Compare and Contrast New England and Chesapeake

After defeating the Spanish fleet (Spanish Armada) in 1588, Great Britain desired to spread their influence and power across the world. Great Britain decided to established colonies in the “New World”. The colonies all had their unique conflicts and issues. Even though the people who occupied the regions of the New England and Chesapeake colonies were from the same English origin, by 1700 their respective regions evolved into two distinct colonies. Their evolution is a result of being socially different, having varying motivations and demographic differences. This is compare and contrast New England and Chesapeake essay in which the topic is revealed. 

From the start, the motives for each colony played a large role in creating the identity for each colony. The Puritans who settled in New England sought religious freedom from the persecution they faced in England. Because they all had a common goal and wanted to start a new life, the people of New England became very unified. The people, as expressed by John Winthrop (a Puritan and governor) wanted to “be a city upon a hill” when setting up their colony (context). This idea expresses the people of New England's desire to be a model of Christian charity to the world (purpose). To achieve this goal Winthrop and the others needed to be willing to “mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work”. Their common goal, of religious freedom, helped them make a collective effort to accomplish this goal. The people attempted to maintain and keep their unified society by creating things like, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (Representative government), which was radical at the time(most governments were monarchies). On the other side, the people of the Chesapeake region had very different motivations. The people who settled there were individuals rather than families who desired wealth and land. Captain John Smith (settler of Virginia) observed that the people only talked about “dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold”. The observations made illustrate that the colonists in Jamestown were headed there, not because they were being prosecuted, but because of individual reasons. The people were not there to create a functional society and cooperate, but quite the opposite. The people who came were greedy and only wanted gold, they had no interest in cooperating. The drastic differences in motivation determined the way they reacted to their environment and evolved into two distinct colonies.

Not only were the colonies of New England and Chesapeake different in terms of motives, but also demographics. The demographics of the colonists in New England and the Chesapeake were drastically different. In a ship going to New England in 1635, the people brought were mostly families who brought along their children and servants. The ratio of men to women was fairly even and not out of proportion. The people who arrived in New England had differing occupations. This variety in demography and occupations helped the colonists build their “city on a hill”, that they desired. This document was made as an agreement to live cohesively. On the other hand, the list of the colonists bound to the Chesapeake region in 1635 had a vastly unproportionate amount of men to women along with no families. The people who make up these two colonies are composed of very different people (mostly due to their motives). It can also be assumed that the people coming to the Chesapeake colonies were poor indentured servants, looking for money and land, brought through the headright system. Because families and children, and left everything behind in England, when came to New England to start a new life and develop their oven region, they developed institutions, much quicker than the Chesapeake colonies.

The social differences are the final reason for the two regions becoming distinct. The people of New England developed a society that was intended to be fair to all. The Articles of Agreement establishes “Every inhabitant shall have a con proportion for a house lot … share the meadow”. The Articles of Agreement illustrated how the region of New England was Organized to be fair and create a strong community. The document was created for the other people at the plantation, to set rules. The rules within the document were made as an agreement to live cohesively. It is important because it displays the desire to cooperate, which is much different from the south. The document can explain why the region had a town hall meeting, to let the people have a voice. This thinking is a far cry from the social situation in the Chesapeake region. In this region, there are many lower-class people with a few people in the upper class. The disproportion of classes and the ability to move through classes created tension. Eventually, it got to a point where Bacon lead a rebellion to rebel against the “men in authority and favor to those hands the dispensation of the country's wealth”. The actions of Bacon's rebellion and his manifesto illustrate the tension brought from the class disparities. The document was made to reveal why they rebelled. This social class tension is drastically different from the social situation in New England, where people share their resources and the land.

In conclusion, the differences between the two colonies shifted their identity throughout time. Their social differences, varying motives, and drastic demographic differences, all contributed to the evolution of the distinct colonies. By the 1700s, the colonies of New England were collective and cooperative together, to create the society they desired, not focusing solely on wealth like the Chesapeake colonies. These unique differences in motivation, social differences, and demographic differences can be seen even today through politics and the economies of the region.