Juan Carlos Castellanos History 1301 Lori Lehtola September 18 2013 Colonization of Early America by the English Although there are many differences between the two English societies that colonized early America, the founding goals of both colonies were similar. Both colonies, Jamestown and Massachusetts Bay, struggled to grow as societies when they came to America. The people who settled in Jamestown were not prepared and they did not plan what they were going to do there or how they were going to survive. On the other hand, the people who settled in Massachusetts were mainly puritans in their search for religious freedom from the Anglican Church. Despite the fact that they both had hardships, the Massachusetts Bay colony prospered, while the Jamestown colony did not succeed in the end.
But instead of docking in Virginia they ended up landing in New England, and so it marked the beginning of Puritan settlement New England. Others desired a change in lifestyle, despite originating from the same area, England, Members of the Anglican or Church of England, these men had no reason to search and establish a new way of life, instead they wished to fortify and make their lives better for materialistic reasons as opposed to religion. From the beginning New England and Chesapeake settlers started off creating their colonies disparately. (Document C) Since settlers came to the Chesapeake with the intention of not staying for long, they traveled alone, not with families. At a six to one ration of mostly men, they left England to seek profit from gold.
All had representative assemblies Chapter 3 – Settling the Northern Colonies Pilgrims: Who; the most religious out of Puritans (Separatists) What; traveled for religious freedom When; arrived in New England in 1620 Where; from England Why; King James I chased them out because he feared that if they defy him as a spiritual leader, they would defy him as a political leader How; went to New England on the Mayflower Mayflower Compact; i. Purpose- for better “ordering and preservation”. They have to be unified to survive ii. Enact laws – by the body politic (majority vote) iii. Laws are just and equal iv. Promise to obey and submit Roger Williams Who; amiable and popular Salem minister with radical ideas; extreme Separatist What; threatened Puritan leaders – challenged them to cleanly cut ties with corrupt England and challenged legality Bay Colony’s charter (taking land from Indians w/o fair compensation) Denied authority of civil government to regulate religious behavior (treasonable act) When; 1630s Where; Massachusetts Bay Colony Why;
Although the New England and Chesapeake regions were originally colonized by mainly English settlers, the two regions in time evolved into two distinct societies. By 1700, their religious practices, family relations, and political differences led them in two different directions. New England was a refuge for religious separatists leaving England, while people who immigrated to the Chesapeake region had no religious motives. In Document A, John Winthrop talks a lot about uniting together to basically please God, and spread his word. John Winthrop states that the Puritan goal was to form "a city upon a hill", which would represent a "pure" community, where Christianity could be pursued (Document A).
Europeans began the colonization of America in the early 1600's. In the beginning they all came to escape from something in Europe, and while there were many various reasons for leaving, most were fleeing from religious persecution. The other main attraction was economic prosperity in a new world rich with resources, to either be sent back to Europe, or to simply use here and make a new life for themselves, better than that which they had back home. The English colonies of the Chesapeake and New England were similar in terms of who founded them ( English settlers), but the similarities pretty much stopped there when it came to reasons for settling, and once they had established themselves how their economies and societies were set up. They differed greatly in economic structure, religious beliefs, societal structure, and also population make-up.
Although Maryland was an early pioneer of religious toleration in the English colonies, religious strife among Anglicans, Puritans, Catholics, and Quakers was common in the early years. Plymouth was founded in 1623 by a group of Separatists initially known as the Brownist Emigration and Anglicans, who together later came to be known as the Pilgrims. The separatists disagreed with the Church of England, and instead of trying to reform it, they left. Plymouth Colony was, along with Jamestown and other settlements in Virginia, one of the earliest successful colonies to be founded by the English in North America. A significant proportion of the citizens of Plymouth were fleeing religious persecution and searching for a place to worship as they saw fit.
As Calvinists the Puritans believed in divine sovereignty. They felt that God’s plan was to reform church and society to conform to John Calvin’s theological ideas. In their eyes the English government went directly against the divine plan of purity and social order by allowing and participating in such things as drunkenness, gambling, public swearing and Sabbath breaking. The Government also allowed celebrations based on pagan customs such as maypole dancing and celebrating Christmas and saints’ days. 2 1 Davidson, James West et al, U.S. A Narrative History, Volume One, (New York: McGraw Hill, 2012), p.65.
Their attempts failed and the Puritans soon became persecuted by the Church of England. Thus, they fled and came to the new world, hoping that this would be the place where they could build the shining city on a hill where Puritan practices would shine for all to see. The Puritans were initially will to work with the confines of the established Church of England, the Pilgrims thought it so corrupt that they wished to separate themselves from it completely. They set up their own secret congregation in the village of Scrooby in Nottinghamshire. They saw little chance for remaining true to their faith as long as they remained in England.
The Puritans came to escape religious persecution and the Separatists came because they wanted to leave the Church of England. Before the settlers arrived in the "New World" they made a pact and set up laws for the colony known as the Mayflower Compact. They would see each other as equal individuals and work for God. Their goal was to be a role model for everyone else coming in search for a new way of life. However, the Chesapeake Bay was settled for economic reasons.
Hughes regretted his decision, but he did not want to keep everyone else waiting. This illustrates the common issue of Christians claiming to be followers of Christ, yet attending church is the only religious action they perform. The way that the aunt kept telling Hughes to come and be saved provided a coerced feel to her motives. His childlike innocence of expecting Jesus to literally walk into the church accompanied by bright lights led to his confusion as to why members of the congregation went up to the front of the aisle and Westley only going because he was tired of sitting. He took the faith aspects of religion literally, leading to his genuine confusion.