Differences Between the Early Settlements of New England and the South

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The early colonies of America were all settled with the thoughts of a better life, but different settlers had varying aspirations which led to the first colonies having notable differences amongst them. The northern settlements of New England were more heavily influenced with the idea of freedom from The Church of England while the immigrants who settled in the south were more monetarily influenced. Both settlements desired to come to America for a sense of freedom, whether it be from the church or to tap new resources and establish a proprietary gain. Although both colonies established structure and a sense of independence, there were differences. These differences led to variations in government, religious practices, social culture, and most notably the economic variants of northern and southern settlements.

One of the largest differences in the early settlements of New England and the south were the people who started the settlements. Massachusetts, settled by Puritans and Plymouth settled by Separatists were settled for the main reason of freedom from the Church of England. In comparison, the southern settlement of Virginia was founded by a joint stock company, the London Company, whose main interest was economic gain for themselves and for their investors. Though colonies of New England and the south were both originally settled by predominately Protestant founders, the colonies differed in values and purpose.

The political practices of the first colonies did show a fair amount of similarities as far as the structure and the main goal of representation of the people. However there were notable differences. The settlements of the north structured their government around the church, but only property-holding males who we...

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...outh were exceedingly different. In the early days of settlement, the northern colonies relied heavily of fur trading and fishing as a means of pecuniary survival. For the most part, New England worked for self sustainment. In the south, the settlers ran large plantations growing tobacco, rice, and sugar for the purpose of export for financial gain. Most of the southern settlements were established principally to meet the demands of a world market and to become wealthy in the process.

While the early colonies were both settled by predominately Protestant Europeans and held some similarities, they had significant differences. These different motives led to a varied outcome in the way of life in many dimensions. Aside from the differences, they were similar in the central aspirations of a self-governed nation independent of England and the hopes for a new life.

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