoroughly convey the importance of remaining unified to his very religious Puritan audience. Previous attempts of colonization in America, such as Roanoke, the lost colony, had created a negative view of colonization. Previous colonists were also only focused on profit and did not build a stable community, which led to their downfalls. Therefore, Winthrop tells his audience that they must work together “as one man”. This metaphor compares the group of colonists to a single person who has one mind

New England was started for the search of religious freedom from persecution. England’s government required a strict attendance to the Anglican church. If a

The Puritan people who came to the Americas were separatists who sought to establish a new religiously based community that could be immune from outside influences. While the Chesapeake settlers came to the America's solely to grow tobacco and turn a profit for the joint stock companies that sent them. These differences in purpose are evidenced by the lists of people who first established the colonies. In 1635, the emigrants sent to Virginia by these joint stock companies were composed primarily of young single men in their twenties who could work on the tobacco farms (Doc C). They were not sent with their families and out of the long list of emigrants, only 11 were women. This shows that the stock companies really didn't care if their colonists established a community and were only concerned with making money. The New England list of emigrants however shows entire families, most containing more then four people of relation, who made the trip to the Americas (Doc B). This is due to the fact that the Puritans goal was start a community of religious families who would work together to be successful puritans in the eyes of god. This is shown through puritan leader, John Winthrop's writings known as his ‘City upon a Hill' speech (Doc A). Puritans were more focused on the community aspect and planned to use their children to work their land

Within the colony of Massachusetts, religion played an important role in shaping the community’s people and interests. The reason for the Puritans move to North America was to escape the convictions the Christians of England were placing on them (Divine, 89). Winthrop and his followers believed that in this new land they must create a place where they could come together as a people and build the perfect religious society (Divine, 90). In a speech about his vision for the land, John Winthrop said, “We must delight in each

The colonies had developed a strong sense of their identity and unity as Americans by the eve of the Revolution. The Pre-Revolutionary Period showed how the English colonies buckled down and united. They grew into one major entity which was not going to be taken for a fool, especially not by England.      When England engaged in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the colonies and their mother country joined together to fight the French. The colonies used popular images to entice people to join the war effort.

1.)     John Winthrop’s “City Upon a Hill” sermon inspired the Puritans aboard the Arbella by warning that the eyes of the world were watching their colonization of the New World. He also insisted that they were to set an example for all of the future generations to come. He called upon the congregants to keep God in their hearts, lest they fall into disaster in their attempt to colonize the new land. Winthrop wanted Christianity to serve as a guide to building a future in North America. However, people carried different views on this Christian model and how

Playing this game made me realize how difficult it was for people who came to a new and strange place to start living their lives all over again. It helped me to get a better understanding of all the obstacles that the early colonists had to face, for instance, they had to completely build up their entire life from the ground up and sometimes it did not end up going so well. Many people had died from starvation or just from diseases that they encounter that they never even knew existed. They also had to worry about how they would grow crops to feed everyone or how they would plan on governing themselves since they were thousands of miles from any formal government. Or where was the best place to settle that would provide a good amount of natural

     Religion was a very important part of everyday life in colonial America. Sometimes people were not allowed to question what they were taught, and if they did so they were punished accordingly. Before 1700 some colonies had more religious freedom then others. While others colonies only allowed religious freedom to a select group, others allowed religious freedom to all different kinds of religions. In the overall there was quite a bit of religious freedom in colonial America

The Puritans were simply too selfish and narrow-minded to stand up for what was right. Even after the Indians had helped the Pilgrims with food, they said “let His holy name have all the praise.” This, as a whole, explains the selfishness and ungratefulness of the Puritans when they first came to

In today's modern society, moving from one place to another can be for a lot of things; from leaving home and starting your own life to fleeing a war happening in your country. Similar to our modern society, the Puritans in the 17th century set sail from England to Colonial America. Unlike their counterparts, the Pilgrims, the Puritans did not break off from the Church of England; their goal was to actually reform it with their puritan ideals. In Colonial America, the colonies were mainly Puritans which meant that their beliefs and ideals influenced their social norms and standards, their economic relationships with other colonies, and ultimately, their government and how their politics affected the people.

Colonial America was shaped by the many Christian denominations of its founders. Christian ideals were one of the most important intellectual discussions on the mind of America’s founders. The Puritans were a separatist religious group that came to North America from England to escape religious persecution in the mid-seventeenth century. Its followers arrived to the northern English colonies in the New World and settled almost exclusively in the New England region. Led by John Winthrop, the Puritans formed the colony of Massachusetts, where their faith would prove to have an enormous impact over almost every aspect of colonial society. Their goal was to build a “city upon a hill”, representing a spiritually pure and idyllic society. Puritanism greatly influenced the political, social, and cultural aspects of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The strict nature of Puritanism is one factor that aided in making Massachusetts distinguishable from the rest of colonial America.