Differences in Northern and Southern Colonies Prior to Revolutionary War
Actions, as Driven by Beliefs As Earl Nightingale stated, "we can let circumstances rule us or we can take charge and rule our lives from within" (qtd. in www.brainyquotes.com). This attitude was held by the people who colonized the eastern seaboard of America. They left home and everything familiar to brave sickness, hunger and the threat of death on the long voyage to America, in the hopes of creating a better life. They formed settlements, some of which gradually grew into towns and cities. Over time, the southern colonies developed into a distinctly separate region from the northern colonies. There were countless factors involved, including climate, relations with Indians, economics, politics, and slavery but in the end there was one core reason for the distinction; mindset. According to Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia online, mindset "is a set of assumptions, methods or notations held by one or more people or groups of people which is so established that it creates a powerful incentive within these people or groups to continue to adopt or accept prior behaviors, choices, or tools." The northern colonies were founded by people with a mindset grounded in religion, family and a strong work ethic whereas the southern colonies were founded by people with a mindset grounded in elitism. The North became a family centered industrial society whereas the South became a profit driven, agrarian society. The motives of the first few waves of settlers of the northern and southern colonies are quite different. New England was first settled by the Pilgrims, Puritans who were devoutly religious, placed importance on hard work, and were dedicated to their families and community. They had severed ties with the Church of England, believing it had failed to complete the Reformation. They moved from England to Holland to avoid persecution for their religious beliefs and their homesickness for England led them to set out for America, believing "themselves to be
Cited: Breen, T.H. "The Northern Colonies as an Empire of Goods." Major Problems in American History Volume 1: TO 1877 (2007): 88-95. Brown, Kathleen M. "The Anxious World of the Slaveowning Patriach." Major Problems in American History Volume 1: TO 1877 (2007): 46-55 "Earl Nightingale Quotes." Brainyquotes.com. 6 Oct. 2007. http://www.brainyquote.com/ quotes/authors/e/earl_nightingale.html. Henretta, James A. "The Northern Colonies as a Family-Centered Society." Major Problems in American History Volume 1: TO 1877 (2007): 80-87. Hoffman, Elizabeth C., and Jon Gjerde, eds. Major Problems in American History Volume 1: To 1877. U.S.A.: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. "Mindset." Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 4 Oct. 2007. http://thewritesource.com/ mla.htm. Morgan, Phillip D. "The Effects of Paternalism Among Whites and Blacks." Major Problems in American History Volume 1: TO 1877 (2007):55-64. Tindall, George B., David E. Shi. America; A Narrative History. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2007.