Chesapeake Colonies vs. New England Colonies Frq

Topics: Native Americans in the United States, Economic system, Thirteen Colonies Pages: 3 (863 words) Published: October 28, 2012
Europe, once so independent of the world, gradually became entrenched in the world around them. The European countries began to fight for a foothold in the colonies. Slowly, England rose to compete in this struggle for colonies, settling North America. Although New England and the Chesapeake regions were both settled by Englishmen, these two colonies evolved into completely different colonies as a result of their many differences of opinion starting with their reasons for settling the land, spreading to create two completely different societies.

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...
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