The majority of those who settled New England and the Chesapeake Colonies were from England however, both groups came to the New World for different reasons, settled different areas, and therefore upheld two distinct societies.
New England settled for religious reasons
Back home in England the Puritans, who wanted to purify the Anglican church, and Separatists, who wanted to separate from the Anglican church, were trying to live in a country that was going through a depression, tolerated excessive drinking, gambling, and swearing while the king promised to rid the country of all radical Protestant reformers. The Puritans, in an attempt to keep the non-Puritan people away, wanted to flee to an area that was unknown …show more content…
They elected people of the courts, record keepers, clerks, and they wrote common laws that directly coincided with their faith and people were treated equally as long as they lived by God’s will. The Chesapeake area had a legislation ran by rich plantation owners and had strong influences from the mother country. The governor held most of the power and a House of Representatives was elected by the people and left farmers in the outskirts poorly represented. After the Powhatan Uprising of 1622, where over 300 colonists were killed by Indians, the governor and council were elected by the …show more content…
New England had tight-knit communities of middle class people who held high moral standards with no need for slaves and they thrived in industrial areas and city building. In contrast the Chesapeake area thrived in agriculture and required extra help found in slaves, large plantations resulted in a more rural community and hierarchical social classes. Both groups overcame their own unique hardships and both also experienced their own unique success. It goes without saying that the fate of both groups would be entirely different had they settled the other’s land.
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[ 5 ]. Davidson, James, Brian DeLay, et