Faith or Fortune? New England and the Chesapeake Region

By 1700, New England and the Chesapeake had developed into two distinct colonies. New England colonists were concerned about faith, communalism, and equality, while Chesapeake society was ravaged by social inequality, tension betwee the classes, and avarice.

New England emphasized religion and the importance of communalism and equality. In Springfield, Massachusette's Articles of Agreement, 1636, it was written that the colonists intended to "walk in all the ways of Christ", meaning that they wanted to emulate the lifestyle described in the Bible. They desired a colony that embraced religion, rather than money because they found wealth in God, not in the procurement of material things. Connecticutt's Wage and Price regulations, 1676, again alluded to New England's godly mission, stating that the reason for the regulation of pay was to enable the colonists to serve God. The regulation of payand the concept of just price also relates to New England's concern for comunalism, social reciprocity, and equality. New England colonists tried to help their neighbors by establishing
fair prices. If everyone sold goods at reasonable prices, everyone would be able to afford them, which allowed everyone an equal chance of survival. New Englanders cared about their neighbors' well-being; they knew that in order for their colony to flourish, everyone must work together. As John Winthrop wrote in A MODEL OF CHRISTIAN CHARITY, "We must knit together in this work as one man". Everyone in New England was considered an integral part of the community and because
one person is just as important as another, everyone is equal. In order for the community to function properly, everyone must work for the benefit of everyone. This is why New England families were so large, as noted in a ship's list of emigrants bound for New England, 1635. Big families could make a larger contribution to the community as a whole than smaller ones; they could also have a more dominant role in church life.

In contrast. the Chesapeake colonies of Virginia and Maryland did not exhibit the same emphasis on community life. Virginia was renowned for its social inequality, tension between the social classes, and greed. Virginia was not established for the sole purpose of pursuing religious freedom and erecting model Christian communities like those existing in New England. Virginia was founded for monetary reasons, although founder of Maryland, Lord Baltimore, founded his colony as a Catholic Haven. In the Chesapeake, there was no emphasis on family, as demonstrated by a ship's list of emigrants bound for Virginia, 1635. The list is made up primarily of men, with only a few women and no children. These people were after gold, as Captain John Smith, leader of the early Jamesetown settlement, complains in History of Virginia, 1624, "There was no task...but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, look gold." Chesapeake colonists were concerned about defending their own
self-interests, which meant acquiring as much wealth for themselves as possible. Unlike New Englanders, they were not advocates for ensuring equality and communalism. Catholic Marylanders were intent on shooing non-Catholics away from their colony. In Virginia, if one of the colonist's neighbors perished, they saw it not as a loss, but as an economic advantage; simply, less competition. This classic Darwinian situation where the maxim "survival of the fittest" could be seen everywhere meant that there was a definite social hierarchy - -which did not exist in New England. Nathaniel Bacon justified his rebellion
against Virgina Governor Berkeley in his "Manifesto", 1676, by saying that there was corruption among the elite; the rich were unwilling to help the poor and there was constant competition. People did not trust each other, as evident in "Governor Berkeley and his Council on their Inability to Defend Virginia Against a Dutch Attack, 1673. Berkeley wrote that Virginians were reluctant to leave their plantations to defend themselves against the Dutch because they were afraid of
leaving their wives and children alone with their servants and slaves. Unlike in New England, there was no trust in one's neighbor in the Chesapeake. There was no unity.

The Social distinctions between the Chesapeake colonies and New England that were established by 1700 are still apparent today. New Englanders are renowned for being more modest and slightly more conservative than Southerners. There are also more government programs to help the poor up north than in the south, where people are more concerned about themselves. These differences are as significant now as they were then - -although now they exist on a county-wide scale rather than across each state.