Book excerpt: Tise cutting-edge collection of essays in this volume represent the vast array of experiences in the Chesapeake region, encompassing the racial, class, ethnic, and gender diversity that characterized life in early Maryland and Virginia. Order and Civility in the Early Modern Chesapeake makes a significant contribution to the growing interest in the Chesapeake as an accurate indication of the English customs, rituals, and beliefs men and women brought to the New World. Ultimately, this study suggests that the multicultural Chesapeake created significant cultural, intellectual, and social norms that have shaped the diverse world of the American people.