In contemporary society, America is metaphorically called a "melting pot" to describe the blending of different cultures and ethnicities. Societal diversification is now a common phenomenon in the United States, as people can live anywhere and still have access to the same resources. However, this phenomenon did not occur during the settlement of the thirteen founding colonies, in which some areas became strongholds of different modes of society. In historical hindsight, the colonies were classified into three distinct regions based on their location and customs: New England, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. Because of their close geographic location but fascinating array of characteristics, the central and southern colonies make the most compelling comparison. Although they collectively laid the foundation for modern America, these regions had many more differences than similarities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To compare and contrast the two colonial regions, you need to start at the root of their disparity by considering the motivations of their founders. The rationale behind the creation of the middle colonies was primarily driven by religion; members of minority faiths wished to escape the jurisdiction of the Church of England. A major figure in this migration was William Penn, an English aristocrat who remained steadfastly loyal to the Religious Society of Friends, otherwise called the Quakers. Penn recognized the religious persecution inflicted on his peers in England and founded Pennsylvania as a means of providing asylum for them. He later assumed government control of Delaware, while a group of Quakers purchased the nearby colony of New Jersey. The founding of the southern colonies was mainly linked to the economic ambitions of the English aristocracy, in stark contrast to the religious pilgrimages made by the Quakers. In the Carolinas, eight founding landowners planned to develop an agricultural colony that would supply English sugar plantations in Barbados and export other foreign products. Georgia, on the other hand, was founded on the premise of being a buffer state to protect the Carolinas from the aggressive Spanish who inhabited Florida. Thanks to the prosperous tobacco industry due in part to John Rolfe, Virginia became a financial paradise for aspiring Europeans. Although Maryland was not expected to follow in these agricultural footsteps, its abundance of tobacco led to immeasurable economic gains for landowners. The motivations of the founders of the colonies not only highlighted the inconsistency between the two regions, but also foreshadowed their respective religious tendencies. Emerging from the founding motivations, the religious orientations in the two colonial regions were visibly dissimilar. The middle colonies generally developed into a Quaker sanctuary, with the notable exception of New York. Led by William Penn, the harmonious group presided over Pennsylvania and New Jersey, while simultaneously exerting strong influence in Delaware. Meanwhile, British and Dutch conflicts in New York made religious uniformity impossible, forcing many colonists to reluctantly adopt local forms of Protestantism. In contrast to the religious emphasis in the central region, the southern colonies mostly chose to neglect addressing the issue. Because of the agriculturally based societies present in this area, the Church of England faced little competition in establishing itself as the sole religious force. The royal statuses of Georgia, Virginia, and Carolina securedthat Anglicanism was predominant in the South. Maryland originally proved to be an outlier; it was founded by a well-known Catholic landowner named Lord Baltimore who sought to provide refuge for those persecuted in England. However, tensions flared between the settlers and their Protestant neighbors, discouraging the idea of ​​a strictly Catholic settlement. Because religion was a nonessential aspect of Southern life, settlers living in these areas were afforded religious tolerance. The lack of religious uniformity in the southern colonies highlights how significantly they differ from their central counterparts, further highlighting other macro differences between the regions. The respective attitudes toward religion that separate the colony groups suggest widespread variations in their cultures, particularly in the ways of their economies. The differentiation between the central and southern colonies may be aided by the drastically different means by which they pursued financial success. In the first region the land was characterized as much more fertile and spacious than in other areas. Bread exports from the central colonies increased dramatically, so much so that they were consequently considered the "bread colonies". Industry played a surprisingly large role in the economy, with lumber and shipping ports thriving thanks to a favorable physical environment. Because their fortunes did not depend on plantations and slave labor, the Northern colonies were likely left in a more sustainable economic situation than those in the South. The growth of products such as tobacco and rice became a staple of the Southern economy, leading to an unbalanced distribution of land where plantations became the social norm. Alongside vast farms, they helped popularize slavery and stunted the growth of the developing cities around them. They also fostered the onset of class inequality, as the profiteering aristocracy began to separate itself from the rest by advancing higher in the social hierarchy. For all the notable differences between the Central and Southern colonies, they were both responsible for political advances that changed the course of our nation. In reference to the former, William Penn notably took several political measures to instill a peaceful and cooperative attitude in the colony of Pennsylvania. He purchased land from local Native Americans and attempted to partially integrate them into his society, foreshadowing our modern efforts to provide equality for racial and ethnic minorities. Penn's famous framework of government served as the first constitution for the colony, but more importantly it expressed his vehement resentment of autocratic rule. To prevent the formulation of absolutism, he implemented a system of checks and balances that vaguely resembled that of the United States Constitution. Delaware was also subject to this system, while New Jersey devised a similar set of laws. The Southern colonies generally conformed to this blueprint, prioritizing the best decisions for the greater good of the people. Essential progress toward our modern system of government was made in Virginia with the establishment of the House of Burgesses in 1619. It was the first of many miniature legislatures formed by the colonists, setting the precedent for the American valuation of democracy. During a time of religious anguish between Catholics and Protestants in Maryland, the representative assembly chose to end the conflict by passing the Act of Tolerance in 1649. This attitude toward service to the people was one of the few characteristics prevalent in both colonial regions discussed, which reflects the.