Compare And Contrast Chesapeake Bay Vs New England Colonies

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Aimee Huerta February 28, 2016 Chesapeake Bay v. New England Colonies Around the 16th century people left Britain to come to North America (New World) for new opportunities in their lives. They came here for religious reasons, for owning land, and escaping bad situations. Once here they thought their lives were going to be much different, but actually not everyone was lucky enough to have a pleasant life. These English colonies were made for a different reason to help numerous people, but once the two colonies were settled each one had developed very differently. If given the choice in my opinion, the New England region would be the best choice to settle. The Chesapeake Bay and the New England colonies are much unlike in many ways. First, each …show more content…

First off, both colonies were settle by English settlers around the 16th century. When settling the Chesapeake Bay, King James 1 chartered a joint stock called the Virginia Company for explicit religious mission. In the book, America a Narrative History the authors state, “The Virginia Company planted the first permanent colony in Virginia. On May 6, 1607, three tiny ships carrying 105 men and boys reached Chesapeake bay after four storm-tossed months at sea.” (Tindall, Shi 35-36). The New England region was made up of middle class families that were able to pay their way across the Atlantic. “Most male settlers were small farmers, merchants, seamen, or fisherman. During the seventeenth century, only 21,000 colonists arrive in New England, compared with the 120,000 who went to the Chesapeake Bay colonies.” (Tindall, Shi 42). Another similarity was that the British wanted to settle in North America to have a better life for them and their families. “Colonists settled British North America for different reasons. Some came for profits; others came for religious freedom.”