The history of the colonial USA is a
significant part of understanding the history of the European settlements and
subsequent colonization of countries around the world. In the late years of the
16th century, some of the most powerful nations of Europe majorly England,
France, Netherlands, and Spain launched some serious bid for colonial coverage
in the North of America and got very competitive amongst themselves for such
occupations (Daniel, 165). As the British
settlers moved into North America, they moved in different social setups and
for differing reasons and also motifs for establishing such colonies. The
various social groupings of the settlers had varied social, religious,
political and economic ideologies and philosophies. It is this that created the
diversity within America occupied by a variety of social groupings over the
course of time. The British were the dominant country in America, and four
distinct groupings set up camp in the now united regions to become the United
States of America. The four very different and unique British regions were New
England, Chesapeake Bay Colonies on the Upper South, Middle Colonies, and the
Lower South colonies. The arrival of the of the European settlers was between
1600 to 1650, and they found the majority of the native Americans that lived on
the Eastern side of the United States ravaged in diseases introduced to them by
the explorer that passed by the land as they sailed past the region. The
colonies of the Chesapeake and New England were the strikingly different in
their cultures and lifestyles brought by the settlers (Lambert,
80-90). The differences were majorly brought in by the fact that their
founding fathers had different intentions as they settled in the respective
areas as they joined the New World. Therefore, differences existed between the
founding fathers resulting to disparities in the political, economic, religious
and social characteristics of the colonies.
The Chesapeake and the New England
colonies had settlements that were primarily of the English people. The New
England settlers were first individuals from England from the East Anglia that
had to flee England as a result of the religious persecutions they underwent
the time. There were hundreds of men, women, children and families that had run
off from their previous homes in England in search of new opportunities and
also of a New World (Daniel, 165). They
searched for a New world that they could practice their beliefs freely and also
protect their own and hence the movement to America. They began by settling in
the region and then practiced their religious beliefs with much ease. They were
called the Puritans ion the beginning as they majorly focused on their religion
more than any other thing. They concentrated on what was of importance to them
keeping things simple and also used the community to ensure that they would
achieve their goals as a social grouping, they, therefore, built new towns and
enjoy the social aspect of their religion establishing the model societies for
Christianity in the regions that they covered. On the contrary, the Chesapeake
settlers were fundamentally after making a source of income. They were merchants
and business people that were seeking new opportunities in the new World. They
settled in the Southern part with the motive of making a profit and also
commercializing the region while taking major profits back to their home
country in England. It is this that they enforced at all costs despite the
resistance that they faced from the natives. The Chesapeake settlers first came
to the New World in 16-07 and settled in Jamestown forming the first English
colony with just 104 members as compared to the over 400 immigrants that later
joined the New World creating the New England (Lambert,
96). They majorly hoped to find gold, silver, a cure for Syphilis and
also hoped to get a northwest passage to Asia coupled with other valuables that
they could exploit and take back to Europe to make profits. They were lead by
Captain John Smith. They experienced resistance in the region and were
characterized by war and terror and also disease with few of them surviving to
form the Chesapeake colony in the South.
The Chesapeake colony includes areas
such as Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania majorly found in the
South. These areas in the South were
more stricken by disease and had a very life expectancy; there were a limited
number of women found in the region characterized by destitution, violence and
frustration among the people (Daniel, 165).
The New England was in the North of Chesapeake and consisted of Massachusetts,
Plymouth, Connecticut, Rhode Island and the New Haven that later became part of
Connecticut. The regions were healthier as compared to the Chesapeake region in
the southern part. There was a dependable source of water and had a lesser
threat of death and hence the settlers found it easier to settle in focusing on
their spiritual, social and economic wellbeing.
The settler demographics of the two
regions were also of significant differences due to the disparity in the
intentions of the settlers. The Chesapeake settlers were fundamentally young
and single men that dispersed along the settlements in search of their
opportunities (Taylor, 103). Few women engaged in
the region for the economic intentions, and hence some fewer families moved to
the area as well. Few women moved to Virginia and later were the indentured
servants and then the African slaves introduced. On the other hand, the New
England settlers came as social groupings with their families as they escaped
their native lands with no intention of going back to England but wanted a
place to settle in and enjoy their religious freedom (Lambert,
102). They lived in compact settlements as they lived together to ensure
that they continued to practice their religion and as a result was bigger in
number than the Chesapeake. Their population in the colony also multiplied
faster than that of their Chesapeake colony counterparts.
The economic systems of the two
colonies also varied in a major way. The Chesapeake had realized that there was
the opportunity for commercial farming and also tobacco in the Southern region
and therefore, intended to exploit that. It is this that had the tobacco
farming which was the staple crop being at the center of their economy and
engaged in intense cultivation and also plantation of the crop. The tobacco
industry grew to great magnitude, and it also paved the way for other
industries in the region (Lambert, 105). The
industry was motivated by the fact that the settlers had fundamentally moved to
the area for economic reasons and wanted to create enterprises that would
result in profits and also commercialization. The demand for the continued
growth of the market and also the labor intensive market is what inspire the
need for the indentured servants. Te indentured servants were required for
continued growth of the tobacco industry and hence the sales could finance the importation
of such servants, and this further grew into a fully blossomed slave trade. the
slave trade made it possible for the continued thriving of the Tobacco industry
while at the same time, the slave trade became a boom with Virginia and the
south become a major transit point and also a major market for the slaves not
just to America but for the international slave trade. The slaves were captured
in Africa and other areas and shipped to the South where trading would occur.
At first, the business was made possible by the sales made in the Tobacco
industry before the slave trade became a full sector or industry on its own
that further supported the tobacco plantation making the economy of the colony
thrive even further (Taylor, 108-110).
The economic system in the New England,
on the other hand, was very different from that of Chesapeake since they
majorly maintained a similar system as was in England. They also ventured into
a variety of markets and industries at the same time. They had a system of
small family self-sufficiency whereby they would engage in farming on a small
scale and sell the surplus in the areas. They also had excellent sold for
livestock and therefore also involved in animal husbandry. They further engaged
in fishing and also some other smaller commercial ventures (Sarson). They aimed
at a an economic system that would ensure their continued thriving as they
engaged in their primary goals that was to future their religion and were not
out to make profits or rather just create economic empires like the southern
colony. However, with time, there was the rise of industrial merchants within
the economy and it also led to the sprouting of economic classes and also of
some towns becoming majorly commercial centers. Boston was also the commercial
hub of the region and also became the home of some of the merchants that
existed in the colony (Sarson). The first generation of the New Englanders had
tried to have some form of direct trade links with Europe before turning to
some indirect trading schemes that resulted in some triangular trade that
became very profitable with time thus supporting the economy of the region and
the colony in general. It brought some of the merchants that existed high
status and also wealth. Boston became home to the middle-class artisan,
shopkeepers, property sailors, workers, and transients. It was not the initial
vision of the Puritans but the presence of economic activities and the need to
have a thriving economy led to the rise of the social classes. About the slave
trade, the New England people perceived it to be very wrong and refrained from
practicing or engaging in the business. They firmly believed that every man was
equal and therefore no one should have been enslaved. They, therefore, worked
to end slavery not just within their region but also in the south and it is
this that led to their constant endeavor to ensure that their people were
educated (Sarson). Unlike the Chesapeake that strongly relied on slave labor
for the thriving of their economy, the New Englanders relied on free labor and
slavery played a minor role at the provision of labor in the region. It only
existed in small extent from some of the merchants.
The political differences between the
colonies were also apparent. The Chesapeake, who were primarily out there for
commercial, and profit making purposes had a system that involved the planter
aristocracy. It is the planters that held the power and were also the members
of the representative assembly. In 1619, there was also the establishment of
the House of Burgesses (Taylor, 100). There was
also the colonial assembly that shared their power with the royally appointed
governor. There were also the county courts that had power at the local level
of the governance and there were usually no any form of democracy or popular
elections at these levels. However, in the New England colony, the political
scene was primary independent from the supervision of the British to protect
the prerogatives of the Puritan church and also to ensure that there was the
enforcement of the Church’s laws and values. The political responsibility of
instilling peace and order in the Puritan society was vested in the local town
governments. The power was also held by a form of religious hierarchy and the
General Court also had some power (Taylor, 102-107).
There was also the existence of the charter’s governing board and it is these
that became the meeting assembly.
In conclusion, it is apparent that the
founding fathers of the Chesapeake were quite different from those of the New
England colonies, and it is this that resulted in the differences observed
between the two colonies. The Chesapeake’s founding fathers or settlers were
majorly merchants and individuals out to engaging in commercialization ad also
profit making in the New World that had received immense attention from the
entire Europe. They came in smaller groupings and did not bring their families
since they intended to make profits and take them back home. As a result, they
engaged in large-scale planting of Tobacco as the main cash crop, and it is
this that further led to the growth of slave trade furthering the economy of
the region. The political system in the area was also more of a planter
aristocracy and remained in touch and controlled by the English government. On
the contrary, the founding fathers of the New England were of the Puritan
Church and aimed at offering second chance for the followers of the church in
the New World, they therefore moved with their families settling in the
Northern region. Their primary goals was to enjoy their religious freedom that
was not present in England as they faced persecution and therefore, were not
interested in commercialization although some merchants came up with time,
their political system was also led by the church system or order and tried to
avoid the influence of the English government to protect their religious
values. They strongly opposed the slave trade. Therefore, it is the various
differences that existed between the founding fathers of the colonies that
resulted to the ultimate disparities in the political, economic, religious and
social characteristics of the colonies.
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