Virginia And Plymouth Colony Compare And Contrast

Jamestown, an English colony, was in a constant spiral of death and struggles that included diseases, lack of resources and the Powhatan (natives) between 1607 and 1611. First, disease struck the colony only to be followed by drought and famine only to cause a war between the Powhatan (Natives) and the English colonists. It will always to be important to know the history of our great nation that we call

During the 17th and 18th century, English residents felt that England was over-crowded and intolerable. They wanted to lessen these problems that rose up because of the large population increase and to establish more religious freedom (Horn). The English believed that the best way to go about this was to colonize the New World. Subsequently, many colonies began to develop, and of these colonies, Massachusetts Bay and Virginia were the most well-known. The early settlements of Massachusetts and Virginia were both established by similar groups of people at the same time; furthermore, their contrasting beginnings as a colony, views on religion, and method of economic stability all contributed to our American heritage today.

In the New World, various resources, climates, and considerable amounts of land allowed numerous opportunities for settlers. Those who once yearned to climb the social ladder or gain the freedoms bestowed from land ownership flocked toward the newfound settlements. Colonization proved to be a grueling task; however, success was found after adapting to the new environment and facing many hardships. Two colonies established early in the seventeenth century included Virginia and New England. Both Virginia and New England were forerunning settlements that differed in the following senses: political, social, and economical.

The English had two main colonies in the new world, Jamestown and Plymouth. The first colony was Jamestown, established in Virginia in 1607. Jamestown was settled by Captain John Smith, and was named after King James I. Tobacco was the main export of Jamestown, and became the basis of the Jamestown economy, sending more than 50,000 lbs of the plan back to Europe by 1618 (textbook 46). Jamestown had a very rocky start, many colonists dying in the first few years of the settlement, and the settlers had many problems with natives. Shortly after the arrival of English colonists the Natives attacked them, and were finally forced back by a canon from the English. A very uneasy truce was finally settled between the natives, called the Powhatans,

This colony was quite different from Virginia. In Plymouth, everyone was each others backbone, meaning everyone helped each other out. Whether it was crops or building etc. Everybody was entitled to religious freedom, their rights. One difference though is that Bradford was more caring of his people and he remained there the rest of his life.

The first successful British colonization of the Americas was in the Chesapeake area and anchored by Jamestown which was founded in 1607. The original colonists nearly didn’t make it, as it was a very difficult life for them. Moreover, the colonists founded many

After the failure of Roanoke in 1587, the English decided once again to try to establish a permanent colony in North America. Major changes in the social and economic life in England caused more people to want to come to America. After new, more nutritious crops, were brought back from the Americas, the population of England doubled. This increased the demand for more food, clothing, and other goods. The gap between the rich and the poor also increased, leaving those with little land in poverty. Religious freedom was also becoming an issue for people in England, as the Reformation began in 1533. Those who wanted to break away from the Catholic Church could not when divine right monarchs believed they had the power to enforce a particular religion on their people. It was these factors that caused the first settlers of Chesapeake and Plymouth to leave in search for a better life and to find new opportunities. The early English settlements of Chesapeake and Plymouth differed as well as resembled each other in trade and work, government, and communal and family structure, which affected the quality of life in these colonies.

Jamestown was the first English colony in America. But that does not mean that Jamestown was all that successful. Many early Jamestown settlers died because of Native conflicts, lack of resources, and disease.

They were the middle class of English society and moved as a whole family, so the population in Massachusetts Bay had increased significantly. They created their own government system that differed than other colonies because Massachusetts Bay was not directly controlled by their motherland Britain. Unlike Jamestown, the colonists in Massachusetts Bay had a diverse agricultural system. John Winthrop also wrote guidelines and led the colony to become an ideal city for other colonies. Since the colony was not founded for economic use, the settlers were more successful on building a more comfortable place to live than just making

On May 14, 1607, a group of roughly 100 members of a joint venture called the Virginia Company, founded the first permanent English settlement in North America. The Jamestown colonists purpose is to find gold, silver, and other resources all they want is claiming land and riches. Smith left the Jamestown settlers without a strong leader so he left all his people alone. There’s no houses for them, there’s no supplies for them to survive due to the lack of leadership. So the settlers faced many hardships they had not expected. The settlers lacked some skills necessary to contribute for themselves like farming, hunting, etc. Many settlers died not only because of starvation & disease but also during the winter many settlers starve or froze to death because they don’t have anything for that season. After all what happens to them the settler adjusted to their new lives in America. The few remaining colonists turned to local Powhatan Indians to help them learn the process of planting and harvesting corn and tobacco. The settlers relied on

Plymouth did not face nearly as much hardship as the colonists in Jamestown faced because their journey to the new world took the expected three-month period. However, this did not guarantee the colonists success. Early into the winter several of the colonists became sick or faced starvation dude to the poor rationing of food in the colony. The local Native Americans helped the colonists and created the first Thanksgiving. William Bradford viewed the Native Americans as humane and intelligent beings and attempted numerous times to build the relationship between the colonists and Native

With their success in religious freedom not only affected their colony but also had a great influence on future colonies to come. Plymouth set the precedent for religious freedom since “the pilgrims were the first of many English settlers who came to North America in order to worship as they pleased”. Plymouth had an impact on all to most of the Atlantic colonies such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and more. Without the lead example the Plymouth colony was able to set for the other colonies striving for religious freedom,the land that we know as northeastern United States could not have been made a colony. Religion also shaped the colonies representative government.

The plymouth colony worked together for the greater good of the colony. The plymouth colony had a policy that stated that everyone does what they are good at for the whole of the colony. They also hunted and built housed for each other and worked to make life

Bradford. He was elected in 1621 and served for over eleven years in total. The colony was able to survive and become self-sufficient for numerous years. However, by the 1640s, Plymouth’s fur trade had dissipated and they became increasingly more of a theocracy. In an attempt to make more money, the leaders of the colony, William Bradford, Thomas Prence, and Edward Winslow, established a state church which required the people to pay taxes to the church as well as fines for not attending church. Despite their efforts, Pilgrim ministers still lacked sufficient money.

The Pilgrims’ voyage to the New World was initially marked by immense hardship and adversity, yet their optimism and courage would give birth to new, free nation. To begin with, the journey alone proved to be extremely difficult, for the ship was tightly packed with countless passengers amid harsh, unpredictable seas. Additionally, supplies were depleted, diseases were spread, and the vessel was damaged prior to actually reaching their destination. Upon arrival at Cape Cod, Bradford and the Pilgrims endured even greater distress as they searched for suitable land, sustainable resources, and familiarity with Europe. In doing so, the settlers were susceptible to famine, contagion, Indian invasion, and cruel winter weather. Unfortunately, the