Explorers from European countries sent many ships across the Atlantic, attempting to find a short passageway to the Indies during the seventeenth century. Seeking to find gold and other riches, they set sail not knowing that there was more than the known world. After a strenuous voyage over the wavy ocean, the crew finally landed at America incidentally. Later, the king sent a charter to the Virginia Company in order to start Jamestown, part of the Chesapeake region, which was the first permanent English settlement there. The majority of immigrants were middle-aged men.
Religious persecution occurred during the 1600s in Europe. Searching for religious freedom, these Puritans sailed across the ocean to the new world. The Separatists, or Pilgrims, who had completely broke ties with the church, also sought refuge in America. The people that survived the journey landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, which is part of the New England region, where the Native Americans helped them survive the cruel climate. Children and middle-aged people accounted for nearly all of the population. The New England and Chesapeake would develop into two distinct societies by the 1700s primarily due to different motives. Geography, religious views, and societal structure played key roles in further dividing these regions.
Each region had varying motives for settling in America. The New England colonists wanted religious freedom, since they believed the practices of the Catholic Church were incorrect and didn't follow the bible. One such practice was indulgences, which removed sins for the exchange of money. In 1517, Martin Luther, a German friar, showed his annoyance with Catholicism by nailing his protests on Wittenberg's cathedral. This act of defiance brought upon the Protestant Reformation, which led to the establishment of Protestant churches.