Restoration Colonies Vs. New England
#8 Discuss the differences in the ways in which the Restoration colonies were settled and the way New England colonies began. The English- American colonies of the 16th century commenced with the first initial journeys to the New World, that have led to a series of migrations, for the same reasons as today, to pursue economic opportunities, employment, and the means to establish lifestyles free from the limitations of one’s initial homeland. Though they weren’t the original English colonists to inhabit North America, such as the Chesapeake groups in Virginia and Maryland, several scholars believe that the New England colonies were the original people to create the contemporary image of the first “American” society. New England colonies were unique from other colonies in North America, for the reasons that many of the migrants were Instead of growing tobacco, New England colonies and Puritan values were spread and grown upon American soil, able to develop tightly knit communities oriented on strong familial units and often guided by Puritan values. In fact, religion was the center of New England colonies; there was no separation between Church and State, as exemplified in the political leaders who were often the colonies’ clergies.
The settling of the Restoration colonies, though similar in intention, were distinct from the initial beginning of the New England colonies in motivation and societal structure. The pivotal motivation behind the establishment of the New England was to secure religious freedom in North America, the reason streaming from religious persecution in Europe. The incentive of the Restoration colonies was prompted when Puritan leader and Commonwealth protector, Oliver Cromwell dies, leaving England anxious for political leadership. In 1660, King Charles 2 restored the Stuart monarchy; as the monarchy was reconstructed in the Restoration era, the proprietary colonies that were also established by Charles 2 were dubbed the Restoration colonies. In the issuing of the Restoration charters, the initial colonies were to be based on those in Maryland. However, the Restoration colonies came to be more heterogeneous than those in Maryland and New England, as several migrants from Barbados, English settlers and African slaves, relocated to the new colonies.
Another variance between the different colonies, was that the Restoration colonies had recognized alliance with the Dutch, soon establishing with them New York. Eventually, New York become the multicultural center of America, accepting various cultures and religions, unlike the strict monolithic colonies of New England. The Restoration settlements differ from the New England colonies as they were more ethnically, linguistically, and religiously diverse.
