After the Protestant Reformation the New World was being quickly being uncovered. England was quick to claim its land. Two groups in particular were important to the jumpstart of America. These areas were Chesapeake Bay and New England. These two regions began with the same English origin, but by the 1700’s they were divided into two completely different societies; New England, being the more successful Colony. The split in the new world was because of the social, economic and religious differences between New England and Chesapeake Bay. In 1607 the first colony of the Chesapeake region was colonized. Under the rule of King James I, the English Settlement of Jamestown, Virginia was formed. Eventually the Chesapeake Bay consisted of Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware. Men ranging from ages 14-50 began immigrating to Virginia, in search of economic ventures (Document C). During the early years of the Jamestown Colony, the conditions of the Chesapeake Bay were brutal, many died of starvation, the cold and serious conflicts with the Indians. In this case the Powhatan Indians. Men from England who would reach fifty years old were considered lucky. The winters were called “Starving time” because of the lack of food and bitter cold that merely killed all the settlers (Document F). The Immigration to the New England Colonies was for more Religious Reasons. The base of this Region is on the emphasis on Puritanism. (Document A). Some may call them “religious bastards,” for leaving England because they thought they were too good. There were Puritans that wanted to purify the church, by separating the saints and the damned. Extreme Puritans, or Separatists, wanted to separate completely from the Church of England because they felt the church was beyond saving. The “Pilgrims” ended their pilgrimage in Plymouth Bay in 1620. This was the beginning of the New England Colony. The whole region included the Massachusetts Bay colony, Plymouth, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
