Question: AP history help please!!?
Although New England and Chesapeake region were both settled largely by people of English origin the region evolved into two distinct societies. Why did this diffrences in development occur?
Relation Questions:
Answer:
Religious differences.
There are many reasons. The Chesapeake settlers were three-quarters indentured servants with most of the rest small farmers. Despite Governor Berkeley's efforts to attract wealthy aristocrats, they comprised a relatively small percentage of the total population. However, they played a disproportionate role in the regions export economy, centered on tobacco, rice, and indigo, and its government. Governor Berkeley discouraged education, feeling that it was a source of social unrest (witness Bacon's Rebellion).
Most of the New England settlers were middle class artisans and merchants. Indentured servants were much less important in the New England economy, perhaps because the shorter growing seasons, small farms, and choice of less labor intensive crops required no work beyond what families themselves could provide. New England had a more diversified export economy than the Chesapeake did. Pig iron, glass, timber, lead, and whale oil were all important exports.
finally, the two groups came from different parts of England with their own distinctive cultures. The Puritans who settle the Massachusetts Bay Colony were from East Anglia, whereas the Chesapeake settlers were mostly from southwestern England. Of course, as your earlier respondent mentioned so succinctly yet incompletely, they had different religions . . .
Glad I could help. You could peruse "Albion's Seed" by David Hackett Fischer if you'd like to explore this further.