When the colonists settled in America in the 17th century, many of them had different reasons for coming, believed in various religions and set goals and accomplishments both for themselves and their families. Some came to America because of religious persecution, and some came to America to obtain wealth. The colonists settled into what was to become the northern and the southern colonies. Over time, the northern and southern colonies eventually evolved into two distinct societies. Primarily, this was because of various social, geographic, and economic reasons. It was this discrete separation led to more conflicts that would devastate America. .
In 1606, envisioning the possibility of earning great profits by finding precious metals and opening new trade routes, a group of English merchants and gentry established the Virginia Stock Company. Their plan was to have many colonies planted in this part of America. This seemed to be the theme of all Chesapeake colonies; making money as soon and as fast as possible. In the early 17th century many joint stock companies similar to the Virginia Company were formed to establish colonies in America. However, there were various clues as to the motivations of the early English colonists. .
It became very evident that the English who settled in the Chesapeake colonies were only interested in making money through "document C". "Document C" was a list of emigrants bound for Virginia in 1635. It could be easily observed from this document that almost of all the people bound for Virginia were single and without family. One could infer that these emigrants were not as interested in starting a family in the greater new world as they were in making money for themselves. .
A second document which further supported this notion was "document F". The document conveyed the idea that all of the settlers who wanted to go to Virginia were primarily interested in one thing and that was the acquisition of wealth.