LEQ: Colonists In New England

In North America during the seventeenth century there were a lot of changes, a lot conflicts and a lot of resolutions. The English colonies that were established during this time period underwent huge amounts of change. Some of these changes were good and some of these changes were bad. They would go from being almost left to themselves to being one of the biggest things for the monarchy, for a number of reasons.

The starkest differences between the three colonial regions lie in economy and religious influences. For example, New England colonies like Massachusetts and Rhode Island had a bigger focus on shipbuilding, fishing, and lumber mills than the Southern or Middle colonies, whose focus was based around agriculture, due to the difference in climate and geography. Middle colonies also focused on exporting iron ore and iron products. In addition, New England colonies had a bigger population of Puritans, so the culture in this region was more strict socially; drunkenness, swearing, and gambling were frowned upon, especially in the Massachusetts Bay colony. The government of the Massachusetts Bay colony could also enforce public morality (e.g. teachers

Throughout the 1600’s and 1700’s English colonies emerged in North America. While all thirteen of the colonies had significant similarities, each colony was unique with its own features, especially between Massachusetts and Virginia. The Massachusetts colony civilians put the group and community above all, whereas the Virginians focused more on individualism and self-advancement. The Massachusetts Colony was Puritan, with very important kinship ties. The family worked together, with each member of the family having a certain job or responsibility.

Differences Between the Colonies The three Northern and Southern Colonies on the eastern side of early America, have their similarities, but that still doesn’t compare to their vast differences .When contrasted, the topic can go from religion, to climate, and even to the very accent or language that they may speak. Then in return, giving each colony their own “distinct” qualities to be represented for.

These three groups had different lifestyles and were able to attain goods in distinct ways that helped to develop their societies individually and each of them left legacies that apply to society today. The Southern Colonies left behind an expert knowledge of the cultivation of crops, the most prominent of them being tobacco that is used for modern day recreational uses. The New England Colonies left behind the fishing tactics that they used for trade which is evident throughout the many fishing ports located around the coastal areas of America. The Middle Colonies left behind the skillful crop cultivation used to produce wheat, which is an important factor in the production of modern day starches. However, the one thing that these colonies all shared was the sense of independent thinking that they believed was the ethical way of running society, known as democracy.

Life in the Thirteen Colonies In the 1700’s, the lifestyle in the thirteen American colonies began to diverge from the ways of its country of origin. However, this growing sense of separation and isolation wasn’t only do to the 4,000 mile distance between these communities. The colonial Americans developed a individual artistic, economic, and social society unique to the new country and each of its different colonies. This newly developed culture began to pave the way for the colonists fight for independence.

Today was the day. We were finally going to do it. We were finally going to have enough money. My family have been so desperate. We need money because my father lost his job, so our parents bought me and my little sister, Annabelle, tickets with the only money we have to Italy so our grandmother can give us enough money to live in England.

Pennsylvania was a safe haven for Quakers. In Europe, Quakers could be put in jail, confiscated of their land or even hung for expressing their religious beliefs publicly. Unlike most other established civilizations at this time, the freedom to express your religious beliefs was not socially accepted, this was what made these four colonies so special and is what helped them to differentiate themselves from the rest, causing more settlers to come live there. Between the 1730’s and 1770’s the Great Awakening took place in the thirteen colonies; The Great Awakening was a period of time where colonists became more centered around religion. Due to most of the Tobacco, Southern and New England colonies lacking the religious tolerances of the middle colonies, it would be plausible to believe that between these time periods, some settlers began to migrate towards the middle colonies as well.

Both the Chesapeake colonies and the New England colonies were vital to Britain’s atlantic trade. They both had large populations and booming economies. However, they both eventually established their own cultures that were different from each other. The colonies’ differing beliefs, environments, and labor lead to the contrasting cultures. The New England Colonies were a Puritanical society, who preached against excess.

There were different regions in North America: The New England Colonies and Chesapeake Colonies. All of them were led by alternate goals and dreams of their founders. The question however, is very close to “How did they all develop differently if they came from the same place?” The colonies developed in an array of ways, their reasons for establishment were different, they upheld their economies differently, and all had different perspectives over religion and politics.

The Middle and New England colonies have very similar social beliefs compared to the South. The South colonies have indentured servants and slaves. The New England and Middle colonies didn’t believe in inequality. Then there is the religious toleration. Although the New England colonies and Middle colonies have the same social beliefs, they do not tolerate those who have a different faith other than the Puritan lifestyle.

In England, many of the English settlers decided to move west in search of their own colony. Two men; William Penn and John Smith traveled into two colonies called Pennsylvania and Virginia. Since they both settled into their own colony, they each contained their own, separate issues. Religion was a major part of every colony but differed greatly in these two colonies. Virginia, the first colony established, followed the religious ways of England, meaning that the colonists all worshipped the same way.

By the mid seventeenth century, England had secured its claim to several west indian islands. The colonies continued to develop between 1607 and 1754. In the Southern Colonies, religion was a big factor in the development of this colonial region because it impacted the political developments, affected the social developments, and lastly the religion sometimes varied with the development of the New England Colonies. Colonists in the southern territory were a mixture of religions including Baptist and Anglicans. The Southern Colonies consisted of Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

For example, while those resided in the Middle Colonies took advantage of their year-long warm climates and fertile soil--harvesting cash crops for the means of trade-- the New England Colonies were forced to utilize their long winters and thin, rocky soil--practicing the act of subsistence farming, or growing only enough to feed the farmer and his family. Likewise, while the Middle Colonies proved to be extremely diverse, including a fair number of German immigrants in addition to the native American colonists. Southern Colony settlers, however, were majorly composed of native settlers, containing little variety among its population. Lastly, while the Southern Colonies were founded by specific and names people, much of the Middle Colonies came to be due to general groups, such as Swedish and Dutch

Most of the colonies in America were settled by the English, which makes them similar in many designs. However, there are a few aspects that differentiate between colonies, such as in the Chesapeake and New England regions. Reasons for settlement, religions, and geography all played an important role in the development of colonies in these regions. These conditions were natural and mostly subject to circumstances and conditions that were unchangeable. Nonetheless, no matter the modest causes, the effects were very substantial in helping to develop the uniqueness of each region.