New England and Chesapeake Colonies
Religion played a major role in the development of the New Englandcolonies. Protesting the corruption within the Roman Catholicism thatremained dominant within the Church of England, members of the Puritanmovement left England, then the Old World behind entirely to establishcolonies in the New World. Eventually, the initial colony established inpresent-day Southeast Massachusetts would grow into network of settlementsaround Massachusetts Bay, up to New Hampshire and the coast of Maine. Ironically, though the original colonists fled because of religiouspersecution, religion would continue to be a divisive factor among theMassachusetts colonies. Though most colonists identified themselves as"Puritans," their beliefs differed widely, inspiring the growth of variousreligious groups. By the 1730s, these divisions were further aggravated by In contrast, religious differentiations in the Chesapeake colonies
Economy Because of its geography and colder weather, the New England coloniesfound it difficult to cultivate crops. Instead, much of New England turnedto fishing, trade and shipbuilding for survival. Political Organization The political structures in both the New England and Chesapeakecolonies were largely determined by economic needs. In this precarious structure, the Chesapeakesocial and political order was dependent on a single-crop economy, based onthe ownership of land plantations and the labor of black slaves. ugh the schisms between Catholics and Protestantswere also a source of conflict from the 1630s through the 1640s. While its northern counterpart was on the road to mercantilism andindustrialization, the Chesapeake colonies remained agricultural centers. Thisgave rise to a caste system of labor, where white people of all economicclasses stopped laboring in the fields (Fischer and Kelley 207). A group of village leaders, all male, were charged with directing localaffairs and ensuring order (Lemon 57). However, theseallotments also revealed social hierarchies, as men with universityeducation, craftsmen and other skilled workers received larger allotments. The coastal towns such asBoston, Salem and Newport soon grew into important commercial centers. In New England, townsgrew according to land allotted to them by the colony. " As they imported more slave labor and exportedmore crops, white tobacco plantation owners grew more prosperous. This wasparticularly true in Baltimore, Maryland, which was originally created as ahaven for Catholics. The tobacco agriculture in the Chesapeake colonies, on the other hand,spawned a "plantocracy.
Common topics in this essay:
England Chesapeake,
England Lemon,
Virginia Maryland,
Maine Ironically,
Salem Newport,
Baltimore Maryland,
Christ Economy,
Awakening Hall,
Religion Religion,
Concerning Religion,
chesapeake colonies,
england colonies,
17th century,
fischer kelley,
slave labor,
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Acceptance Essays
