DBQ #1, 6th period
The Chesapeake region consists of Maryland and Virginia, and the New England colonies consists of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Even though they were both settled around the same time period, 1607 to 1700, the two regions differ greatly. From the time period of their original settlement in 1607, the Chesapeake region developed differently from the New England colonies due to their differences in geography, motives for settlement and the socioeconomic backgrounds of their original settlers.
The Chesapeake region had many geographic differences compared to the New England colonies, which caused the region to develop much differently. Both of these regions had cold climates, making the winters difficult for both groups of settlers. Even though the New England colonies had a diverse range of geography, from rocky and sandy soil to fertile river valleys, their land was more suitable for small scale farming which brought in less income. In contrast, the Chesapeake region had “so many vast rivers”, making the land more suitable for large scale farming and cash crops, such as tobacco and rice (document G).
The Chesapeake region settlers also had different motives than the New England settlers, which was a very important, contributing factor in why the Chesapeake region developed differently. Both regions were a safe haven for particular regions, Puritans in New England and Catholics in the Chesapeake. However, in the Chesapeake region, the most common motives were to make money by either farming or searching for luxury items such as gold (document F). Because of these particular motives, settlers did not set up the necessary housing and grow the sufficient amount of food in order to survive; causing many to die (document F). The motives also caused competition between the settlers, which hindered the idea of a ‘group settlement’. Moreover, since the settlers in New England were searching for...