The diversity between the original colonies of Eastern North America is displayed in several different ways, whether it be the literal diversity seen between the immigrants of the regions or the different types of economic, social, and political structures that had developed between the time of first discovery and the liberation of America as a nation. These distinctions are very significant in that they indicate a schism between the New England and the Chesapeake regions which leads to the tension of the Civil War. One of the immediate causes of diversity between the colonies was the immigrant backgrounds of the early settlers. On one side, the Puritans of New England fled to the New World seeking freedom from religous persecution and the …show more content…
These values contrast sharply with the characteristics of the Chesapeake Bay region, as Captain John Smith writes History of Virginia in 1624; “there was no talk. . .but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold. . .” (Document F). The main priority of the settlers of this region was economic gain, through the search for gold and exploitation of other natural resources. Due to the practice of primogeniture still taking place in Europe, many children of rich landowners were left with no family …show more content…
Additionally, this list states that prior to their departure all emigrants were examined and had conformity to the Church discipline of England, and had taken oaths of allegiance and supremacy (Document C). This further distances the New England settlers from these Southern immigrants due to the fact the latter were largely loyal to the English crown and did not seek religious freedom but rather financial gain in settling in the New World. Another large difference between the development of the New England colonies and the Chesapeake Bay region is the development of economic and political structure. All of the original colonies were a part of the Atlantic trade network which included the West African slave posts and Caribbean islands. In the South, the rich farmland meant expansive plantations and a feudal-like structure. The patroon system in New Netherlands was similar in the aristocratic impression, but further North the development of communities was much more prevalent. On the plantations in the South, “planters” would live nearly entirely in self-sufficiency, almost independent but still loyal to the mother country. The land was great for farming crops such
The New England and the Southern colonial settlements were united in several areas that created the opportunity for each group of colonies to grow. However, these groups of colonies took divergent paths when it came to the founders’ motives to settle the New World, the importance of religious and social orientation, economic approaches and political developments. These different approaches were ultimately successful beyond the early founders’ expectations.
First off, colonial New England was more family based, as I believe America is today. When immigrants landed in New England they brought with them their families, expecting this place to become their permanent place of residence. Therefore their communities were more tight nit and more concerned with the promotion of values that would benefit the community as a whole. Whereas the Virginia colonies brought in more business oriented tobacco farmers who would establish communities in areas based on the Agricultural value of the land, therefore these communities were more focused on money, profit, and expansion rather than the...
The four groups of colonies were distinct from one another in the labor systems that they used. In New England, there were small farms that allowed a much bigger manufacturing and merchant class to arise. This was very different even from the middle colonies, where larger family farms and indentured servitude were prefered. In the Chesapeake and southern colonies, plantations were the most profitable economic choices. However, in the Chesapeake colonies these plantations were smaller and relied more on indentured servants than the slave heavy large
Firstly, there were the Southern colonies. These colonies tried to remain true to their roots, the King of England. They made their money by growing cash crops on large plantations: tobacco, rice, and indigo. Colonists came to settle in the Southern colonies mainly to make money. Their social life was based on family status and the ownership of land. Large plantation owners controlled the government, as well as society. The people that lived here were
The Crusades of the middle ages introduced much innovative and formerly unheard of merchandise into Western Europe; however the scarcity of these luxury goods instilled Europeans with drive to find easier access to the Far East. Although desired "Northwest Passage" never was found, joint-stock companies, like the Virginia Company of London, settled colonies in the New World for untapped resources such as silver and other tradable goods. Many more corporations followed suit, settling mainly in the Chesapeake Bay area, their small settlements eventually developing into the Chesapeake colonies. The Chesapeake colonies were focused primarily on profitable enterprises. At the same time, the New England colonies were being settled with a whole different set of initiatives, principally religious freedoms and family. Governing bodies were established, with their success dependent on the quality of the settlers the colony attracted. The different motives for settlement affected the routine events in such a way that the New England and Chesapeake colonies differed very greatly from one another even though they were both mainly settled by the English.
The settler’s purpose for coming to America and the obstacles faced in both nature and with the natives caused the New England and Chesapeake regions to develop different societies. The problems that the regions faced were both similar and devastating, yet they had different effects on the regions. They way in which the problems were handled as well as the extremity played a large role in this and helped in the regions obtaining different societies. Despite the fact that the settlers originated from the same area in Europe, they created different societies in their New World homes.
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.
People’s main motives were not religious, but to “dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold,”(Doc F). This resulted in competition, rather than bonding, over the settlement. The economy of the Chesapeake region made it more profitable to spread out, making the development of cities, schools, and churches more difficult. When the Joint Stock Co landed at Jamestown, they were looking for gold. Even though no gold appeared, John Rolfe’s founding of tobacco (Doc F) as a cash crop, and Virginia’s headright system, ensured people would continue to mold the Chesapeake and leave behind a mercantilist environment. The Chesapeake drew mostly single men, who came for individual profit, and indentured servants (Doc C). The economic gap between rich and poor was much larger, especially after the introduction of slaves and indentured servants, in the Chesapeake region than in New England. The Articles of Agreement shown in (Doc D) stated a common goal of “everyone’s quality and estate.” As they developed a much tighter community, they were more invested in the prosperity of everyone in their community. (Doc E) says that laborers “consider the religious end of their callings,” this shows that there was a religious motive to serve God by striving to maintain the strength of their
Social differences are one of the reasons New England and Chesapeake developed into two distinct societies. People in England were tired of being oppressed by the government, so they wanted to come to the New World for new opportunities and better treatment. According to a source from Massachusetts of the New England Colonies, “our town shall be composed of forty families,…rich and poor…every inhabitant shall have a convenient proportion for a house lot, as we shall see [fit] for everyone’s quantity and estate…everyone shall have a share o...
The New England, Middle and Southern colonies were all English ruled, but yet very different. Among their distinctions, was the geography which played an important role in shaping these colonies. New England attracted Puritan farmers who wanted to separate from the Catholic Church. But because of the bone dry soil in the North, these colonists found they couldn't continue with their traditional ways of farming. However, with the immense amounts of water that surrounded them, they found that they could fish and trade. The Middle colonies on the other, hand had a moderate amount of everything. The fertile soil and the major seaports such as Philadelphia and New York, allowed these Middle colonists to make a living any way they saw fit. This led to the brisk development of the Middle Seaboard . Unlike the Middle and Northern colonies, the Southern colonies had large amounts of fertile land allowing for the development of large plantations. Because farming the plantations was the economic thrust for the South, towns and cities developed slowly. Thusly Geography greatly affected the lifestyles of these regions in the New World.
Throughout the 1600s and 1700s, the English nation began colonizing a large part of the American East Coast. Even though the New England and Chesapeake regions were both settled by the English, the two regions developed differently due to the contrasting reasons for settlement. The settlers in the New England region sought out religious freedom opposed to pursuit for economic liberty in the Chesapeake region. The different reasons for settlement caused the two regions to have many unique variances and similarities in their religious beliefs, financial goals, and toleration.
He strongly believed in his words, "He that will not work shall not eat". Even though Captain Smith did a good job, in 1609, a new agreement replaced the unsuccessful council with an all-powerful government. In Maryland, they were able to prosper quickly economically because of their ability to grow tobacco. By having a long coastline along the Chesapeake Bay, it was easy shipping for the tobacco planters. New England's male settlers were small farmers, merchants, seamen, or fishermen which made a very good way of living. ON the other hand, the New England founding fathers had very high expectations for their region and they were fulfilled. Their economy was based on individual accomplishments of the towns’ farmers. They were able to harvest enough crops to feed their families, as well as, trade for things that they couldn’t make themselves. The New England region’s living standards were much higher than those of the Mid-Atlantic. The New England region became an extremely important factor in merchant and shipbuilding. They grew so much that they even served as the center for trading between the South and
In the early stages of North American colonization by the English, the colony of Jamestown, Virginia was founded in 1607 (Mailer Handout 1 (6)). Soon after the Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded in 1629 (Mailer Handout 2 (1)). These two colonies, although close in the time they were founded, have many differences in aspects of their lives and the way they were settled. The colonies have a different religious system, economic system, political system, and they have a different way of doing things; whether that be pertaining to making money, practicing religion, or electing governors. Along with the differences, there are also a sameness between these two colonies. Each colony has been derived from England and has been founded by companies
...ere more concerned about the commonwealth of the people due to their strong sense of community. Chesapeake government placed a harsh rule to ensure the survival of the settlers like the colony of Jamestown. New England had a diverse product due to poor soil and cold weather. They engaged in small scale agriculture, fishing, trading and shipbuilding. The Chesapeake regions had a warmer climate therefore it was more suitable to farm. The economic products that the Chesapeake region produced were tobacco and rice. The New England colonies were more of a community than the Chesapeake colonies. One of the reasons was that the settlers New England emigrated as a family and the Chesapeake emigrants were mostly males with the ambition to find gold and to own a large plantation; this resulted in mostly male population without female to enforce a sense of a real community.
The Chesapeake and New England attracted different types of settlers and, by 1700, the populations differed enormously.