American Colonies Vs New England Essay

Besides English settlers there were numerous other representatives of the European countries settling in the new land. And as the Puritans came to practice their own believes so did other nationalities, as explained in the study material. In my own interpretation America represents change and the believe system as well as the way religion was previously practiced was now changing. This change was greatly influenced by the intellectual movement called Enlightenment, which started in Europe and this influence had bearing on the Great Awakening. Besides Puritans now there were Catholics in Maryland, Quakers in Pennsylvania and the Episcopal Church in the southern states.

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

As colonies were being founded in the early 1600's, religion was a key factor in determining laws. Massachusetts was established in 1620 by Pilgrims. These Pilgrims had fled England to avoid religious persecution. However, The New World was not their first stop. The Pilgrims originally traveled to New Amsterdam, where they were tolerated.

Similar to Pennsylvania, many of the New England states were founded in order to grant people freedom of religion. The formation of Massachusetts was because many Puritans were looking to leave England's oppression; just as Roger Williams, who was against the Bay colony's religious restrictions, wanted to found Rhode Island to leave Massachusetts. The location of the New England colonies prevents settlers from finding many riches and its rocky terrain resulted in poor farming results compared to the middle colonies; therefore, New Jersey and New York's intentions for establishing their colony were far from those of the New England territories. Moreover, the New England colony of Massachusetts's religious motive was very similar to those of New York, while others, such as Rhode Island, were more like Pennsylvania's and New Jersey's. Just like New York's Dutch Reformed Church, the Bay Colony saw the members of their own church, the Congregational Church, as better than those who were not a part of it; They intended to control unchurched citizens.

Although all the colonists all came from England, the community development, purpose, and societal make-up caused a distinct difference between two distinct societies in New England and the Chesapeake region. The distinctions were obvious, whether it be the volume of religious drive, the need or lack of community, families versus single settlers, the decision on minimal wage, whether or not articles of agreements were drawn for and titles as well as other social matters were drawn, as well as where loyalties lay in leaders. New England was, overall, more religious than the Chesapeake region. Settlers in New England were searching relief for religious persecution in Europe. Puritans, Quakers, and Catholics were coming in droves to America searching for an opportunity to have religious freedom.

New England’s economy would also be influenced by the British tax later that would cause Americans to revolt many of which trusted in their faith to guide them The Puritans who settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 were also motivated by religious beliefs. They believed in the idea of a "city upon a hill," a vision of a holy community that would serve as an example to the rest of the world (American YAWP, 2.6). This belief led to a strict social order and a commitment to the moral and spiritual purity of the community. It also led to conflicts with other religious groups, such as the Quakers, who were seen as a threat to the Puritan social order.

The New England colonies were first founded in the last 16th to 17th century as a sanctuary for differing religious groups. New England was made up of the Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. New Hampshire, however, was formed for economic reasons instead of religious ones. The Chesapeake region, which is made up of the colonies of Maryland and Virginia, was founded by the British colonies for the purpose of farming. However, by the 1700’s, despite both being settled by Englishmen, New England and the Chesapeake region had developed differently.

Starting in the early 1600’s settlers from England came to “The New World.” England and Spain were competing to claim this new undiscovered land. The English were the first to claim the land by sending the first group of settlers, the Chesapeake settlers. They settled in present day Virginia and Maryland. The Chesapeake settlers came for commercial and profit.

Religious Freedom was the key role in the colonies. People were allowed to choose their own religion without the fear of being persecuted or tormented because they chose a different religion than that of the Church. The New England colonies were heavily impacted by religion during their development. Church officers had ran the Churches and the state, meaning that if you were a member of the Church you had power without a doubt. Massachusetts for example, the minister of the Church had ran both the Church and the state which gave him

The, “Freedom from religious persecution motivated the Pilgrims to leave England...and settle in the New World.” [nps.gov]. The settlers did not agree with what the English government made them believe in. They wanted to have independence religiously, with a say, and the only place for this was the Massachusetts colony in the New World. In the colony, the settlers had the ability to believe what they wanted to in harmony without

The colonists wanted religious freedom. One reason they originally left England was to escape the Catholic Church. Some called themselves Puritans. They wanted the church and the state to be more separate.

Religion played a great role in the establishment of the English colonies. The main reason the English traveled to North America was to escape religious persecution. Once the English settled in they created colonies, and established rules for a religious society. They would also try to convert Natives into Christianity, and they established universities to practice ministry. Once the English settlers got to North America, the House of Burgesses in 1619 said they would try to convert Native children specifically boys into a “ true religion”, then eventually teach them how teach them how to be Christian civil people.

Slaves were exported from the country of Africa because the need to grow and harvest sugarcane became very large, and so the need for people to do the labor increased. Although the population wasn’t that large, it rapidly increased with the exchange of goods through the Columbian Exchange. The growth in population meant that the need for slaves or the desire to have slaves was specific to their region. In the Americas, the people who were the slaves were either enslaved natives or slaves that were sent to the Americas from Africa in order to be used for labor. Although there was the growth in population due to the Columbian exchange, the population did decrease due to the need for slaves to work and help out with the sugarcane

New England’s founders were strict Puritans who did not have much tolerance for any religion except their own. Over time, as more and more immigrants came with increasingly diverse beliefs, the once stable foundation began to crack. Conflicts broke out and certain religious groups were banished which led to the development of other nearby colonies, for example Rhode Island and Connecticut. In the Chesapeake region, it was easier and there was not as much controversy over religion. The area started out as a refuge for Catholics, but over time many Protestants immigrated there and soon became the majority.

Slaves that were predominately black were brought over from African nations in the late 17th century and forced to work for the rest of their lives. Even after slave trade had been abolished