Chesapeake and New England Colonies

Some people believe that the Chesapeake and New England region English colonies were extremely similar; however, they were different economically, politically, and socially. Therefore, they were extremely different. Economically got money different ways, politically New England was more inclusive, and socially New England had laws dictating behavior.

The Chesapeake and New England region English colonies were different economically in the ways that they got money. In Jamestown which was in the Chesapeake region, the main way the colonists got money was through growing tobacco. In the New England region, most colonists got money by trading. This difference most likely occurred because the Chesapeake had more fertile land while New England had more natural resources that they could trade.

The Chesapeake and New England region English colonies were different politically in that New England included more people into the politics of the colony. In the Chesapeake region, the First Families of Virginia (FFV) made all of the decisions for the colony. In the New England region, the men of the Puritan church made all of the decisions for the colony. This difference most likely occurred because the New England region colonies were formed to be religious safehouses therefore they thought that religious men should make all decisions.

The Chesapeake and New England region English colonies were different socially in that the Chesapeake had a class system. The Chesapeake class system went from FFV to small farmers to landless whites to indentured servants to African slaves. The New England had no strict class system even though some people had a more valuable place in society than others. This difference most likely occurred because the Chesapeake region had more plantations which meant more farmers, indentured servants, and African slaves than the New England region.