New England Vs Chesapeake
Although the people of the New England and Chesapeake regions both descended from the same English origin, by 1700, their motivations, geography, and way of life, had led them in two distinct directions. Since both of these groups were beset with issues that were unique to their regions, due to their exposure to different circumstances, each was forced to rethink and reconstruct their societies. As a result, the New England and Chesapeake regions were heavily impacted by distinct motivations, geography and way of life.
As the regions began to expand and develop, their motivations for settlement helped to mold their societies. New England was a place where men sought refuge from religious persecution, by establishing a haven for religious refugees. Yet, the New Englanders attempted to spread their own beliefs of religion. As illustrated by John Winthrop in his Model of a Christian Charity, he preached to his fellow colonists that “we shall be a city upon a hill” (Document A) exemplifying New England’s aspirations of a Holy Utopia. While the New Englanders settled to create a Holy Utopia, the people of Chesapeake were not only concerned with their religious freedom, but with something shinier in mind—a more materialistic motivation. As demonstrated in Document F, “[t]here was no talk…but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold…” colonists came primarily to the Chesapeake region to increase their wealth. The differences in the New England and Chesapeake’s primary motivations for settlement, led to the divergent societies.
As the colonies continued to develop, the regional geography had a hand in influencing this expansion. New England was known for its harsh climate, forcing its inhabitants to endure brutal winters, and miserably hot summers. Because many European immigrants sought arable land, the unyielding soil of New England impeded the immigrants agriculturally and forced them to depend on livestock. They criticized the...
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