Diversity in Early American Colonies: Seeds of Civil War

The diversity between the original colonies of Eastern North America is displayed in several different ways, whether it be the literal diversity seen between the immigrants of the regions or the different types of economic, social, and political structures that had developed between the time of first discovery and the liberation of America as a nation. These distinctions are very significant in that they indicate a schism between the New England and the Chesapeake regions which leads to the tension of the Civil War.

One of the immediate causes of diversity between the colonies was the immigrant backgrounds of the early settlers. On one side, the Puritans of New England fled to the New World seeking freedom from religous persecution and the

much lower in population Separatists believed the Church of England was beyond saving, so much that they had to separate from it. These communities of interdependent settlers existed in the colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. In 1630 on board the Arabella on its way to New England, John Winthrop writes about considering a community as members of the same body (Document A) which displays the emphasis of brotherhood and interdependence. Families were also a big part of New England, furthering the importance of community. A list of Emigrants bound for New England in 1635 displays numerous families, with ages ranging from one year to forty (Document B). Additionally, the Articles of Agreement of Springfield, Massachusetts in 1636 places value on equality between all member of the colony, and that both the rich and poor families “shall have a convenient proportion for a house lot” and “a share of the meadow or planting ground” (Document D).

These values contrast sharply with the characteristics of the Chesapeake Bay region, as Captain John Smith writes History of Virginia in 1624; “there was no talk. . .but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold. . .” (Document F). The main priority of the settlers of this region was economic gain, through the search for gold and exploitation of other natural resources. Due to the practice of primogeniture still taking place in Europe, many children of rich landowners were left with no family

inheritance and took up this opportunity to claim their own land in the New World. Also because of this, the settlers of the Southern region were made up of more young adults. A list of emigrants bound for Virginia in 1635 shows that most were individuals in their twenties, and there was a great deal of more men than women.

Additionally, this list states that prior to their departure all emigrants were examined and had conformity to the Church discipline of England, and had taken oaths of allegiance and supremacy (Document C). This further distances the New England settlers from these Southern immigrants due to the fact the latter were largely loyal to the English crown and did not seek religious freedom but rather financial gain in settling in the New World.

Another large difference between the development of the New England colonies and the Chesapeake Bay region is the development of economic and political structure. All of the original colonies were a part of the Atlantic trade network which included the West African slave posts and Caribbean islands. In the South, the rich farmland meant expansive plantations and a feudal-like structure. The patroon system in New Netherlands was similar in the aristocratic impression, but further North the development of communities was much more prevalent. On the plantations in the South, “planters” would live nearly entirely in self-sufficiency, almost independent but still loyal to the mother country. The land was great for farming crops such

as cotton and tobacco, and there was no reason for community because there was plenty of resources for whoever had the ambition to stake their claim of land. Also, one of the major reasons for settling in the Chesapeake Bay region was the search for gold. Many hopeful settlers had heard tales of the Spanish conquistadores conquered the Aztecs Tenochtitlan and taking all of its riches. Because of this self-determination and loyalty to the British crown, the Southern colonies were either directly ruled by the English monarchy or proprietary, all with elected officials. Additionally there was no distinct religion that dominated but Anglicans and Baptists were prevalent. In Virginia for example, a bicameral legislature existed in the House of Burgess. The lesser House were elected gentlemen freeholders (white male plantation owners) and the grander Governor's Council where representatives were selected by King Charles (also elite plantation owners). This elitist democracy was the first legislative assembly to exist in North America and had no relation to religion. In New England however, the Church and the State were often intertwined. Puritanism often was the dominate religion especially in the colonies of Massachusetts, an example of how church and politics were inseparable is that in order to even vote one must be a member of the Church. Any other discrepancies in settler’s religious values were labeled “dissenters” and shunned from society. The relationship between the Church and the economic structure is displayed in a statement of Wage and Price Regulations of Connecticut in 1676, which states that prices and wages be duly set at each of the General Courts annually. One of the impactful Puritan ideals was the dislike of any time of economical pursuit, such as capitalism, that distracted people from living a saint-like life. Because of this belief, this statement calls upon the people of Connecticut to consider the religious ends of their calling rather than the financial benefits, and how their profits may enable them to serve both God and their neighbors (Document E). Puritanism even played a major part in the establishment of social institutions, as the need for well-versed and literate ministers required colleges such as Harvard to be built. These places of learning developed decades before the spread-out South, despite the fact that colonies in the Chesapeake Bay region were established well before New England. Thus, religion played a major part in political, economic and the social structure of New England but not so much in the Southern colonies. As for the Middle colonies, we see a combination of different characteristics from both North and South. New Netherlands/New York had a variety of different religions coexisting, and rather than a “melting pot” type of homogeneous society people of different backgrounds maintained their own separate identities. In Pennsylvania, the Quakers focused on equality and community but allowed for slavery to exist.
Despite these differences in religious backgrounds the social structure was very similar in all of the colonies, with the wealthy landowners on the top and indentured servants and slaves on the bottom. A distinction between the North and South was once again, how the Church played a role in social development. As previously mentioned, in New England (particularly Massachusetts) each village was a close-knit community that was centered around the Church. People were interdependent and loners to society were looked down upon. In the Chesapeake Bay region, particularly Virginia, the plantations were so spread out that going to Church wasn’t practical. The real social gatherings were the Vester-County Court days, were gentlemen freeholders met to discuss politics and display their wealth through practices such as gambling. One of the other major differences was that in the Northern colonies, slavery was much less prevalent than in the South. Primarily Southern plantation owners enslaved the Indians and forced them to work the land but they inevitably found that they often died of European diseases. The Atlantic trade network allowed slaves to be sold like goods from Western Africa and the Caribbean. Slaves were used on plantations, but a statement regarding Governor Berkeley's inability to defend Virginia against a Dutch attack in 1673 states that he and his council sent servants to protect the borders of Virginia from Indians, but no Negroes (Document G). It was during this time period that both Virginia and Maryland (who developed very similarly to this neighboring colony) imposed more strict laws regarding black slaves, including making it illegal for slaves to bear arms without permission. This indicates the social restrictions that plagued these African slaves as well as the economic burden that stripped them of their rights. In New England, however, slaves were much less a part of the economy compared to the South. Despite this, little to no white American colonists spoke out against slavery until the Revolutionary Era. Even the Quakers tolerated slave-owning until the mid 1700’s when they finally emerged as vocal opponents of slavery.
The diversity between the settlers of the New England and the Chesapeake region in the areas of immigrant background and the different types of religious, social, and political structures that developed in these colonies lead largely to the distinct societies that develop by 1700. Although largely settled by people of English origin, the schism between these two vastly different regions lead to tension over controversial topics such as slavery, and eventually a bloody Civil War that tore the newly formed country apart.