Throughout the the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries England became the prominent Imperialistic power in the Americas. The population boom in England beginning in 1530 led to competition for goods, inflation, unemployment and low wages. The gap between the rich and poor grew, tenants were kicked off their land and cities became overcrowded. Religious inequality occurred, due to the recent English reformation and a split from the Roman Catholic Church, inclined many Puritans to move to America in search of religious freedom. Following English colonization, their two main colonies, New England and the Chesapeake evolved into two different societies. The colonies could be looked at as having contrasting beliefs and motives. Both New England and the Chesapeake were home to several English colonizers, however, they differed in their motives for colonization and family life, models of behavior and social standards, and systems for governing and lawmaking.
The colonists in New England and the Chesapeake had different intentions for coming to the new world. This was one factor that contributed to the differences between the two regions. Religious persecution drove people such as the puritans out of England and led to mass migration to New England in 1631. According to a ship`s list of emigrants bound for New England, the ages and genders of the people aboard the ships to New England varied in the sense that there were men, women, and children present. (Document B) It soon became apparent that New England was a place to permanently settle. Puritan men traveled with their wives and family. Puritan woman tended to bare more children than those who were not religious. Towns in New England tended to be tightly knit. People lived close together in towns and cities. In contrast with New England, an economic impulse led to the colonization of the Chesapeake region. According to a different ship`s manifest for emigrants bound for Virginia, a large majority of the people headed to America were men around the age of 25 to 30. (Document C) These men left England with the intentions of making money and a name for themselves, with the help of nearby Native Americans, economic prosperity could be achieved. The Chesapeake region was rural and built on a swamp known as Tsenaacomoco by the natives. The swampy environment contributed to the spread out nature of the land, in which your closest neighbor could live miles away. Women in the Chesapeake, who were not as religious as those in New England had a significantly less amount of children. Therefore, all of these aspects provide reason as to why New England and the Chesapeake regions had such distinct ways of living, which ultimately separated them into two distinct societies.
Social standards and models for behavior contributed to creating polar societies. Being a Puritan in New England consisted of having good morals and manners. Homosexuality, cursing, adultery, and the consumption of alcohol were all greatly frowned upon in New England. Puritans believed that the well being of the community as a whole should be put ahead of the well being of an individual. This is exemplified in governor John Winthrop’s “City Upon A Hill”. (Document A) Winthrop`s speech energized people to truly believe in God, in return they would achieve salvation. The “City Upon A Hill” speech created a sense of unity within the Puritan community and led to the belief in the covenant. The Puritans were sent on a mission from God, in which God would provide protection in return for submission. (Document D) The covenant was crucial in understanding the relationship between God and the Puritans.
Contrary to New England, the people of the Chesapeake region lived more relaxed lifestyles. Colonists in the Chesapeake believed putting their own personal interests before those of the community as a whole. This is in direct contrast to the ideas set forth in New England. In accordance to William Berkeley, the governor of Virginia, those who did not have great sums of money and land were expected to submit to those of higher social status. This of course directly contradicts Winthrop`s “City Upon A Hill” speech. (Document G) Berkeley’s beliefs signify his entitlement. He criticized those who were below him socially and economically. This entitlement can be directly translated into what would become known as the headright system. The policy of headright was that every new arrival who paid their own way was given a land grant of 50 acres; those who financed passage of others received headrights as well. The headright system eventually led to the cultivation of tobacco. Planters spread out along rivers, however, towns did not develop. In the beginning most Virginians and Marylanders did not use African Americans as slaves for labor intensive work. Indentured servants, under the headright system were imported from England to do the intensive work. Colonists in the Chesapeake and New England colonized for different reasons, this led to different morals and standards.
New England and the Chesapeake region had varying systems for governing and lawmaking as well. In New England, the main governing body was the General Court, which started out as a small governing body that eventually turned into a two-house legislature. Not only did it serve as a court, but it also made legal decisions and operated to ensure the utmost success for the community as a whole. (Document E) The General Court often solved marital and communal quarrels involving the citizens and required that members be landowning men who were part of the Church, which reiterates the importance of religion in society. Although it can be seen as sexist, which relates back to John Demos’ “Life In Plymouth Colony”, the General Court was an organized way to represent the views and opinions of the people as a whole. In opposition with New England, the Chesapeake region’s stress on an individualistic society can be seen through the frequent occurrence of individual leaders, such as John Smith and Nathaniel Bacon, who held the colony on their backs. John Smith was a mercenary and soldier for hire who protected the citizens of Jamestown and defeated the Algonquian tribes in order to acquire land and influence throughout the territory. Although he was absent during the Starving Time of 1609-1610, he realized that more than half of the citizens died and worked to ensure that a similar event would not occur. His speech was intended to acknowledge the fact that while the rich assimilated into society without a problem, the majority of the citizens were left with no supplies nor the proper skills to adequately survive, thus inciting people to action .(Document F) With his words, Smith tried to relate to the colonists and persuade them to make a better life for themselves rather than continue to sit around and allow full control to be held by the wealthy elite. An additional example of an individual leader who took control in the Chesapeake region was Nathaniel Bacon, who rallied angry, single men together to obtain land when there was little food or space for them, ultimately contributed to the “Morgan Thesis”, in which the freedom of these angry men promoted them to enslave formerly free African American indentured servants. His personal views can be seen through his manifesto, which portrayed a sense of hope and confidence in the people, which would urge them to rebel against Governor Berkeley and the wealthy elite of Jamestown for their rightful land and prominence in society. Therefore, while New England settled their disputes through an organized governing body, the Chesapeake region did so through an array of strong individuals.
Although New England and the Chesapeake region have major differences that set them apart from one another, there are several similarities that link them together. A prevailing similarity is the predominant presence of people of English descent in both regions, which interconnected them at the core. A second similarity is their tendency to participate in quarrels with Native Americans who had formerly inhabited the territory the English were impeding on. For example, in New England, the Pequot War was fought in 1637 and characterized by the extermination of 90% of the Native Americans in the Connecticut River Valley. Similarly, in the Chesapeake region, John Smith accompanied the English in their clash with the Algonquian tribes, which included the Powhatan Confederacy. Along with kidnapping Powhatan’s daughter, Pocahontas, the Virginians defeated the tribe in 1666, thus claiming power throughout the region. Therefore, while these two regions were set apart by their fundamental differences, there were still aspects that justify they had certain resemblances.
While New England the Chesapeake region were both inhabited by people from England who ultimately pushed Native Americans off their land, they had different motives for colonization and adaptation to life, models to live and abide by, and systems by which they governed their territories. Both regions represent the foundation for modern day America and give historians a glimpse into what the first permanent settlements were like. While different in the way they functioned and survived in the new world they were introduced into, they both successfully thrived and are remembered today as remnants of colonial American society at its core.