Chesapeake Colonies Dbq Analysis

In the late 16th and into the 17th centuries, many nations were colonizing in the New World. Many people from English origin settled in the Americas and into two different societies. The New England and Chesapeake region developed into two distinct societies with separate identities because of economic, political, and social differences.

Economic divergence between New England and Chesapeake colonies was a main reason for the growing separation between the two colonies. Geography and resources in New England dictated what their economy was like. New England had very rocky soil which discouraged colossal farms. The farming the settlers did was mostly small, family based farms that provided just enough for themselves and very little for trade.

If there was leftovers for trading, there was a set value of prices (Doc E). Therefore, no one could become overly rich and take from their neighbors. Since farming was not a copious source of income, the settlers of New England focused on trading, fishing, and shipbuilding. In contrast, the economy in the Chesapeake region was very different. The settlers of the Chesapeake colonies were “gold seekers” who came to the New World looking to get rich (Doc F). When little gold was found, John Rolfe introduced tobacco which thrived in the rich soil and led to the survival of Jamestown. Once the colonies survived, the economy became very capitalistic. Only the the rich had many provisions when they first arrived (Doc F). There was no regulations on costs and people lived hand to mouth (Doc F). The economics of each society differed mostly by geography and resources which led to separation of the societies.
The political differences of the two regions contributed to separate identities of each region.

In the New England region, before they even got off the ship, the puritans wrote the Mayflower Compact. The compact was a simple self governing document for the Plymouth colony. The Puritans had specific ideas of how to run their colony (Doc A). They wanted godly command and considered themselves to be a “city upon a hill” as told by John Winthrop (A model of Christian Charity). The puritans had strict laws and regulations and religious thinking which determined the aspects of government including courts. (Doc D and E). Contrasting the unified colonies of New England, John smith portrays a society of brawling settlers in the Chesapeake region (Doc F). The Chesapeake region did not emphasize equality like the New England region did (Doc H). The people of the Tidewater area were plantation owners ergo they were affluent. On the other hand, the people who lived in the backcountry were relatively poor in comparison. They lived off of small family based farms and were poorly represented which eventually led to Bacon’s Rebellion. Bacon thought Berkley was an “unworthy favorite and [a] juggling parasite” (Doc H). Bacon led a group of former indentured servants into Jamestown. They attacked the city and chased Berkley out of town. This rebellion helped demonstrate the conflict between the rich and poor. These factors contributed to the political differences which helped shape the two

societies.
New England and Chesapeake regions were polar opposites when it came to social differences.

The New England colonists were very unified and were a “knit together” community (Doc A). Faith was the most important thing to the settlers. The colonists came to the New World to be free of religious persecution. Since church was very important to New England colonies, their towns were often very close together so travel to church would not be a far distance. This contrasted greatly with the Chesapeake region, which was very spread out. New England was family oriented and they lived in a patriarchal society (Doc B). Strict duties were placed on the husbands and wives of each family (A well ordered family). This differed with the Chesapeake region. The population of the people brought over to the Chesapeake region was predominantly young males, with a ratio of six males to every one female (Doc C and G). Also, no children under the age of 14 was brought over to Virginia. This highlights how less family oriented the Chesapeake region was compared to New England. New England and Chesapeake Bay developed differently because they each had different social standards.

In conclusion, the different lifestyles of the New England and Chesapeake regions led to contrasting societies of people who came from the same country. Distinct circumstances like economical, political, and social differences caused each region to grow into their own

identities.