Differences of Cheaspeake and New England

In the colonies there were once two regions that were settled by mainly immigrants of the English descent. The places where they settled and called home were the Chesapeake and the New England regions. These areas soon then became two distinct regions of settlers. Those being distinct regions were caused largely by differences in money, operation, and religion.

One reason the regions were different was because of money. In the New England colonies, for example Connecticut, there was not a set wage or currency which made controlling the population difficult until outcries happened and the people were given a set wage enough to sustain them and their religion by giving them just enough to serve God. (Doc E) These jobs were often traders or self-sustaining farmers because in the New England you a portion of a house lot and a share of planting ground which meant you couldn't create the massive plantations that they had in the Chesapeake region. (Doc D) Having these problems along with harsh winters and rocky soil caused many New Englanders to turn to fishing and lumber. While Chesapeake on the other hand never had a "set" currency or wage. Since many of the Chesapeake used to be farmers or tried to hunt for gold there was never a set currency and they just used gold or tobacco so the farmers had to rely on a good harvest if the colonists were to survive the year. Eventually the Chesapeake would also contain almost all of the richest colonists from their massive plantations.

Another reason was the difference how the region operated. In New England the government was more democratic in its nature. Because of the towns being close together they were able to hold meetings where everyone had almost the same representation. It also meant that the children in this region were able to go to school and thought education was important. The small size of the farms also meant that in New England they wouldn't send indentured servants because the family would be able to take care of the entire product by themselves. However in the Chesapeake the land was spread out along rivers and people were not close together. This makes it vital to have indentured servants to help tend to the crops on the plantations. Also the land being spread out on rivers makes it hard for the Chesapeake colonists to defend against outer attacks such as the Dutch or possibly Indians. (Doc G) Additionally the poorer farmers had hardly any representation in the government of the Chesapeake, which instead was ruled by the richer farmers or aristocrats. In this region they also had a lower emphasis on education than New England because of the far spacing between peoples home.

Lastly the regions were different because of their religion. The more religion based immigrants went to New England. This was because unlike Chesapeake, John Winthrop had a vision to create the New England region to be "a city upon a hill"