During the 17th century, differing social, economic, and geographic factors shaped the Chesapeake region and New England. in different Throughout the century, New England maintained a strong, communal identity while the Chesapeake remained widely scattered. Through the hot river valleys of the Chesapeake had a climate that facilitated staple crop plantations and disease, New England’s extreme climate made mass production of staple crops and the spread of disease difficult. The combination of poor free men, and later, indentured servants and slaves, resulted in a larger rich-poor gap in the Chesapeake.

When the New England settlers first arrived, they had strong ties to religion. They believed that it was their responsibility and God’s expectation that they create moral, Christian communities. John Winthrop reflects this in Doc. A by saying their failure would “open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of…God.” The Chesapeake settlers, however, had similar yet, separate, goals based on the economies. People’s main motives were not religious, but economic, there to “dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold,” as per doc. F. This resulted in competition, rather than bonding, over the settlement. Document B reflects that people settled in New England with their families, whereas Doc. C shows that Chesapeake settlers were mostly single men. This happened because the religious freedom and practice was more appealing to families, to form communities that worship God, and resulted in a much more unified settlement. The economy of the Chesapeake region made it more profitable to spread out, making the development of cities, schools, and churches more difficult. The focus on unity in New England led to a decrease in property rights for women, on the basis of encouraging families and family unity.
The climate of the Chesapeake region was appealing to large landholders. It