Introduction
Most American settlers in the seventeenth century were primarily English. Nevertheless, a number of people from Dutch, Sweden, Germany, French, and Africa found their direction to the settlements. In addition, war refugees from Europe fled to America. The culmination of people from distinct regions resulted in the development of the New England, Chesapeake and Middle Colonies. This report will talk about the motives for the establishment each region, and the social and economic components that created separate identities in each area.
Motives for Establishment
The establishment of the American protectorates was characteristic of diversities created by colonialists, who had distinct political, social, economic and religious values. The colonies attracted different types of settlers, and by the end of the eighteenth century the populations diverged. Historians attribute these changes to different religious and economic motivations. British pilgrims and puritans, who were escaping religious persecutions in Europe, were New England’s occupants. The geographic conditions of the colony favored diversified farming. Schultz as well notes that New Englanders relied on art industries because the population “often made their own furniture… and spun their family’s flax and wool” (p. 57).
Chesapeake was occupied by settlers, who desired to gain profits from trade items that they could they could lease back to Europe. Geographic conditions in the Chesapeake favored plantation systems, which the population adopted. This prompted demand for human-labor to work on plantations and most planters turned to the African population, opening doors to cheap labor (Schultz 2010). As a result, slave trade developed and scores of slaves were brought into the settlements, making the majority population of black-slaves.
Communities in the middle colonies were prompted by religious tolerance and the existence of a representative government. Most settlers were looking for religious freedom owing to the spiritual conflict between Protestants and Catholics in England. The suburb reflected the variety of cultures, primarily characterized by Scot-Irish Presbyterians from Ireland, and Germans. Other colonies were motivated by the increase in demand for wheat and wealth in the region. However, it is significant to note that by the close of the eighteenth century, the population was split according to both wealth and cultural background.
Social and Political Factors
Historical studies claim that economic and social institutions in the colonies created separate entities (Hamby, 2007). Differences in the economy and labor force reflects the development of distinct regions. Chesapeake boasted huge economic wealth from large plantations run by cheap laborers. In contrast, New England did not have plantations since her geographical conditions could not support large-scale agriculture. According to Hamby (2007), her climate was characterized by “stony ground, relatively little level ground, and long winters” (p. 16). Farming systems in both New England and Middle colonies did not require many laborers, an aspect that made them different from their counterparts in Chesapeake.
Social differences assemble a number of reasons why the colonies grew into distinct orders. An examination of the religion of New England and Middle colonies provides a window of religious tolerance because people escaping religious persecution inhabited both settlements. Yet, this was not the case in northern colonies who were considered to be more ‘godly’. Residents practiced family-based Puritanism. In reality, as Schultz (2010) notes, “they instituted ‘halfway covenants’ whereby baptized individuals who had never experienced a personal conversion to Christ were considered as partial members of the church…” (p. 60).
Politics in the colonies largely varied. Residents in New England were governed by Puritanism, and were governed by the general laws. In contrast, middle colonies practiced the British Monarchy that derived representation from all groups residing in the area. On the other hand, Chesapeake imposed rule by putting on old American legislative bodies (Roark et al., 2003)
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that the differences between the three regions were not only based on economy, religion, and population, but were also from differences ushered in by the colonialists. Founded on these principles, contrasting communities arose. Thus, it is obvious that regions in the New World became very different in the seventeenth and eighteenth century.
References
Hamby, L. (2007). Outline of US history. New York, NY: Nova Publishers.
Roark, L., Johnson,M., Cohen,P., Stage, S.,& Hartmann, S. (2003). The American promise: A history of the United States (2nd ed.) Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Schultz, K. (2010). HIST (Student ed.). Boston, Wadsworth: Cengage Learning.Inc.