Chesapeake Settlers Essay

The settlers of the Chesapeake region of America were an extremely fascinating bunch. Despite many hardships, they set the stage for the American South for the next two centuries, and achieved a lot with precious little. It is simply amazing to think of how anyone could have stayed alive in a foreign land surrounded by the unknown, with no friends and family to help and guide them.

The majority of the colonists that moved to the Chesapeake region of Maryland and Virginia were laborers, that owed years of work to pay off their expense for relocating to the New World. They consisted of young men for the most part, with only a small number of females in the beginning years. Unfortunately, many of the new colonists didn't even live to see
their freedom; disease befell a huge number of them very shortly after arriving. While New England colonists lived a long life much like we do today, colonists of the Chesapeake region simply did not have that same fortune.

The end of the century showed life expectancy rates increasing, and although other factors played a part in this, it is also known that more and more women settlers were arriving in the region. Where this could be simply a coincidence, it definitely could not have hurt! I am sure happiness in the home coupled with financial success played a large part in the colonists' increasing longevity. The majority of freeman and laborers alike grew what was in demand at that time -- tobacco.
Some men were successful, but most lived in near poverty. Freemen rarely worked for others, choosing to try to cultivate their own crops. In result, the region was very unorganized, and every man was for himself. Towns were not needed, nor were they present in this time, as planters had no need to trade their goods with other planters for profit. Families were not common in those days, as women were few and far between, and childbirth was extremely dangerous. There was also no need for schools; too many children died before they were of age to attend. Where New England had already established Harvard University, the Chesapeake region didn’t even own a printing press. Life was miserable at that time, since most colonists were essentially working themselves into an early grave, with little or no satisfaction along the
way. It is hard to say how the Chesapeake colonists felt about their lives. Where they living in constant fear of poverty and illness? With so much death always around them, it is a miracle that they could even function. Perhaps the lack of towns in this time helped shield colonists a little from the harsh fate that waited for them.

Around the turn of the 17th century, things started looking up for the region.
It was at this time that colonists began owning slaves. It was becoming increasingly difficult for plantation owners to harvest their own crops, with all the manpower needed to tend to the fields. Plus, more helping hands meant more money in the long run. Although slavery had not been practiced in England for a long time, it was not an issue for England to accept this change, as it meant more money for the Crown. This is another reason why the life expectancy of colonists increased; less physical work, less stress, and more money gave the planters the break that they desperately
needed.

Slavery and racism during this time went hand in hand -- plantation owners viewed slaves as evil, and therefore it was not a problem to treat slaves as they did. It is hard to believe that one can justify owning another human being for any reason, but the Chesapeake colonists did. Despite African Americans living freely before this time in different parts of America, the addition of slavery to the Virginia and Maryland changed the way the South functioned until after the Civil War. It is doubtful that the region would have faired well without slavery. Since men did not want to work for other men, slavery seemed their only option for economic success and even basic survival. It was much cheaper to own slaves to work the fields than to hire freemen to do it, even if it were an option.

The settlers of the Chesapeake region were laborers and freemen looking to make profit. They cared little for religion compared to New England settlers, and family was almost non-existent in the early days. More men died than lived, and those that did live were not around for very long. Yet the Chesapeake region made a lasting impression on the American South, where they opened the doors to the racism and slave trade that would dominate their society for the next 200 years.