Two Philosophies In Colonial Society

Kyle Hammond
AP US History – 5
Mrs. Grzymkowski
August 6th, 2011
The Arrival of Two Philosophies in Colonial Society

Throughout the course of human history, it is certain that motivated groups of people have gone to bold extremes behind personal zeal and wishful impulses. The New World prior to 1700 was a very favorable refuge for people with this nature, as it was a vast and ungoverned landmass that, with the exception of defensive aboriginals, lacked formidable security against exploitation. In 1607, a modest group of English descendants arrived upon the shore of Jamestown, Virginia, bearing with them a persistent drive toward gold, prosperity, and a prospective foundation for new society. In 1620, a pious group of English separatists
arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in search of religious freedom following the degeneracy and greed that had proliferated in the Anglican Church. Regardless of their colonial destinies, the fundamental motivations behind both settlements became very prevalent as a variety of English people fled to the New World in the 15th century. By 1700, despite the population’s common English descent, two distinct societies emerged. The Chesapeake region became prominently characterized by men whose enthusiasm was structured toward prosperity and land exploitation, while New England was occupied by religious separatists whose societal objectives circulated around a close-knit community based on moral, economic, and religious unity.

When King Charles I succeeded the English throne in 1625, he exerted firm religious jurisdiction and continued to embellish the already corrupted Anglican Church: an incident of which the Puritans loathed. This inspired a mass Puritan movement into the New World, also known as the Great Migration. On the Arbella, a Puritan escape vessel, the objective of society in Massachusetts was profoundly articulated by John Winthrop in A Model of Christian Charity. In it, he wrote: “We must delight in each other, make others’ conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, our community as members of the same body. We must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill.” This spiritual and nationalistic idea proposed by the 20-year Massachusetts Bay governor expounded his premise in the New World- That is, to use it for living a pure and virtuous lifestyle and one worth living in the eyes of God.
It set forth the righteous practice of common good. The “city upon a hill” mindset would essentially arouse a feeling of superiority in the region, as intolerance thrived and repelled other religions from inhabiting the area. In fact, when people such as Roger Williams and Anne Hutchison did not conform to Massachusetts’ religious and political beliefs, they basically had no choice but to flee. Roger Williams would soon take his religious zeal and establish the colony of Rhode Island, one of the New England colonies. Also, amid this Puritan surge to the New World came many age-diverse and gender-diverse families. According to “A Ship’s list of Emigrants Bound for New England”, A 40-year-old minister from Somerset came on a ship with his relatively large family as well as eight other families of many different ages and sexes. A vision of New England society can be extracted from this list, as it chiefly occupied a small group of close families and a minister whose only motivation for coming to the New World could be religious-based. Only a year later in 1636 came Massachusetts’ Articles of Agreement, which essentially took a step toward imposing ideal society in the already expanding New England
colonies. Going under oath of God, this document obliged to procuring a Godly and faithful minister inside the church, a restriction of forty families per town, property rights to natives, and rights to a share of meadow or planting ground. Not only do these articles moderately emphasize the influence of religion in Massachusetts’s society, but they also explain their philosophical core of socialism by providing welfare and tackling New England’s moral and integrative aim. Meanwhile, the influence of Massachusetts’s colonial society was expanding. Reverend Thomas Hooker founded Hartford, Connecticut in 1636, and in doing so he created the Fundamental Orders- a constitution that strongly resembled the Massachusetts system. By 1677, Massachusetts had reached influence in Maine as well. Society in New England, spurred from John Winthrop and his Massachusetts visualization, was clearly focused on spirituality and socioeconomic tranquility, as the religious appreciation of the common good would be confronted once again in 1676. A document titled “Wage and Price Regulations in Connecticut” put forth a standard of pay for workmen and traders. It was stated that “the interim recommends [that] all tradesmen and laborers consider the religious end of their callings, which is that receiving such moderate profit as may enable them to serve God”. This essentially pushed welfare once again in a grand scheme to assist the oppressed in being able to serve the Lord and the community. Overall, it is conclusive that inhabitants of the New England region were motivated by faith and economic uniformity rather than individual profits and materialism.

Under the microscope, society in the Chesapeake colonies was distinctively unlike New England in terms of motivation. The Chesapeake region encompassed fatal diseases and climatic conditions that, as indicated by the privation and misery of Jamestown, did not provide a suitable environment for starting a healthy society and by no means could support the figurative “city upon a hill”. Flux, malaria, typhoid, and other diseases lurked in the midst of heat and humidity. This begs a simple question: What inspired anyone to come to the region? And the answer was as simple as it gets: land exploitation and profit. The prospect of agriculture was perhaps the only enticing aspect of the southern region, as many wealth-seeking Englishmen fled to the region only to work for seven years and subsequently be granted 100 acres of land by the London Company. This process, which soon became known as the headright system, served well until cultivation expanded rapidly and allowed owners of large plantations to dominate the commerce of agriculture while spoiling the hardworking and former indentured servants that only labored on small tracts of land. Until Bacon’s Rebellion, this became a precedent in the years to follow – especially with the production of tobacco. Essentially the foundation of society in the Chesapeake area was set: A tireless hunger toward dividends that would be executed at any cost, and in this case, that cost was morality.

In the History of Virginia written by Captain John Smith, he states, “The worse [among us were the gold seekers who] with their golden promises made all men their slaves in hope of recompenses.
There was no talk… but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold…” This testimony illustrates the gold-driven mindset of men who lived in Virginia; a mindset of which opposed the upright peace that existed in New England. Even 40 years later the corruption still existed as Francis Bacon documented his justification for executing a rebellion. Amongst other things, he calls out the government for mishandling the capital brought on by the lower-class citizens as well as referring to the wealthy as “unworthy favorites and juggling parasites whose tottering fortunes have been repaired and supported at the public charge”. This allegation is yet another indicator of the extremes that people went to in order to achieve wealth at the cost of the poor and meager. Without any doubt, the Chesapeake region was a society characterized by men who had no intent to thrive on family, common good, religion, or financial restrictions; but it was instead a region focused on wealth, hard work, gold, and
prosperity.

The individual motivations behind the English surge into the New World essentially developed into two societies backed by different philosophies, objectives, and dreams. The wealth-seekers of the Chesapeake did not thrive on caring for the needy and by no means needed to live amongst excellent climatic conditions if it were to cost them the most fertile land. They had land and prosperity in mind as many of them spent several years slaving as indentured servants in an often-delusional attempt to work their way to the top. In contrast, the New Englanders had no aim towards competition, wealth, or material fulfillment. Their core was based on pity, economic equality, modesty, and a life that they believed would satisfy the lord.
Which philosophy best governs a society?