APUSH Essay: New England & Chesapeake DBQ

In the early 1600s, Europeans began to seek a faster route to Asia, looking for goods and spices. Ultimately, this led to establishing the first two colonies, Jamestown in 1607 and Massachusetts in 1621. That is where the similarities end with these colonies. The regions of the two colonies evolved into two completely different societies. There are several reasons why differences in development occurred between the Chesapeake and New England regions. Differences can be seen socially, economically, and politically. First, the biggest differentiation between these regions is social. The main difference is their goals of settling. In the list of immigrants bound for New England, more than six families and their servants are listed. The migrating of whole families exemplifies an intention of permanent relocation. Their goal is largely religious because most were fleeing religious persecution by King James of Great Britain. In large contrast, on the list of immigrants headed for Virginia, there are 64 men and only 11 women. A significant amount of the men are between the ages of 16 and 30—proving they are young and able to work. The purpose of sending workers to Virginia was to find and gather gold and return to England with the wealth. When the men only find unfarmed land and weather much different than that of England, the colonists decide to push through and begin building and working. Another developmental difference between the Chesapeake and New England regions was economic. After finding no gold, Virginians had to figure out a way to make money because that’s what they were there for and all they were focused on, as said in John Smith’s History of Virginia. John Smith regulates a “don’t work, don’t eat” rule on the Jamestown colonists to discourage them from only seeking gold, which ends up saving Jamestown. When John Rolfe arrives, he performs the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in Virginia. This becomes the basis of their economy.