New England Vs Chesapeake

New England and Chesapeake region Divergence

New England and the Chesapeake region were very influential in the founding and prosperity of the United States. Both were founded by English explorers and both were able to thrive because of the determination and bravery of Englishmen. But even with these similarities, by the 1700’s, the settlements were drastically different. The New England settlement turned into an aristocratic colony focused on the belief in God and religious freedom while the Chesapeake region turned into agricultural society with men who also were seeking gold. When the settlers reached New England they were focused in starting a colony with a great sense of community and religion. The majority of people who went to New England
As previously stated, the New England colonies were mostly settled by families while the Chesapeake region was mostly settled by single, young men. This lead to the New England colonies having close settlements and more of a small town atmosphere for the children in the colony. A list of emigrants bound for New England, from 1635, shows that one of the youngest members heading for the New World was Nathaniel Bernard, who was one year old, Musachiell Bernard son (doc b). The list also showed there were seven families headed to the New World (doc b). The strong presence of family life created a sense of security. The town was focused on keeping the families together and making sure they were all unified. In an Articles of Agreement written in Massachusetts in 1636, the author says, “ We intend that our town will be composed of forty families,...rich and poor.” (doc d) The towns wanted the people to live together and help each other. Unlike the New England, the Chesapeake region consisted of mostly single men. The list of emigrants headed to Virginia in 1635 consisted of 64 men and only 11 women. The youngest being 14 year old James Whithedd (doc c). With more his lead to an every man for himself atmosphere. The men of the Chesapeake region disperse when they reached the New World. They would create a new life for themselves and gain their own wealth. Overall New England colonies were settled by families who were
New England were focused on starting a new colony for people to live and prosper in, while the Chesapeake region was focused on personal wealth. The New England people were concentrated on the community of their settlement. John Winthrop explains how he believes the families of the colonies should be,“ ..we must be knit together in the work as one man,...rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together.” (doc a) This shows that he wanted the men to have a sense of community and be unified. He wanted the men to feel equal in the colonies and be able to rely on their neighbors if he needed help. The Chesapeake region was opposite of New England actions. The men were focused on their own person prosperity. They came to the New World looking for gold and a way to create a new life full of riches. Captain John Smith in 1624 wrote, “There was no talk… but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold.” (doc f) He proves that the men were only there to find the one element that will make them rich. This also lead to inequalities that were not found in New England. One man in Chesapeake could be incredibly rich and live next to a man who is almost broke, but in New England, all men would have an equal share of land and resources. This is just another reason why the two colonies were