Summary: Historians Divide Colonial America

During the 1600s the colonies in the New World started to develop based off of different factors. The colonies all developed for different reasons, some were gold, some God, and some glory. Yet, all were affected by their location and what it had to offer. Geography was the primary factor in the development of the colonies, because it affected everything from the people that it attracted to the jobs that it provided to the food that they ate.

New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by people of English origin, but by the 1700’s they were two distinct societies. They differed politically, economically, and socially, and these differences stemmed from when people first arrived in the colonies to how the colonies grew over 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.

Socially the three groups of colonies developed differently. The New England Colonies life was dominated by the Puritan religion.

British North America by the mid 1700’s consisted of three major regions. The New England region included the colonies of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The Middle Region included the colonies of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The Southern Region, also known as the Chesapeake Colonies, included the Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Although all three regions consisted of British colonies, each region differed in terms of climate, geography, population, politics, economy, and religious attitudes. Daily life was very different for the people who lived in each of these

The northern colonies were very much different from the southern because they were colonized for different reasons. The north was colonized for freedom of worship and freedom of political thought. The colonies had hope for a separate society, where they could show their homeland, how a country should be run. The northern colonies were based on theocracy, where the state forced the people to live and worship in an orthodox way.

When we think of our country now, we think about how it is separated into states, but back then the states were part of colonies. Some of the main colonies were the Chesapeake colonies which consisted of Virginia and Maryland, the middle colonies were Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, and lastly, the New England colonies which were Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. In the colonial regions of New England, Chesapeake and the middle colonies they all share similarities and differences, most predominantly shown in family life, rank and status.

Q1: Compare and contrast the government, religion, geography, and economy of the three English colonial regions (the Chesapeake area, New England, and Pennsylvania). Be sure to consider the role of race, gender, and ethnicity.

During colonial times, European nations quickly colonized the New World years after Columbus’ so called discovery. England in particular sent out a number of groups to the east coast of the New World to two regions. These areas were the New England and the Chesapeake regions. Later in the late 1700s, these two regions would go though many conflicts to come together as one nation. Yet, way before that would occur; these two areas developed into two distinct societies. These differences affected the colonies socially, economically, and politically.

When the English settled into the New World, they were split up into two sections, the Chesapeake region and the New England region. Although the English settled both, the two regions were severely different from each other when they were brought about. The New England and Chesapeake colonies differed in three ways: their reason for venturing over, economy, and population. These major differences were what shaped our nation today and what will continue shaping our nation in the future.

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.

The English Colonies were developed for cultural reasons even before they left England, they were finding a haven for their religion. They were also established for a profit as in the case of Virginia, the main reason it became a permanent colony was because it was a good area for tobacco. The Appalachians prevented the colonists from moving into the Ohio River valley.

The two groups that started out there were the pilgrims and puritans. They both disagreed with the Church of England and aimed to practice religion how they chose. This worked for the pilgrims, but the puritans were very strict and if a person disapproved how they taught, then they were kicked out. A few people who got kicked out formed New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. As you may imagine, that makes religion a very important part of the New England colonies. This region wasn’t very diverse and consisted of mostly English people with puritan roots. Because the region was the most northern one out of the three, the climate was cold and made for a short growing season which made for basically no farming industry, but did kill disease. Puritans and Pilgrims founded the New England Colonies on religious

The northern colonies of New England, southern, and middle colonies have made America as it is today. The different religions, economics, social issues, and politics they brought with them on their journeys are what helped shape the United States.

The English colonies had different political structure, population size, and reasons for colonizing in the New World. Although the colonists were all British descent, their societies were completely dissimilar. Some ultimately left power in the hands of the church while others became royal colonies where the governor holds control. Northern colonies had a population that was not as spread out as the other colonies in the New World. And finally, those who ventured over from the Old World were either persecuted or wanted to expand Britain’s empire. These differences eventually lead to the development of distinct societies.