Economic Profit

Aside from economic profit, the many different colonies that settled did so for similarly different reasons. As the Protestant reformation pushed new Puritans out to the New World, the age of exploration drove wealth-hungry men towards America as well. These differences in motivation to settle, the area in which each region settled, and the social makeup of the colonies all contributed to the distinguished development of the two regions.

After Martin Luther and John Calvin changed the whole perspective of the Catholic Church, many Puritans started migrating towards the New World, hoping for religious freedom. John Winthrop, a prominent leader of these soon to be New England colonies, strived to make his Massachusetts colony a prized, God serving colony. (Document A). Their religion influenced them greatly, and they kept the ideals of having a wholesome family. Unlike the Chesapeake colonists, who were made up of mostly single young men, they came over as families, to start a new life (Document B and C). Contrary to the New England colonies, the Chesapeake colonies were started by joint-stock companies with only one goal in mind: gold. (Document F)

Another factor that divided the Chesapeake and New England colonies was the area in which they settled. The New England colonists, located in the North, enjoyed a much milder climate than the hot southern Chesapeake Bay. This resulted in less disease and more productivity. The rocky soil in New England pretty much made it impossible for the colonists to have broad, fertile plantations. Thus, most people were subsistent farmers, and they had a much more tight knit community. It felt more homely up north, with churches to worship God