New England Colonies Vs Chesapeake Essay

The New England colonists did not come to the New World in search for a quick fortune. They came for the sole purpose of creating a model society for other settlers who sought a new life. They believed in creating a prosperous society rather than a few wealthy individuals (DOC A).

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

A community is a group of people who work together towards a common goal and share a common interest. Lack of such a quality can and most likely will cause a struggling town or city to fall into the extremes of poverty and wealth. The New England community was so strong and so supportive in comparison to that of the Chesapeake Bay, that it is no wonder they developed into two distinctly different cultures before the year 1700. The Chesapeake region developed into a land of plantations and money-driven owners, with the elite wealthy, almost no middle class, and those in poverty creating the population. New England, on the other hand, had developed into a religion and family based society comprised of mostly middle class families by 1700.

There are many elements to consider when discussing the establishment of the New England Colonies. For one, a number of English Puritans, in an organization called the Massachusetts Bay Company, decided to migrate to America, in hopes of a more favorable financial environment. In 1629, after much deliberation and an offer to pay out the original group of prospective settlers, only some of the Puritans agreed to travel to America, with an aspiration to concoct a Puritan sanctuary. A year later, they journeyed to New England with a charter from Charles I and with John Winthrop as their governor. The New England Puritans continued to be bound to their religious roots, but there were a few variations; the long-established worshipping practices that England maintained were not favored, and the notion of predestination spread. Over time, the Massachusetts Bay Company prospered, and it rapidly grew in size. Another important historical figure was named Anne Hutchinson, and she disputed matters regarding religion and women’s rights. Additionally, the Native Americans and the English settlers lived harmoniously and they assisted one another. Until, numerous wars occurred causing a rift between the two cultures. Some of these disturbances were called the Pequot War and King Phillip’s War.

could resist him as a spiritual leader and then would certainly defy as a political

Following initial contact with Columbus a century previous, the eastern colonies would soon be filled with waves of immigrants from every walk of life. Not all would be so idyllic however, as with such immigration would come an assortment of problems and experiences that would forever splinter and differentiate the colonies, leading to distinct personalities, purposes, and people in both the New England and the Chesapeake Bay areas. First set in place by the at-times vastly different groups of original settlers and their motivations, the unique identities and differences of the two colonial areas would soon come to fruition by the 1700s.

In 1607, the Virginia Company commissioned the first English settlement called Jamestown. Plymouth was the first New England colony founded in 1620. Due to the motivated purposes of colonization, it altered the way each region developed. The Chesapeake colony was created primarily to get rich while the New England colony was established for religious purpose. Although the Chesapeake and New England colonies were settled around the same time, by the 1700s, they were developed into two distinct societies.

The area that was colonized by those of New England shared specific similarties in their reason of immigrating, but was separated into four different colonies.; Cheseapeake Bay, New England, the middle colonies, and souther colonies, due to their differences in types of settlers and lifestyles. New England was founded by the puritans and came by sailing in the mayflower compact. The colonies had different believes that cause each one to be created by different groups of settlers. Most of the people in the colonies were English form.

When the English arrived in Jamestown, they landed in an area with 15,000 to 25,000 Indians living in small villages. Wahunsonacock ruled these Indians. He had authority over the region and collected tribute from many tribes and called this Powhatan (Foner, 59). The Indians and the Chesapeake decided to be peaceful and started to trade. John Smith was then captured by the Indians and threatened with execution by Powhatan, but then later on rescued by Pocahontas. Smith’s return to England raised tension between them and the Indians. This began the conflict with the Powhatan Confederacy for the settlers of Chesapeake. English were massacring villagers and destroying Indian crops. New England faced the conflict of the Pequot War. In 1637, a fur trader was killed by Pequots, a powerful tribe who controlled southern New England’s fur trade (Foner, 76). Connecticut and Massachusetts soldiers surrounded the Pequot village. The soldiers set it ablaze killing those who tried to escape. Over 500 men, women and children lost their lives in the massacre and by the end of the war most Pequot had been exterminated or sold to the Caribbean slavery.

The colonies in New England began as a religious voyage. New England colonists, consisted of Puritans and Pilgrims, wanted to escape religious persecution in England. Pilgrims were Separatists and wanted to completely separate from the Church of England. The Puritans believed that they could reform the Church of England. For both of these groups, they believed that they could solve their problems by voyaging to the New World and establishing their own colonies. Through a belief of hard work and through God’s help, many predicted that these colonies would be a model for the world. Life in the New England colonies was brutal, especially the winter. During the winter of 1620-1621, only 44 out of 102 colonists managed to survive in the Plymouth colony. Most of the colonies relied upon farming for their source of food. For Plymouth, an English-speaking Indian named Squanto helped the colonists learn farming techniques. Government structure was significantly different in the New England colonies. In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, representative government was frowned upon. Only the “saved” were allowed voting rights. Both Plymouth and the Massachusetts Bay Colony had governors, just like in Virginia. Unlike Virginia colonies, the New England colonies’ religious leaders held the highest positions in the town. These religious leaders were very influential in political matters as well as enforcing religious rules. The colonists’ relations with the Indians were very similar to the Virginia colonies. At first, colonies tried to cooperate with the Native Americans. However, when colonists pushed westward, conflict was imminent. Many New England colonists believed the New World was the “Devil’s Homeland.” As a result, they believed that the Indians were devil worshippers. This added even more tension between the colonists and natives. Eventually, the tension between the

As stories of the New World drifted back to the old, a new start appealed to the residents of a troubled, turbulent England. Poverty had made it difficult for many to provide for their families, forcing them to seek their livelihood elsewhere. Displaced peasants traveled to the already overpopulated major cities such as London, hoping to scrape by. Around the same time, King Henry VIII severed ties with the Catholic Church, establishing the Church of England, a Catholic sect with himself at the head. This led to confusion and dissent within England, ending in the eventual rise of the Protestant William and Mary until the rise of Elizabeth I, when she severed ties with Rome anew. This religious confusion led to an unstable religious climate in England, resulting in persecution of many different religions. Social, economic and religious issues led many to look to the Americas as an opportunity to start fresh, economically and religiously. Although the New England and the Chesapeake regions both started as small colonies, simply hoping to get by in the New World, by the 18th century they developed into drastically different cultures. The New England region consisted of many Puritans who fled England seeking religious freedom, while the Chesapeake region consisted of young Englishmen seeking wealth. Despite their similar hope for a better life in the New World, as a result of differences in topography, economy, religious background and overall societal views, the two colonies had developed into two distinct societies by the 1700s.

In the early 1600’s, England sent out its first wave of explorers to colonize in the New world which would send ripples for years to come. Roughly, a little over a decade after the establishment of Jamestown, England sent over another ship that would then colonize a new place in New England known as Plymouth. Although these two were both settled by the English, both became vastly different places by the 1700’s. This is because of the planning, execution, and goals set forth by the two groups and how they overall acted with the land and people around them, which in the end shaped the colonies in more ways than one.

The pilgrims wanted to separate themselves from the Catholic Church of England which is why they were called Separatists and wanted to find a place where they had Freedom of Religion and were ready to sacrifice everything they had in England to travel to America so they could practice their faith how they wanted to. They took the Mayflower a ship that would take them to Virginia but when they got there they landed in New Hampshire instead. Since there were no laws there the 40 men in the ship came up with the Mayflower Compact which said “they would agree to make and obey all just and equal law that would be in the overall best interest of their new colony and not favor one religious group from one another” and this was the start of Democracy in America. When the Pilgrims found the place where they were going to settle they named it Plymouth Colony and it wasn’t smooth sailing from there because half of the members in the mayflower died due to poor living conditions and diseases but those who survived did so with the help of Matsui the Wampanoag Chief who offered the Pilgrims shelter and food throughout the winter after they celebrated with the tribe which is later known as

In the seventeenth century, Puritans made a break with the Church of England and went to America. The strong religious values of the Puritans developed a new culture, therefore led New England to an estimable society which is better than Chesapeake. The first doctrine of Puritans is industrious and frugalness, another doctrine is that equality and freedom.

The first difference between each group, was their motive behind searching for a new land to settle in. Yes, the two desired to leave England, but there was also an interest for both groups now that they had the opportunity to leave. For the Jamestown Colonist this happened to be, to make money and become as rich as they could. For the Plymouth Plantation pilgrims it was to find religious freedom. Even to this day our generations are affected by the choices each group made. For example, most people celebrate thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a tradition that originated from the Plymouth Plantation pilgrims and is widely celebrated. The mark left to us from the men of Jamestown, was