New England Vs Chesapeake

Unlike other nations who wanted to settle in the new world for gold, spices, trading, and furs, the English nation wanted to settle in the new world to acquire more land. By 1700, two regions of the new world, New England and the Chesapeake, had been settled by the English. However, I believe the two societies differed greatly because of cultural differences, environmental conditions, and demographic variances.

Cultural differences contributed substantially to the differences between the New England and Chesapeake societies. In the beginning, most of the Chesapeake region was founded to give persecuted English and Irish Catholics a new start as well as Protestants to work the land, but not many Catholics migrated there. Instead, the region was filled with Protestants looking for work and a new start. Although most of the government positions were held by Protestants, they allowed Christians to stay (though not the Jews). While in New England, many people who came were Protestant dissenters, but a significant amount of separatists came as well. In Doc E it says, “consider the religious end of their callings,” demonstrating that their was religious motive in the colony. Unlike in the Chesapeake, New England did not tolerate any other religion except Puritan separatist and Calvinist in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The Chesapeake and New England regions were greatly separated due to their contrasting environmental conditions. In New England, the climate and geography made it impossible to grow staple crops and so many farmers crops did not grow as quickly or at all. The rocky soil and limited technology made it hard for crops to grow, so the early settlers hunted and traded for furs, cut timber, herded livestock, and cultivated grain. Winters were harsher in the New England area, so the people could not plant crops during the winter months. While in the Chesapeake, the soil was fertile and was ready to be planted with crops. The