Why were the patterns of settlement in the Chesapeake and New England so different? What forces and ideas shaped the spatial organization of each region?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The regions' respective settlement patterns and spatial organization were different because of their varying motives.

Colonists in the Chesapeake were driven by profit and the desire to find the most fertile lands and access to navigable rivers. As a result, the settlements would spread out over time as people scattered across an area in search of good land and access to waterways. The settlers wanted to be able to export their cash crops.

The Puritans' settlements were carried out with the purpose of maintaining stable and cohesive communities. Puritan towns were centered on a meeting house, which served as a place of worship and as the political center of the community. Town ordinances did not allow settlers to establish homesteads too far from the meeting house. The size of towns was controlled, and settlers were not allowed to spread out and weaken the bond of community. Instead of spreading out, Puritans created new towns and villages. This system allowed Puritans to preserve their religious mission and limit deviant behavior in their communities.