America as Melting Post (Ap U.S. History Dbq)

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As soon as Europeans began to settle in the New World, it was evident that it would become an extremely diverse melting pot of people. Settled by a predominantly English origin, New England and the Chesapeake region morphed into two distinct societies by the turn of the 18th century. Their differences were fueled largely by their motives in migrating across the Atlantic, the economy and form of government that each colony used, and also the fact that these people originated from cultures that were quite separated. There were many motives and incentives that caused Europeans to move to America. One of the most popular causes of migration to the New World was the search for religious freedom. In John Winthrop’s writings (document A), he states how he and his community act as the servants of God. They not only desired to be able to worship however they please, but these early Americans also wanted to spread their religion to as many people as they could, with the best of intentions, of course. I turn to Captain John Smith and his trips to Virginia (document F). Smith believes that the worst of those that he traveled with were the ones who wanted to make “all men their slaves” (paragraphs 2). They were overconfident, unrealistic, and seemed to lack the ability to treat other human beings with dignity and respect. Many colonists were also brought in as criminals who were simply taking up room in England. Many of these men went down south, to Georgia. Another important fact that I need to recognize is that the composition of the people that came to America was inherently different. Of course, this caused them to share pieces of their cultures, but also made it difficult for different groups of people to have many similarities. If you read through document B, which is a Ship’s List of Emigrants Bound for New England, it is clear that an important aspect of their
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