The Colonies

New England was founded by the Pilgrims who escaped the Reformation in Europe. They landed in Plymouth in 1620 after much difficulty. They were all Puritans and upon their settlement, they established Puritan churches in New England that by 1640 there were already 35 of these churches in the region. These people were zealous believers and their social structure was primarily headed by the ministers of the church. The minority of these original settlers followed stricter religious and social practices. The majority however soon waned in their Puritanism. By the late 1600s the New England colonies had become large that the Puritan influence had already weakened. This is also due to the many immigrants to the colonies which had different beliefs. What was founded as theocratic society became a secular polity based on secular law (The Pilgrims, n.d.).

The Chesapeake on the other hand was first inhabited by the Powhatans. According to archeological facts, they were composed of six to nine tribes. These tribes were lead and united by Chief Powhatan through a confederacy he created, the tribes of the confederacy. This confederacy contributed the military support and paid taxes in form of goods to the Chief. The English arrived in 1607. They viewed the Indians as lazy since the men only hunted and fish while the female were left to do the rest of the work for the family. After several wars between the English settlers and the Indians, both parties compromised for peace since they realized that they could benefit from each other. However due to miscommunication, the peace did not last long. Only after the marriage of Pocahontas, daughter of Powhatan, to John Rolfe created temporary peace. Due to warfare over the years, the population of the Powhatans dropped to only 1,800 by the year 1669. By the early 1700s most of the tribes no longer existed and it was only during the Civil War when they again reorganized themselves and resurfaced (Native Americans, 2002).

What makes a great difference between the two colonies is the presence of the Native Americans in Chesapeake. This group of people already had their own set of culture, beliefs and social structure. They have their own high priests to whom the people are devoted to and depended to in terms of spiritual and medicinal needs. Thus, when the settlers, and even the Spanish colonizers who came to the land, arrived they had difficulties in converting the people into their beliefs. The Jesuit priests who arrived to the land to convert the tribes into Christianity soon found that the Indians are already settled in their created social structure. Converting them was almost impossible. On the other hand, the New England founders and settlers did not encounter any resistance from any natives. They simply established their own beliefs and social structure, which was in the beginning purely Puritanical in nature. This allowed them to evolve with the times without much problem and violence.

At the same time, it can be noted that both colonies were similarly dominated by the English settlers. Despite the resistance of the Native Americans in the Chesapeake region, by the end of the 1600s they were already beginning to be outnumbered. Similarly the New England region was by then dominated by the English settlers. Moreover it can also be noted that the Puritans as well as the Native Americans were eventually suppressed and was soon outnumbered. As they were both the original settlers of the land and the then majority, they soon became the minority.

Works Cited

Native Americans. 2002. The Mariners’ Museum.

            Retrieved 5 August 2008 from

http://www.mariner.org/chesapeakebay/native/nam027.html

The Pilgrims. n.d. New England Travel Planner

            Retrieved 5 August 2008 from

http://www.newenglandtravelplanner.com/history/pilgrims.html