According to HistoryWorld, “In 1606 King James I [supported] the new English efforts to establish colonies along the coast of America.” The British Colonization of America was initiated by the arrival of three ships owned by the Virginia Company. In 1607, after the arrival of the ships near the Chesapeake Bay region, Jamestown(the first English colony) was established. The people of England left everything behind, in hopes of finding a more efficient lifestyle that offered more wealth, opportunity, and liberty. As British colonization flourished in the Americas, contrasts between those of the North and those of the Chesapeake became quite clear, due to their conflicting lifestyles. For example, the settlers of the New England colonies based their …show more content…
Although the settlers from New England and the Chesapeake region both migrated from England, they each developed different social, political, and economical customs. (Transition Sentence). “The New England population was dominated by Puritan Morals, which not only created a strict moral code, but also fostered a [more unified colony].” The Puritans believed that England had been corrupted by foreign influences, which is why they chose to settle in the New World. The Puritans also believed that they were placed on Earth by God to serve as an example to everyone surrounding them. As the governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Winthrop wrote, “...we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us…” (Document A). His statement served as a motivator to the New England colonies to fulfill the Lord’s wishes , rather than to fail him. Additionally, the Puritans strongly valued social equality, which is evident in the governor’s statement: “some must be rich, some poor, some high...yet we must be knit together in this work as one man…”(Document A). Their beliefs on social equality created and spread social unity throughout the New England Colony; “a [facet] that was non existent in the Chesapeake and
Thesis Statement: When talking about New England and the Chesapeake region, you have to consider the differences in motives and geography. Consider economic situations (reasons for settling where they did, reasons why they came to New England in the first place). One has to think about the family development and demographics, as well as the government structure.
Two unique societies were constructed by people of common origin. These English colonists immigrated to the New World for either economic prosperity or religious freedom. During colonization, two regions were formed, New England and the Chesapeake Bay area. The two contrasting societies of New England and Chesapeake region were the results of diversity of: social and family structure; health and living conditions; economy; religion and beliefs; and government policies.
The New England and the Chesapeake regions were both from English origin. However, they had completely different societies. Each settlement had different intension of why they wanted to settle in the new world. New England and Chesapeake colonies had political, economic and social differences.
During the 1700's, people in the American colonies lived in very distinctive societies. While some colonists led hard lives, others were healthy and prosperous. The two groups who showed these differences were the colonists of the New England and Chesapeake Bay areas. The differentiating characteristics among the Chesapeake and New England colonies developed due to economy, religion, and motives for colonial expansion. The colonists of the New England area possessed a very happy and healthy life. This high way of living was due in part to better farming, a healthier environment, and a high rate of production because of more
When comparing and contrasting the Chesapeake and New England colonies you find that there are many differences and a few similarities. These differences and similarities revolve around the colonies geography, economic characteristics, religious characteristics, and why they were founded. These differences developed in the colonies based off where they are, how they were ran, and how wealthy they were. The development of these colonies also affected the American Indians in a few different ways. Let start by comparing major difference of the geography between Chesapeake and New England colonies. New England colonies had cold weather and poor dry soil which made for a short growing season. This made it harder to grow food so most families just had a small farm for personal gain, there weren’t plantations. The New England colonies also had natural harbors and a lot of the land was covered in forests. In contrast to the New England colonies the Chesapeake colonies has hot humid weather, with long growing seasons, and excellent soil that was great for plantation and along with rivers that flowed throughout the colonies. Now let’s take a look at the differences in the economical characteristics between the colonies. In New England because of their geographical conditions they couldn’t grow crops in large plantation to make profits so they had to rely on other means to make income. Since the land was covered in forests they use the timber to expand the shipbuilding industries. They
Despite the common English backgrounds, societies in the New England and Chesapeake regions of Colonial America had split off into two incredibly different cultures: A very religiously focused New England and the more economic-oriented Chesapeake. Because these regions were settled for different purposes, the development of these societies led to the distinctions between them.
Colonists came primarily to the Chesapeake region to increase their wealth. The vast variety of immigrants to the Chesapeake region was young men seeking economic opportunity (Doc C). The differences in the New England and Chesapeake’s primary motivations for settlement led to the divergent societies.
While the Chesapeake and New England colonies were similarly the earliest successful English colonies in North America, the colonies developed quite independently of each other. When looking at the differences and similarities in the development of these colonies, it seems as though the differences far outweigh the similarities. These colonies varied in regards to their religious beliefs, their societal organization, culture, economy, and relationships with local American Indians. The differences and similarities between the colonies can be further understood by analyzing the individual colonies’ geography, economy, religious beliefs, and cultural practices.
In early american history, colonies were founded for many different reasons, whether it was for political, social, or economic purposes. Colonies were very diverse from one another, yet shared some similarities. One may wonder, how did religion shape colonial society? The answer to this can be found by looking through the facts about colonial New England and Chesapeake.
During the late 16th century and into the 17th century, two colonies emerged from England in the New World. The two colonies were called the Chesapeake and New England colonies. Even though the two areas were formed and governed by the English, the colonies had similarities as well as differences. Differences in geography, religion, politics, economic, and nationalities, were responsible for molding the colonies. These differences came from one major factor: the very reason the English settlers came to the New World. The Chesapeake colonies were primarily created by companies interested in profiting from the natural resources of the New World such as gold or silver to bring back to England. The New England colonies were primarily created to escaped religious persecution and set up a haven for people of their faith. The inhabitants of the New England area were far healthier. Their clean water supply was a sharp contrast to the contaminated waters of Chesapeake Bay. The cool climate had a good impact on colonists because it prevented the spread of life-threatening diseases. Because of New England’s cool climate, many people died during severe winters. Chesapeake’s climate had positive and negative factors as well. The warm, moist climate in the Chesapeake colonies carried diseases that killed many of the colonists. In contrast to the New England colonists, the Chesapeake colonists did not have to worry as much about surviving cold winters. The natural resources of the
Politically, Virginia and New England differed in the basis of their governing systems. Virginia focused on the desire of its individuals: “(t)hat our governors by reason of the corruption of those times they lived in, laid the foundation of our wealth and industry on the vices of men.” This standard of government was an early precursor to democracy and allowed Virginian’s to feel the rights of being freemen. New England, instead of basing their government on the individual desires of man, governed the colony on the basis of Christianity. The New England settlers strongly believed the spirit of God would deliver them and create greatness in the colony: “the God of Israel is among us, and ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies. The Lord will make our name a praise and glory.” The colony wanted to be set above the rest, or in other words,
The New England and the Chesapeake regions were both settled by immigrants from England. However, by 1700 these regions developed into two extremely different societies. There were a few major reasons why this happened. Immigrants that settled in the New England region came to the New World with different goals than the immigrants that settled in the Chesapeake region. In general, the settlers in the Chesapeake region were more materialistic than the settlers in the New England region. Differences in goals, values, and beliefs caused the distinction between the two societies.
In the colony of New England, religious freedom from England was the main attraction to many who wanted to live freely. Too many times, the religion of many families was turned away and neglected which lead to a desire for an entirely new settlement where these families could live freely based upon their own philosophies. The religion of Calvinism was the main attraction; it became the theological credo of New England Puritans. Not only that but Separatists searching for a place for purified protestants found Massachusetts once they arrived off the coast of New England in 1620. According to John Winthrop, “So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” (Doc 1). John Winthrop’s intended audience was to the people of New England and is shown by the repetition of “we” and “our” to remind them of their growth but at the same time staying true to God and being an example for the “eyes of all people”. As governor speaking to the people of New England, Winthrop demonstrates the pillar of religion that is keeping the entire colony at peace and unified. Furthermore, in the Articles of Agreement, it states that diversity and equality are what makes New England special. By having a
Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by the people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. The reasons for this distinct development were mostly based on the type on people from England who chose to settle in the two areas, and on the manner in which the areas were settled.
In Edmund S. Morgan’s, The Puritan Dilemma, it was evident that John Winthrop focused his entire life around glorifying God, in turn creating a government that did the same. This ideology translated into the way he shaped and structured Puritan society. Winthrop first focused on the formation of a community of unity and harmony, then built a government that fostered it. All of the governmental structures in place were supporting one main focus of the Puritan society being “a city on a hill.” Citation Further, Puritan society was to act as an example for the surrounding colonies of godly living. Harmony was backed by their ideals of