Coming to the New World

434 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Compare and contrast settlement patterns of chesapeake and new england colonies

During the 17th century many people left England to come to the “New World” for a variety of reasons, most commonly seeking money or freedom of religion. Therefore it is not possible to provide a single answer to the question of why English colonized North America. (Throughout the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies the same two main reasons for coming to North America emerge.) Each of the colonies has a little more emphasis on either money or religious freedom. For example the people of Rhode Island, founded by Williams in 1636, fled religious persecution. As opposed to those of New York, founded by Hudson originally in 1613, who came to get rich. However these are not the only reasons for the settlement of the colonies they are the most prevalent.
People settling in the New England colonies from about 1620-1640 had their emphasis on religious freedom. They “wanted to keep their family units together and practice their own religion.”(americanhistory.about.com) This quote says it all, they just wanted to keep their families close and have total freedom to practice their chosen religion. The people in the New England colonies, specifically Rhode Island, were fleeing religious persecution they were not coming for the money as much as some of the people in the other colonies.
The Middle colonies (settled between 1610-1685) received those settlers who where coming for both the freedom of religion and the money. They “were looking to practice their own religion (Pennsylvania mainly) or to make money.” (americanhistory.about.com) Again this quote perfectly articulates the point that is being proven. With the middle colonies the point being that they were torn between the money and the religious freedom.
Lastly the Southern colonies (settled between 1600-1735) had a majority of people who sought money. With the exception of Georgia, who were seeking to protect the Carolinas from Spain, the rest were after the money in plantations. This all is summed up in a quote that states “The founders of the Southern colonies were, for the most part, out to make money”.(americanhistory.about.com) That’s about all that, in this aspect, can be said about the Southern colonies.

Show More
Related

  • 13 Colonies Dbq

    510 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Two Regions which were Colonized: The Chesapeake Region and the New England Region

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the Mayflower sailed over to the New World, on the boats were Puritans that were looking for a change in the way that their religion was practiced where the Chesapeake settlers came over for gold. Alongside the Puritans were the Separatists who wanted everything their way and wanted to perfect the ways of the Puritans. When they landed in New England, they immediately settled down because they didn’t have an economic reason for coming. Both sets of religions ventured overseas so that they could create a new religion that would work for them in their favor and not be prosecuted for practici...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Government, Religion Geography And Economy Of New England And America

    2229 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Puritans who were seeking religious freedom were the first to affect New England religiously. Therefore, religion was heavily influential in the New England colonies. This area was strictly Calvinist, and there was little to no tolerance for any other religion. This homogeneity allowed for a rigorous sense of local order. The church was an equally-important partner with town governance in preserving social order (Church and State were not separate!) In every colony except for Rhode Island, law required everyone to attend worship services on the Sabbath and every taxpayer to contribute to the support of the

    Read More

  • Southern Colonies Economy

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Southern Colonies were established mainly for economic reasons and they relied heavily on natural resources

    Read More

  • How Did Britain Influence Colonial America

    756 Words  | 2 Pages

    Religion is one cause in the way colonial America established differently than England. Religious persecutions were more prominent in England than in colonial America. Most colonists fled to the New World searching religious freedom. Christian Catholic’s who diverged from the Protestant Church in England faced religious persecution. The New World believed, "That no person or persons which profess faith in God by Jesus Christ shall at any time be anyways molested, punished, disquieted, or called into question for any difference in opinion or matter of reli¬gious concernment, who do not actually disturb the civil peace of the province, that all and every such person or persons may from time to time and at all times freely have and fully enjoy his or their judgments or consciences in matters of religion throughout all the province, they behaving themselves peaceably and quietly and not using this liberty to licentiousness nor to the civil injury or outward disturbance of others" (New York Charter of Liberties and Privileges (1683), 52). The colonists wanted the opportunity to worship freely and have a chance to choose which religion they wanted to follow. "Eighteenth-century ...

    Read More

  • Comparison of Colonies

    1819 Words  | 4 Pages

    New Haven and Connecticut were two other colonies founded exclusively for Religious purposes. Many of the Separatists in Massachusetts felt that the religion was too liberal inside of the colony. They felt that the beliefs were not being enforced enough and that the people were not living through literal interpretations of the Bible. These Separatists further separated themselves from Massachusetts and formed a new colony, New Haven.

    Read More

  • What the Revolution Really Was

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ere settlers religiously diverse, but the groups also managed to convert some of the natives to their own religions. The colonists were actually more independent than the citizens directly in England.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The New England Middle And Southern Colonies

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    Southern colonies were hilly coast with grew cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar cans .also they had specific regions which gave way to religious freedoms.The founders of the Southern Colonies were, for the most part, out to make money. They brought their families, as did the New England colonists, and they kept their families together on the plantations.In the Southern Colonies and travel environment controlled social life. The Southern Colonies had a hard-and-fast three class system. Upper-class rich colony owners, middle-class small colony owners, lower class.The southern colonies were established early on after the settlement of Jamestown in 1607. At first, the south also relied on the forests and the water, but tobacco and cotton later emerged as cash crops. Initially, these crops were harvested by indentured servants, but with the growth of plantations, planters started to import slaves from Africa. In the South, there was a great divide between the rich and the poor. The Church of England was the dominant religion and the center of life for southerners. Laws were made by county governments and the economy centered around the large

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of British Colonies

    670 Words  | 2 Pages

    There were many reasons why the colonists came to North America. One reason was because they wanted to escape King Edward so they could fallow freely their own religion and to seek riches. Also the Puritans came to North America because they wanted a lace to practice their religion without fear of the government. Also that the religion they wanted to practice was considered more fundamentalist than what was being practiced from where they came. the English colonies were successful in North America was because the British tried so many times to get more money the colonists got mad and boycotted- refuse to use-the British goods. Then the British government kind of loosened their restraints and gave the American colonists some freedom.

    Read More

  • How Revolutionary Was The American Revolution?

    3088 Words  | 7 Pages

    After the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus, European Nations competed in a race against one another to claim pieces of the new land. Before Columbus found this land, the sea separating the New World from Europe seemed endless, and mundane. The Europeans were only interested in the land to the East. But with the New World as a new hat thrown into the ring, the Europeans tossed aside their old toy to go play with a new one. This time period of conquest over the New World was known as the Age of Exploration, and by the 1700s, they kept their pickings. A New World meant more land to build homes and plant crops, and more money to be earned by buying out new houses and selling new crops grown in foreign soil. Spain claimed Mexico, and the Southwest portions of what would be known as America. France got their hands on most of present-day Canada, as well as Louisiana. The Dutch set foot on land they called New Amsterdam, however, The English, who had settled their first colony in Jamestown, Virginia, drove the Dutch out and claimed New Amsterdam for themselves, later renaming it New York. The English claimed more land as time passed, and eventually they had formed 13 different colonies in the Eastern part of America. The English Colonies were separated into 3 different regions. The New England Colonies (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire), the Middle Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware), and the Southern Colonies (Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia). The New England Colonies were the earliest of the 3 regions, founded by English Settlers seeking religious freedom. The Middle Colonies were also founded by settlers seeking religious freedom. The Southern Colonies,...

    Read More

  • The Effects of Religion on the New World

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    Religion was influential in creating the different social aspects in the New England and Southern colonies. The Pilgrims in 1620 were the first colonists in the New England area (Roark 107). They were Separatists from England, who believed the Church of England was corrupt and helpless. In 1630 the Massachusetts Bay colony was established by John Winthrop and 700 of his Puritan followers. Who had left England to lead a move pious life (Roark 108). Their goal was used to set a shinning example of godliness for the people of England. The colonists conviction to their goal was so strong they made a covenant between one another and god Their determination attracted thousands of new settlers. They were comprised mostly of middle class families, as well as a large number of Puritan ministers. The colony had the highest ratio of preachers to population in all of the Christian Community (Roark 110). They believed in the idea of hierarchy and mutual dependence on each other. Their strong religious beliefs, commitment to family and their sense of community defined the social orders of colony. The Southern Colony in Jamestown Virginia was established when the Virginia...

    Read More

  • The North American Colonies: The Great Awakening

    121 Words  | 1 Pages

    One of the many reasons people left England was because the strict religious practices and they could not practice religion the way they wanted to. Once they were settled in the North American colonies they could tailor their religion more to their beliefs. In contrast, the different colonies had different religions, but one event that help to reform the colonies was The Great Awakening. One important point about the Great Awakening was it attracted thousands of people with different backgrounds, and all were welcome to attend the service no matter what their ethnic background or status in society (The First American Great Awakening: Lessons Learned and What Can Be Done to Foster a Habitat for the Next Great Awakening, pg

    Read More

  • The Chesapeake and New England Colonies: A Comparison

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    New England was north of the Chesapeake, and included Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Haven (which soon became part of Connecticut). The New Englanders were largely Puritan Separatists, who sought religious freedom. When the Church of England separated from Catholicism under Henry VIII, Protestantism flourished in England. Some Protestants, however, wanted complete separation from Catholicism and embraced Calvinism. These "Separatists" as they were called, along with persecuted Catholics who had not joined the Church of England, came to New England in hopes of finding this religious freedom where they would be free to practice as they wished. Their motives were, thus, religious in nature, not economic. In fact, New England settlers reproduced much of England's economy, with only minor variations. They did not invest largely in staple crops, instead, relied on artisan-industries like carpentry, shipbuilding, and printing.

    Read More

  • Freedom of Speech: The Engel Vs Vitale Case

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the 17th and 18th centuries, people from Great Britain, moved and voyaged to the colonies for many reasons. A bulge of people moved to the “New World” , because there were more opportunities, as well as freedoms. The colonies offered freedom of religion and freedom and belief. As a colonist you had a right to believe in different religions than another person. In England you were to believe in the Church of England. In the colonies you were allowed to belief in any religion, stated in the first amendment(Brannen Jr., et al pg. 109).

    Read More

  • Economic And Religious Concerns Contributing To The Settling Of British North America

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    Though there were religious concerns that contributed to the settling of British North America, the economic concerns outweighed the notable religious concerns. A religious concern that played a role in British colonization was that the British wanted to have the Indians of North America converted to Protestant Christianity (Boorstin et al. 34). In addition, specific groups that were seeking religious freedom used the British colonizing as a venue to achieve this objective. Such groups included the Puritan separatists who had begun to lose their freedoms in England, and thus they became colonists in New England.

    Read More

More about Coming to the New World

Open Document