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Differences Between New England And The Chesapeake Colonies

Decent Essays

New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by people of English origin, but by the 1700’s they were two distinct societies. They differed politically, economically, and socially, and these differences stemmed from when people first arrived in the colonies to how the colonies grew over time.
The first difference between the New England colonies and the Chesapeake colonies was political. The New England colonies had a more democratic government system; while it was not completely democratic or representative it had a basis of democratic principals. Alternatively, the Chesapeake colonies were largely run by aristocratic leaders rather than the people working together for the common good. Document A explains how the New England colonies had more of a democracy by stating “we must be willing to abridge ourselves… for the supply of others necessities,” it also states “we are to be looked at as a city upon a hill.” This is relevant to why New England colonies were more democratic because this comes from John Winthrop who was on his way to America to the New England colonies. This more democratic mindset politically from the New England colonies stems back to the Mayflower Compact that was written when the pilgrims were on their way to America, explaining the first difference in these two colonial regions because there were no democratic government documents created for when people were going to the Chesapeake colonies. The Mayflower Compact stated,

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