"Religion shaped the development of colonial society." Compare the ways it did so in the following regions: New England, Chesapeake (Virginia and the South), and Middle Atlantic.
Religion's Role in Early Societies.
Religion played a large part in history, and during the colonization of America, religious beliefs were very important and in some cases the whole reason for moving to the New World. For example, religion shaped the development of colonial society in several regions; New England, Chesapeake, and the Middle Atlantic. .
In England, a group known as the Puritans vowed to brake away entirely from the Church of England, for they did not like that all of the king's subjects were allowed to be admitted to the church. Fleeing from the king and his threats, the Puritans left to Holland in 1608, and in 1620, arrived at New England. In this way, New England came to be, due to an extremist religious group. The Puritans beliefs and virtues would later contribute to the society of New England. The Puritans formed a strict government and put strong emphasis into teaching their religion. The beaver and the Bible were the early mainstays of New England. Since the people focused greatly on religion, this small colony was unimportant both economically and numerically. New England developed into a small society that was mostly concerned with their religion. .
Chesapeake, unlike New England, emphasized religion much less, which allowed them to focus on other things, such as profit and cash crops. The Chesapeake region was known for their cultivation of tobacco, where money hungry settlers planted tobacco to sell before they planted corn to eat. Although religion was not that important to the settlers of the Chesapeake region, it still contributed to the development of the society, for there was more time to worry about making a profit and producing for the market. Labor was commonly served by African American slaves, and at times by "indentured servants".
