Development of the Colonies essays

Development of the Colonies essays With the Middle Ages in its prime years, Europe remained a fairly unadventurous civilization from 500-1500 A.D. With subsistence farming prevailing and commerce being limited, merchants keep their affairs fairly domestic, failing to consider their international capabilities. But as Europe gradually became more mercantilistic and religious discontent raged, Europeans were motivated to migrate to America and colonize lands in the New World. Despite the fact that the regions of New England and Chesapeake were both colonized by settlers of English origin, by 1700 these lands had developed into two very idiosyncratic civilizations, each one having characteristics unique unto itself. The Chesapeake region, comprised of Jamestown and Maryland, was settled mainly by poor people who needed jobs and were in search of a better life. From the start, problems arose in the Chesapeake region settlements, such as land that was not easy to cultivate- a formidable challenge. Because of their experience in Ireland, the English kept the societies of the natives and that of the settlers separated. The settlements of the Chesapeake region were business enterprises, which were financed by private companies that expected to make a profit off of them. These factors just mentioned would be the backbone of life in the Chesapeake region, forming the basis around which the settlement would develop. The majority of the people bound for Jamestown were young men, some of which were in search of money; others were simply looking for a better life (Doc. C). With money being one of the major goals of the settlers of Jamestown, John Smith observed that many of the settlers of Jamestow n were so obsessed with getting rich off of the voyage that all they could do was think about, talk about, and work for gold. He himself called it disgustful (Doc. F). Along with these men came Captain John Smith, who founded the settlement of Jamestown in 1607....