Chesapeake Colonies Vs New England Colonies

The Virginia Company initially colonized the Chesapeake area of Jamestown as a search for gold and as an exploration of the area’s natural resources. The company realized that for the colony to survive it would have to forget their search for gold and instead find a profitable economy. Tobacco became Virginia’s substitute for gold. This new crop enriched a growing class of tobacco planters and many members of colonial government. By 1624, more than 200,00 pounds of tobacco were grown and by the 1680’s, crops totaled 30 million pounds. There was a get rich quick mind set and a frantic rush for land and labor. Despite the severe conditions of the fields and a high death rate, the colony still attracted immigrants. Of the 120,000 English immigrants, 3/4 came as servants. Jamestown became an agrarian society with extensive farmlands along the region’s rivers.

Differences between the Chesapeake Bay and New England ColoniesThere are many key differences that distinguish the inhabitants of the New England colonies from those of the Chesapeake Bay colonies. These dissimilarities include but are not limited to the differences between the social structure, family life, forms of government, religion, and the lives of indentured servants and children in the two colonies.

During the 17th century, many English colonists began to settle on the Atlantic, this embarked on colonies beginning to build the foundations of their community. The New World was named profoundly since it was considered, "new." Although New England and the Chesapeake regions were settled mainly by people of English decent, by the 18th century, the two similar societies became apparent. As they began to change, the two colonies developed contrasting societies, institutions, and economies. These contrasting differences may be considered the primary motives for colonization, climate, geography, different in views and philosophy and many settlers of different origins.

In 1492 Columbus discovered the “new world” which is now known as the Americas today. Furthermore, in the 1700 people from the English origin traveled across the sea to North America to start a new life. When they got to North America the people settled in two regions, the Chesapeake and the New England region. Even though these people came from the same place they thrived in two different societies. Some of the countless reasons why these two regions are different from each other are religion, ways of life, and economics.

When colonists initially came to America, they were expecting an abundance of land and resources. However, many differences caused each group of colonists to evolve into different societies, especially in Chesapeake, which consisted of Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware, and New England, which consisted of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. These differences were primarily caused by the variations in family structures, the intertwining of politics and religion, and the contrast of crops grown in their respective areas.

Though the Chesapeake and New England colonies were both settled by the English, by the early 1700’s they had grown into two distinct societies. The Chesapeake’s land was covered in miles upon miles of cash crops like tobacco and indigo, and people lived and worked in plantations of varying sizes. New England was made up of many small towns of subsistence farmers and a few large port cities. While tens of thousands of African slaves were shipped to the Chesapeake region, few were put to work in New England. Important differences in reasons the colonies were founded, treatment of Natives, and location made the colonies develop into very different societies.

New England and Chesapeake were two English colonies founded in the New World. These colonies started in different ways and continued to function very differently. In the 1700s, New England and Chesapeake colonies developed in very different ways; this development was a direct reflection of the families, governments, and religion found in the colonies.

Although the Chesapeake and New England regions were both established by the English, two distinct societies were formed due to social, economic, and political reasons. Socially, the religions of the regions had a large impact on the formation of the society. In the New England region, religion was dominated by Puritans, while the south was not determined to make religion the main focus of their society. Politically, the North was more determined to thrive as a united nation and govern locally in order to do this. However, the South valued the wealthy landowners and was more of a democracy. Economically, the New England region had less farming land and therefore was less dependent on slaves and agriculture to produce wealth. In the Chesapeake

During the seventeenth century, the Europeans were the first to cross the Atlantic. Many groups from England, were sent out to North America to two regions. Those two regions were New England, and The Chesapeake.

The New England and Chesapeake colonies were founded for different purposes and the difference in climate affected the economy of the two regions. New England was founded for religious reasons by two groups called the Puritans and the Pilgrims, or Separatists. Puritans and Pilgrims were persecuted in England and were looking for a “New England” to call home, a place where they could practice their religion without persecution. The Pilgrims wanted to break away from the Anglican Church and founded Plymouth while the Puritans were looking for a more “pure” adherence to the church and founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

During the 17th century, England experienced a growth in development. Increasing population alongside a rising merchant class made territorial expansion beneficial both population-wise and economically. Two regions in the New World were colonized by settlers: New England and the Chesapeake. Both settlements had a goal of permanent settlement in mind, but by the 1700s had significant differences in their developments. The difference in developments between the New England and Chesapeake regions during the 1700s can be attributed to the settlers demographic, their ideals on how the settlement should function, and the cooperation between settlers.

The puritans who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England intended it to be a “city on a hill.” They expected the rest of the world to look up to this hill as the perfect city however, they expelled many heretics making it less appealing.

The Chesapeake society was big in the tobacco industry, and Tobacco is a labor-intensive crop. Tobacco farmers brought in a lot of young men (mostly indentured servants) to work the plantations, later using African slaves. These indentured servants would come from England, and their trip across the Atlantic would be paid for by the planter. These servants would have to work anywhere from three to seven years. When planters brought over indentured servants they would gain more land. If an Indentured servant finished out their term, they gain land of their own known as the Headright system. With Planters gaining land for every servant they bring over and free indentured servants gaining some land, this means that land becomes relatively scarce pretty fast. Though there was a lower life expectancy in the Chesapeake region, so planters didn’t always have to keep their promise to servants.

Although both the New England and the Chesapeake region colonies, which were located in Maryland, Virginia. Had been settled and ruled by the English, in the year 1700 the colonies had evolved into two very separate distinct societies.

During the 17th century, England decided to start colonizing the newfound Americas after watching other European nations do the same. The first few English settlements in the Americas were founded in two general regions now known as the Chesapeake Bay, and New England. Although the colonists from these two regions came from the same place, they soon began to distinguish themselves as the Chesapeake Bay colonies and the New England colonies. There were distinct differences between the two areas which had to do with many factors, including reason for settlement, climate, and the people who came over.