The colonies each had a distinctive political structure. New England enforced a strong sense of community with fair wages and prices. New England from the beginning was settled by families. A shipment of emigrants bound for New England consisted of a minister, several farmers, a tailor and a clothier along with their families. The New England colonies were created by Puritans escaping religious persecution in England. The Puritans were a group of English Protestants that wanted to "purify" the Church of England. The Puritans created articles that would plan the foundation of daily life. They decided to set up a small farming community. Each family would have a portion of land and did as they saw fit. As a result, slavery did not predominate in the New England colonies. The New England colonies had began as a self-governing region. Because this was a lesser defined hierarchy, there were no assemblies dominated by aristocrats. The Chesapeake colonies began as private colonies. The colonists were more motivated by greed and saw the New World as an opportunity to become rich. In comparison to New England, there were very few women or families. Most of the people were men of about 20-30 years of age. The ratios and ages probably meant that these people were looking to make money rather than to start a family. .
The Chesapeake colonies were mostly funded by England. The Governor of Virginia, William Berkeley, asked the King of England to help out. These colonies maintained fairly close relations with England. They still considered themselves as Englishmen and men under England, as well as still showing allegiance to England. The colonists of the Chesapeake region did have a colonial assembly. They were mainly comprised of local people from the colony. There was also a governor of the region who was designated by the King of England. The local people of the colony, the colonial assembly, and the English appointed governor shared political power over the region.
