new england vs. chesapeake

A chief component as to why the American colonies settled mostly by the British grew so quickly to be distinctly different is the variation in the organization of government in the New England and the Chesapeake colonies. From the initial immigration of Englishmen to America, the familial structures of the North and South were already being set. This also caused many interracial relationships and marriages between English colonizers and black slaves or Native Americans. On the contrary, emigrants bound for Virginia were typically men with no families, and indentured servants (Document C). Although the enormity of religion caused intolerance and perhaps a lack of individuality, the ideals developed through Puritanism helped create the sense of community in New England that made it such a successful area. New England also had a much healthier environment than the Chesapeake region. ” (Document E) This indicates how organized and controlled the New England government was, and how the aim of the government was to help the economy of the whole community, not the individual. Similar to New England, there was little toleration in the Chesapeake region. It was ordinary for a family in New England to have around eight children.

Although New England and the Chesapeake region were settled by people from the same country, these people had very dissimilar ideals and values, and came to America for very different reasons. Document F, History of Virginia, by John Smith explains that many among the first settlers only seeked to find gold and profit from their findings. Wages and prices were regulated by the government in order to make the people to have equally moderate profits, “as may enable them to serve God and their neighbors with their arts and trades…[so] they do not enrich themselves suddenly and inordinately by…the impoverishing [of] their neighbors…[and] live in the practice of that crying sin of oppression. This was because the people of this area did not leave England in order to gain the ability to practice their religion.