Although Virginia and Massachusetts were both settled by English colonists and shared many similarities, both of these colonies were also very different from one another. Some of these differences included the types of people who settled there, their economy, government and writings. One of the first differences we saw were the types of people who settled in each of these colonies. Most of the people who settled in Virginia were single, young men along with very few women whereas Massachusetts was settled more by married couples and couples with children. Anglicans settled in Virginia while the Puritans, those who were wanting to break away from the Anglican church, settled in Massachusetts. Those settling in Virginia were in search of wealth while those settling in Massachusetts were just looking for a place where they would be able to practice their religion more freely. A second place we can find differences between the two colonies is in their economy. Their climates were both quite different causing each to find different means of supporting their economic growth. Virginia’s climate was warmer and their soil was more fertile allowing them to grow strong and healthy crops which primarily consisted of tobacco. Massachusetts had a colder climate and their soil was more thin and rocky limiting their …show more content…
Each of the colonies founded and established their own government. Virginia set up “the House of Burgess” they first met on July 30, 1619, over ten years since the colonists had settled in Jamestown. The House of Burgess was in charge of all the personal business of Jamestown. The government that was established for Plymouth, Massachusetts is a little different. Their government, “the Mayflower Compact”, was signed by the forty-one men on the ship while sailing over to the New World. The Mayflower Compact is one of the building blocks to the Constitution of the United
Another major difference between the two colonies was their religious views. The New England colony did not agree with The Church and decided to start their own more pure way of religion in the New World, hence the name Puritans, this was one of the main reasons they embarked on a journey to America (DOC D). The freedom of religion was a promised attribute that England used as part of their propaganda to lure people over to America. The Chesapeake Bay settlers still followed the way of The Church and did not intend to purify themselves in any way. As shown in the documents God was more important to the New England colonists than he was to the Chesapeake Bay colonists. The New England colonists mention how they will incorporate God into their lives in almost every document that they have written. Contrary to that the Chesapeake Bay colonists are not forming their lives around religion they are trying to make a life in the New World for the sole purpose of becoming wealthy and could care less about their religion.
The colonies in the New World appeared completely different and the prospect of any unity between them seemed impossible. The colonies in New England and the Chesapeake exemplify the many differences in the culture and lifestyles of the settlers, created mainly because of the fact that their founding fathers had held separate intentions when they came to the New World.
The Massachusetts Bay colony and Virginia had a sundry amount of differences as well as similarities. Each of these colonies was founded upon different ways of living. Digging deeper, there are many more differences about these colonies than there are similarities. Although both colonies eventually experienced the help of the natives, each colony set separate rules and laws for themselves. Virginia is more geographically spread out and more focused on obtaining gold for personal profit, whereas Massachusetts is more of a united, small farmed colony that focused more on the efforts for religious freedom.
The first difference between the New England colonies and the Chesapeake colonies was political. The New England colonies had a more democratic government system; while it was not completely democratic or representative it had a basis of democratic principals. Alternatively, the Chesapeake colonies were largely run by aristocratic leaders rather than the people working together for the common good. Document A explains how the New England colonies had more of a democracy by stating “we must be willing to abridge ourselves… for the supply of others necessities,” it also states “we are to be looked at as a city upon a hill.” This is relevant to why New England colonies were more democratic because this comes from John Winthrop who was on his way to America to the New England colonies. This more democratic mindset politically from the New England colonies stems back to the Mayflower Compact that was written when the pilgrims were on their way to America, explaining the first difference in these two colonial regions because there were no democratic government documents created for when people were going to the Chesapeake colonies. The Mayflower Compact stated,
The Chesapeake and New England colonies had many differences when it came to development; however, similarities can still be found. Some of the main similarities between the colonies were the time period in which they developed and their early demographics. Both colonies were founded in the early 1600s and started off with a demographic of mostly young white European males. In contrast, many differences between the New England and Chesapeake colonies can be found in their distinct geographies, economies, religions, and governments. In terms of
Although both the New England Colonies (Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire), and the Chesapeake Colonies (Virginia and Maryland) were both settled by people of English origin, by 1700 they were both very distinct for a multitude of reasons; Three of which being, their economics, African Slave population, and their life expectancies.
One being their religions, in Jamestown they were Anglican, whereas in Mass. they were Puritan (Stokely). There is also the difference of geographic location. Massachusetts is located in the north where there are harsher weather conditions. Their location provided an excellent harbor and since the terrain did not allow much farming they started lumbering, shipbuilding, fishing, and trade. Virginia, in the south, where there is a much warmer climate, they had a great defensive position and were able to create prosperous plantations (Levy). The settlement in Massachusetts was made up of communities of family units because the colonists of Mass. came with their families (Sonia). Furthermore, the colonists of Jamestown were made up of individuals who understood the value of the crop tobacco, and were only there for the money. Virginia had an economy based on plantations and labor; Massachusetts was comprised of small farmers and merchants (“Instructions for the Virginia
Some of the most populous colonies were the ones situated in the Chesapeake and New England areas. Although these colonies were both settled by the English and had other key similarities, there were also many differences between them. The New England and Chesapeake colonies both had an aristocracy that governed over them, and had frequent issues concerning the Native Americans that previously inhabited the lands. However, their political and economic systems were considerably different. Chesapeake had an oligarchy whose main export was tobacco, while New England had a theocracy whose exports included timber, fur, and fish. Therefore, although the colonies had similarities their differences outweighed the resemblances.
The New England and the Chesapeake colonies differed in numerous ways. These differences included geography, religion, economics, nationalities, and politics, which
Although the New England and Chesapeake colonies were settled by people of English origin, by 1700 they were two distinct societies. What accounts for these differences? Basically, the motives, the geography and the values of the people in the colonies were combined to form two very separate societies in Massachusetts and Virginia. Of course both societies contain settlers from Britain. However, the motives and the values in each society were drastically different from each other. Most people who went to Massachusetts have done so because they hope to create an utopia for their religious beliefs. Most people to Virginia, look for economic opportunity in many different ways.
The Chesapeake and New England colonies, although clearly quite different, do boast some similarities. The two colonies were founded in the early 17th century and started off with a demographic that primarily consisted of young white European men. The differences between the colonies are easier to pinpoint. The New England colony, which is located in the North, has long winters and short growing seasons. This is contrary to the Chesapeake colony which is more to the South than the New England colony. The Chesapeake colony was known for its fertile land, long growing season, and large swaths of land that were perfect or farming. These geographical differences directly impacted the economies as these two distinct colonies developed. The New England colonies focused on fishing, shipbuilding, and growing a distinct class of
Jamestown used military rule for the first decade as a colony. They soon moved to an assembly that was elected by the people. Before the settlers of Plymouth Plantation set foot on the New World in the
The two colonies were similar four ways. The first was that they both had bicameral legislatures. The Virginia General Assembly was created with two different houses. The Virginia’s Governor’s Council was born first in 1607 as the upper house with twelve men, who served lifetime terms. The lower house was the House of Burgesses, which was created in 1619, and consisted of twenty-two elected representatives. This is considered to be the first elected assembly in colonial America. Massachusetts also employed this system in 1644 with a representative lower house and a body of freeman.
They were mainly similar politically. Socially and economically they had some differences also. However, one thing they were alike is that they both had a royal governors. Their royal governors were both chosen by the king. The king made all of their decisions. However, the king did try to make the laws fairly. He took what his people wanted under consideration when making the rules. Of course, not everyone can be pleased, so some people did not like the rules but they learned to deal with them. Another way the New England colonies and Southern colonies are alike is that their people got to vote for their lawmakers. Virginia had the House of Burgesses that was a legislature that was picked by the people. The Pilgrims had the Mayflower compact, in which they would follow. They both had early examples of
In the early stages of developing America into a new political power, there were multiple colonies being built across the east coast by inhabitants from Europe. Among these colonies was the Virginian colony in the Chesapeake and the Puritan colony in Massachusetts. While both colonies share some similarities within their societies, they developed differently due to the type of people who traveled there, the religious and economic ideals, and the settlers reasoning for traveling to the American country.