The Formation of Colonial Societies

            The United States is virtual melting pot of different cultures and races. Some of the first ingredients in this pot were introduced in the late 1500's and early 1600's when the formation of the British colonies of New England and the Chesapeake occurred. Due to the nature of those who were settling in the region and the differing environmental characteristics, two distinct British colonial societies were formed in these regions that differed in the composition of their societies, economies and forms of governance. .
             Even though New England and the Chesapeake regions were settled largely by people of English origin, there existed two different groups of settlers that founded each colony upon two different purposes. Those who settled in New England, the Puritans, were trying to escape persecution in England from the Anglican Church and founded the colony for religious reasons. As the definition of the word "Puritan" in page 70 suggests, these settlers wanted to reform the English church and as a result their motivation for the settlement was the creation of a new society that would praise high moral values and virtues. (Doc. A) .
             Believing they had the right from God to expand their territories, the Puritans oftentimes used force to take over the Native American lands in New England. In fact they had become so intolerant to others that Roger Williams, who was banished for believing in religious tolerance and the separation of church and state, purchased Indian land and founded the town of Providence and what would become later the state of Rhode Island. On the other hand, those who settled in the Chesapeake had an entirely different motive to colonize. They founded the colonies for economic reasons as most settlers were looking for gold and passages to the Indies. Their family structure was also different. While the majority of the Puritans who settled in New England had well developed families with many children, Chesapeake Bay settlers were mostly single men and adventurers who soon faced starving because they did not plant crops to survive.