New England and the Chesapeake Region Before 1700

Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled

largely by the people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had

evolved into two distinct societies. The reasons for this distinct

development were mostly based on the type on people from England who

chose to settle in the two areas, and on the manner in which the areas

were settled.

New England was a refuge for religious separatists leaving England,

while people who immigrated to the Chesapeake region had no religious

motives. As a result, New England formed a much more religious society

then the Chesapeake region. John Winthrop states that their goal was to

form "a city upon a hill", which represented a "pure" community, where

Christianity would be pursued in the most correct manner. Both the

Pilgrims and the Puritans were very religious people. In both cases,

the local government was controlled by the same people who controlled

the church, and the bible was the basis for all laws and regulations.

From the Article of Agreement, Springfield, Massachusetts it is clear

that religion was the basis for general laws. It uses the phrase "being

by God’s providence engaged together to make a plantation", showing that

everything was done in God’s name. The Wage and Price Regulations in

Connecticut is an example of common laws being justified by the bible.

Also in this document the word "community " is emphasized, just as

Winthrop emphasizes it saying: "we must be knit together in this work as

one man". The immigrants to New England formed very family and

religiously oriented communities. Looking at the emigrant lists of

people bound for New England it is easy to observe that most people came

in large families, and large families support the community atmosphere.

There were many children among the emigrants, and those children were

taught religion from their early childhood, and therefore grew up loyal

to the church, and easily controllable by the same. Any deviants from

the regime were silenced or persecuted before they could start any

movements that would be a threat to the authority of the church. Even

people like Ann Hutchinson and Roger Williams, who only slightly

deviated from the teaching of the Puritan church were expelled and

forced to move to Rode Island. As a result of this tight religious

control the society became very conservative in New England, and life

evolved to be simple and not elaborate as in Virginia.

In the Chesapeake region almost everything was exactly opposite of New

England. The immigrants were not idealists, but materialists, most of

whom