Although New England--primarily Massachusetts--and the Chesapeake region--primarily Virginia-- were both settled largely by people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. This difference in society can be attributed to motives of settlers, relationships of settlers, and geography.
The difference in motives for Massachusetts Bay and Virginia, contrast. Massachusetts Bay was meant to be a strict religious community. In 1630, John Winthrop wrote “And we shall be as a city upon a hill” (Doc. A). This statement helped shape the Puritan ideal for community. The Puritans were missionaries, whose only goal were to purify the Anglican Church. They felt the best way to do so was establishing a model religious community. Virginia, on the other hand, was colonized as a joint stock company in 1606. The sole purpose of Virginia was to find gold, as Captain John Smith complains…show more content… Geography created problems for colonies in New England and the Chesapeake Bay. As stated by Governor Berkeley of Virginia in 1673, “Virginia is intersected by so many vast rivers as makes more miles to defend than we have men to trust or defend them” (Doc. G). This was not Virginia’s only geographic problem. Roanoke, England’s first attempt at settlement, almost failed three times due to geographic issues. Because the land was so swampy, it was hard to find drinkable water, and there were frequent malaria outbreaks. The swampy environment seemed to be the only drawback to having a long growing season full of rich soil plenty of rainfall. New England colonists in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on the other hand, struggled to grow food to eat. Without the help of the Native Americans, they would not have made it through the spring of 1621. Despite not being able to grow their own food, New England colonists thrived off of trade industries due to their strong
