Oldest City in the United States

The Spanish were the first to settle in what is now the United States. The oldest city in the United States, St. Augustine Florida, was colonized by the Spanish in 1565, forty years before England sent its first venture into the New World. England soon caught on, and wanted to enlarge their trade to begin competing with other countries in Europe. When English settlers started coming to the new world they settled in two main regions, the Chesapeake Bay and New England. Even though these settlers were all English, two completely different societies began to develop simultaneously. The two regions barely had any contact with the other until the mid-eighteen hundreds. The reasons these regions were so different included their reasons for colonization, their family structures, their government structure, and even how they dealt with the problems they had with their government. </p><p> The first people coming to settle the Chesapeake Bay came over on a ship called "Merchant Hope," a name which summarizes the reason they came (Doc C). They came hoping to get rich, not thinking about the work that would be needed just to survive one winter. Since they found no gold their "gold" became tobacco. They grew it everywhere even in the streets. England developed this colony for their own profit. When England realized they where losing money they came up with the headright system, which alloted every settler already in America 100 acres and every person that paid for a voyage 50 acres in the New World. England wanted to attract more settlers, therefore making them more profit.</p><p> In England, the Puritans were not getting the religious freedom they wanted. They were called separatist because they wanted to separate from the Church of England. They wanted a new place to start over and have religious freedom, so they decided to come to the New World. John Winthrop, the first elected Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, wanted all men to work together no matter if they were rich or poor. He wanted it to be a model Christian city, what he called "a city upon a hill" (Doc. A). New England was settled for religion and to be a successful colony based on God and family. </p><p> The Puritans coming to New England brought whole families, including servants with them (Doc. B). The New England settlers were coming to stay, and they wanted to establish families in the new world that would last for generations. Settlers coming to the Chesapeake Bay were mostly middle aged men, and they brought few women. They had not intended to stay and raise families; they came to get rich and go home. </p><p> In the Chesapeake Bay Colony, the small farmers and freed indentured servants were not able to afford the best land. So they were forced into the back country to farm where they were more venerable to Indian attacks. The backcountry settlers had hardly any power in the government. When Governor Berkeley