What problems dogged the early settlements of the Chesapeake region? Could they have been mitigated? Did the differing circumstances of Maryland and Virginia's founding affect the course of their respective development? If so, how?

Why were the early settlements in the Caribbean considered more important than those on the mainland of North America? How did these colonies differ from — and influence the development of — their mainland counterparts?

How did the motivations of the early colonists in New England differ from those in the Chesapeake, Caribbean, and the Restoration colonies? In what ways did those differences shape both the growth and the problems of that region?