Development of Society Within Different British Control Regions Between 1607-1700

Angela Gong                                                                                                                 Francis Lewis HS

APUSH                                                                                                                                  October 2, 2015

Essay Prompt: Compare and contrast the development of society within different British control regions between 1607-1700.

During the late 16th century and into the 17th century, European nations rapidly colonized the newly discovered America. England in particular sent out numerous groups to the eastern coast of North America to two regions. These two regions were known as the Chesapeake Bay and the New English areas. These two colonies had different lifestyles due to economy, religion, population, and motives for colonial expansion. There were also similarities between the two. The colonists of the New England area lived better due to farming, a healthier environment, and a high rate of production, while the colonists of the Chesapeake Bay region had harder lives with intolerable labor and unhealthy environment.

The motivation for colonization in New England was mainly religion, however, for the Chesapeake Bay, it was largely due to economic issue. The colonists that settled in these two regions both expected to have a new life in this new place they discovered. In the New England colony, the motivation for colonization was to escape religious persecution. Pilgrims and the Puritans were the main people that inhabit the land. These two groups fled to the New World in order to be free from the Church of England. The New England settlers had a religion-based society and religion was based on family. The motivation for colonization, on the other hand, in Chesapeake Bay was due to economic issues. These settlers hoped to find gold, silver, a northwest passage to Asia, or any other valuables they might take back to England and make a profit. However, they discovered a different treasure which was tobacco. Tobacco was the cash crop that brought them wealth.

The economy of New England was far more inferior to that of the Chesapeake Bay economy. The reason for this was that New England society was family-oriented and primarily owned small family farms just large enough to feed the families. The geography and climate for New England didn’t allow the colonists to grow cash crops like tobacco. They had shorter growing seasons and stony soil, which gave them less room for plantation. The Chesapeake Bay colony, on the other hand, had a vast economy. Their economy was mainly based on the growth of tobacco. In this colony, having land was just like having power. Later as every colonists started to plant tobacco, the price of it decreased. To help solve this problem, there was a price setup and limitation to the amount of growth per person.