Although colonists came to America for many of the same reasons, the experiences they encountered were quite different. The quest for economic opportunity, religious freedom, and democratic lifestyle presented challenges to both the Chesapeake and New England colonies.
The Chesapeake Colony consisted of Virginia and Maryland. Virginia's first migrants were sent not only to settle land, but more importantly to search for gold and other treasures for trade to fund a joint-stock company owned by London merchants. The merchants had sold shares of their company to investors in order to providing funding for this venture. An additional promise of the merchants to the stockholders was that Christianity would be introduced to the Indians while settling the new land. No women, settlers, or ministers were included in the first settlement. The original colonists consisted of 104 young men and boys who were employed by the London merchants. …
