Preview

Chesapeake Colonies Vs New England Colonies

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2088 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Chesapeake Colonies Vs New England Colonies
Comparison between the Colonies of Chesapeake and New England
This essay will be analyzing and comparing & contrasting the colonies of Chesapeake and New England. This paper’s main concern is how these colonies are so dramatically different and what aspects of the colonies make them so. This paper will argue considerable differences in settling and motives to settle had a dramatic effect on the initial success of the colonies. Chesapeake had a tremendous death rate of 65-percent of their original one-hundred-and-four settlers. This contrast greatly with the initial settling of New England and Plymouth as there were few Indian populations and they were in a far healthier landscape. This paper will continue to discuss the role different governments
…show more content…
It was designed to be “the first permanent foothold”; the first sustainable Fort was named Jamestown after the King of England[1]. This first settlement was primarily designed to be a base for the English in the New World, competing with the French and Spanish to start showing their might as a global power[2]. However the desired effects of landing in the new world, with a romantic view of the Americas were hard to find in the marsh and swamplands of the Chesapeake. With a vastly mosquito populated area, it is hard to see any propositions that would make it worthwhile enough to settle and then to stay in such an area. It was the intention of the ‘trouble maker’ John Smith, who managed to remove himself of all responsibility of issues that he caused on the crossing from Britain to America, to explore the surrounding area for gold and possible communications. John Smith was actually sentence to death on the crossing, but this sentence was somehow removed by the new governing council of Chesapeake[3]. It could be inferred that the governing council did not want to have this responsibility on their ‘shoulders’ and if anything was to happen to it could be as a result to Amerindian interactions as oppose to governing law. To reaffirm the main point of the English landing in Virginia however, it has definitely been viewed that Chesapeake was designed and intended to be the first ‘solid’, …show more content…
Everyone communicated freely, the settlers could voice their opinions openly and civil elections were held regularly. Further to this, considerable foundation of this settlement was love. This may sound a tad ‘corny’ but it made sense to these religious people that their ‘constitution’, their way of life should be built on the simple, most supporting foundation of all, that of love. Again, a recurring theme here is that this was something that never even entered the back of the minds of Sir Thomas Gates, Sir Thomas Dale or Lord Le War of Chesapeake. Massachusetts and New England was by far a more a ‘home’ than a ‘business’. Even though in both colonies people were there because they wanted to be, it is not hard to see which colony had progressed more for humanity than for economy. However, as a result of these fundamental changes and progressions in both colonies, populations grew, stability followed in the Chesapeake, and Massachusetts gradually grew further away from English Sovereignty under the “Cambridge agreement of local government” during the late 17th century[11]. Even though by this time the Virginia Company had been taken over by the monarch and it then became a Crown

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Many historical texts about the American Revolution and the events leading up to it are generalized, unspecific and do not investigate the preliminary causes of the changes America underwent before the Revolution. However, A New England Town by Professor Kenneth Lockridge attempts to describe how the colonies in America developed by following the progress of a typical Puritan colonial town, Dedham, Massachusetts, from its inception in 1636 through its first one hundred years. It is Lockridge’s belief that colonial history can be better learned through thoroughly examining one specific town instead of shallowly studying many. Because the development of Dedham was mirrored throughout New England, it proves to be the perfect case study to observe the changes that occurred during that time period in each American colony. Lockridge states that Dedham’s history is duplicated in other towns “to a great extent” and by enlarging this history, it reveals that “this part of colonial America was moving away from a powerful, corporate impulse deeply indebted to the European past, toward an age of pluralism, individualism, and liberty” (165).…

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In early America there were several colonies but the ones that stood out the most were the New England Colonies and the Virginia colony. There were many differences, for example, New England colonies were full of families while the Virginia colony was mostly dominated by males. They mostly had differences and had few things in common.…

    • 536 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Both the New England and Chesapeake region were both settled largely by immigrants of English descent but evolved into two very explicit societies by the 1700s. A large distinction developed in the two contrasting regions, some of the benefits would lure settlers in and some negatives and cons would repel them into the other colonies. Through differences in political, economic, religious, social, intellectual, and artistic concepts of the colonists, a divergence separated the Chesapeake region from the New England settlements.…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Compare the early development of New England with the Chesapeake as depicted in Massachusetts and Virginia colonies. How do the governing structures differ and what do they tell us about the early challenges the two colonies faced?…

    • 1230 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The colonies of Massachusetts and Virginia were located in separate regions of the New World and had many social and economic variations. The very laws and ideas these people have put into work are what have shaped America into the county it is today. When looking at these two colonies we know one thing is for sure, trade, land, religion, and natural resources were vital parts of their being. In this free-response essay I will contrast the colonies by how their societies were ran and how their economies affected their way of life.…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the time each ship set off from England, both the New England and Chesapeake colonies were bound to be different. In the Chesapeake region, where Jamestown was founded, the people had unrealistic expectations. They hoped that gold would be plentiful and easy to find, while also expecting the Native Americans to bow to their wishes. Contrary to their wishes, there was no gold to be found, and the Native Americans became less pleasant as the English became lazier. Believing that they were superior to the Native Americans, the English refused to grow crops, and expected the Native Americans to supply it all, creating rising tensions among them. On the opposite view, the settlers of the New England region had no such hopes. They set out from England to practice their religion more freely. John Winthrop had this idea of a “City on a hill” believing that the people of New England should show England itself how they should live, surrounded by their religion. In fact, upon arriving in New England, the puritans made their Mayflower Compact which allowed them to create their own government. Coming from this compact, the puritans also created the Covenant of Grace, which was to live scandal free and prove scriptural knowledge, and the Social Covenant, which was amongst the people, requiring a mutual watchfulness and no privacy. Unlike the Chesapeake colonies, the New England colonies also came with a family basis, while the…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There is many differences between the New England and the Chesapeake colonies, for example their different economic sources. The New England people left Europe in hopes to find economic prosperity and a better chance at life. For instance many young families set out to the Americas during the early 1600’s according to document B. In the New England Colonies the main source of profit was through Fishing, ship building, and lumbering. The colonist knew that this economy basis would bring in the most profit because of the infertile soil in the area. In addition the climate was very different in contrast to the Chesapeake colonies were they would make cash crops due to the high humidity. The Chesapeake colonist made profit through cash crops and a plantation economy. We see that many men went to Virginia in hope to get money quick, and they did not plan to stay long due to the lack of women incorporated in document C. The economies of the Chesapeake region where centralized around cash crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo. This was the easiest and most efficient way to make money due to the cheap labor from indentured servants. Indentured servants would later show problems in Bacon’s Rebellion thus making wealthy land owners turn their heads to slaves from Africa through the triangular trade for free labor. The Chesapeake and the New England colonies had ways to make money, but where very different in how they made it due to geographic and social differences.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although New England And The Chesapeake Region Were Both Settled Largely By People Of English Origin, By 1700 The Regions Had Evolved Into Two Distinct Societies. Why Did This Difference In Development Occur?…

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the 1700s, the regions of New England and the Chesapeake experienced dramatic changes and stimulated development due to the increase in immigration from Europe to this new world of the Americas. The immigrants that came to the New England colony differed in terms of reasons for coming and differences in ways of establishing a foundation for the society verses the Chesapeake colony. The differentiating motives, interactions between the natives, and the formation of the structure of society created the differences in development between these two distinct societies.…

    • 692 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Long before the 17th century the Spanish had discovered “The New World”, which led to the establishments of different societies. Soon after the English had begun to make impressive establishments that then attracted many English settlers, before you knew it there were many distinctive colonies. Although Chesapeake and New England were established by people from English origin the two regions developed differently due to political, economical, and social reasons. The Chesapeake society was made up of single males looking to profit, and the New England society was made up of family looking for a religious save haven.…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Jamestown vs. New England

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Jamestown and the Massachusetts Bay Colony had many similarities and differences. Many of these differences were due to their physical location and climatic conditions. The success of both colonies can be contributed to strong leadership and the characteristics of the personalities of the settlers that inhabited each settlement. Many of the early problems in both settlements can be contributed to a lack of knowledge on the parts of the settlers along with attacks from neighboring Native American tribes.…

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Virginia Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony were both similar and different on three main topics: religion, economics, and demographics.…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The New England colonies and the Southern colonies are slightly similar in some aspects, but drastically different in most. For example the new england colonies were strictly puritan and they did not tolerate any other religion but the southern colonies were not dominated by a single religion which gave way to more liberal attitudes and some religious freedom. The economy of New England was powered mostly the manufacturing in factories, whereas the Southern colonies’ economies were more agriculturally based. The social structures were different, because the New England colonies didn’t believe in slavery, so the social ladders were not the same. Religious tolerance was another major difference in these two regions. Overall the New England and Southern colonies are slightly similar, but their differences set them apart from each other.`…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although the settlers of the New England and Chesapeake region were both settled by people of English origin, by the 1700s, they had transformed into very different societies. This was because of a number of reasons. Between the settlers, the New Englanders moved for religious purposes, while Chesapeakes moved for want for material wealth.The people of New England also consisted of more families than the predominantly young male population of the Chesapeake. Their governing styles were also different, New England being more about fairness and equity while their southern neighbors were more concerned with gaining material wealth and not about helping the poorer of their communities.…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The New England and Chesapeake colonies were both settled by English colonists. Most colonists moving from Great Britain to New England were families searching for religious salvation, rather than mostly the single men that traveled to the Chesapeake area in search of wealth. The immigrants of the Chesapeake area were greeted with a climate and soil that were perfect for cultivating tobacco, cotton, indigo, and rice. Those settling in New England could not rely on farming to support themselves because of the rocky soil in the north. While the majority of the Chesapeake colonists were not as cohesive due to the great distance from farms to these towns, New England had close-knit church events, meetings, and schools. Although, the New England and Chesapeake colonies were both settled by people at English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies because of motives, environment, and towns/communities.…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays