The discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus brought many changes through out the European continent. Many nations seized the opportunity in hopes of improving their economies and expanding their territory through out the Americas. For the English in particular, it led to settlement and eventually colonization of much of the Eastern American coast. From the time of settlement, New England and the Chesapeake, both colonies of English origin had developed rather differently and had formed distinct societies by 1700. The variations in development of these colonies occurred because of the differences in the religious ideals and social structure.
             The Puritans, one of the first group settlers in New England, strived to create a society that was based on their religion. They tried to lead useful and hard-working lives and attributed all their successes to God. Through the religious ideals, the clergy and the government were intertwined and worked with each other to maintain the piety and the creation of a close-knit Christian society (Doc. A). This society was based so much on religion that it also helped resolve many problems that would occur. Many economical problems of the time were solved by assessing the morality of it according to Christian ideals (Doc. E). The Christian religion was so important that no other religion was allowed to practice in New England. People of different views on religion than the Puritans were asked to conform or leave the area. The Chesapeake settlers, however, were the least concerned with establishing a society that emphasized religious ideals. They were very secular and were primarily concerned with economical gain. For example, in Maryland the Calverts allowed all Christian people to practice the faith, regardless of denomination. The reason for this was more economical than religious: to attract settlers to occupy land, therefore increasing profits. Many of the problems that rose due to eithe...