The New England Colonies and Chesapeake Region

After England's victory over the Spanish Armada, England concentrated on the colonization of the New World. With the emergence of the joint-stock companies, England dreams turned into England realities. Financed by the joint-stock companies, colonies were planted in the New World. Mainly people of English origin settled these colonies. Two distinguishable regions, which housed these immigrants, were New England and the Chesapeake region. Although they both did shelter mostly English settlers, by 1700, they evolved into two distinct societies. This difference in development was due to the fact that both regions were settled by either families or single men, settlers had different morals, and different motives for settling.

The New England colonies and Chesapeake region were both shelters for English immigrants. However, both regions developed differently due to these same English immigrants. These facts might seem to look like they're contradicting each other, but they're not. It is quite true. According to Document B, the immigrants bound for New England were mainly made up of families. These immigrants consisted of men coming with their wives, children, and sometimes-even servants. They were mainly Puritans who were persecuted for their religious beliefs in England. Therefore, they decided to leave England with their families in a search of a new life without religious persecution. The establishment of New England families ensured reproduction and therefore, increased the population. (B) In Document D, there is an agreement that was written in New England stating that Springfield would be composed of 40 families. This document enforces the idea that New England's life revolves around the family. (D) In Document C, there is a list containing the names of people heading to Virginia. Unlike the immigrants bound for New England, the immigrants headed to Virginia did not come with their families. The immigrants were mostly single men and this fact foreshadows a later event called Bacon's Rebellion. It is also clear that the immigrants bound to Virginia consisted of less women and children than the immigrants bound to New England. Due to Virginia's single men and few women immigration, population increase was minimal. It wasn't until the native-born inhabitants acquired immunity to diseases that the population increased at a steady pace. (C) Overall, the New England colonies and the Chesapeake region differed in their population rate due to their English immigrants.

The immigrants that came to the New England colonies had different morals than those that came to the Chesapeake. In other words, they both had contrasting beliefs. In Document A, John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts's Bay colony, describes the importance of unity and what would God do if the colonists failed to cooperate with each other. This concept of unity is what allowed Massachusetts's Bay Colony to prosper. The Puritan bay colonists believed that they had covenant with God, an agreement to build a holy society that would be a model for humankind. This is why the colonists actually united and worked together to make Massachusetts's Bay one of the most influential towns in New England. (A) In Document F, John Smith describes how there was no unity between the early settlers. This is because most men believed in finding gold, and nothing else. There was no common faith that kept them together, so voyagers like Wingfield and Kendall found themselves doomed. That is why they chose to mutiny. (F) In Document D, equality is emphasized throughout the agreement. Anyone of the Puritan religion could have owned a house, planting ground, or meadow according to the agreement. (D) In Document E, wage and price regulations are stated. This document guaranteed a standard of pay for the laborers. At the same time, this document states that the laborers shouldn't complain about their profit. In a sense, this document reinforces the idea of inequality in the New England colonies by showing the rights of the laborers. (E) However, in Document F, inequality can be clearing seen. The wealthy