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In the 1600’s, two colonies were establishing themselves on the east coast of North
America. In 1607, a group of merchants, known as the Virginia Company, settled at Jamestown, Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay (Divine, 72); while Puritan leader John Winthrop, stationed himself and his followers at Massachusetts Bay in 1630. (Divine, 90) Although both settlements started off relatively the same, the greater success of one over the other has caused continuous debates between many, including the descendants of these early Americans. Some might argue that the Virginia Colony was more successful than the Massachusetts Bay Colony because of the Virginia colonists’ motivation and interest in profit (Divine, 76). However, when efforts for income proved futile, this and survival became the colony's only interests. Therefore, Massachusetts proved itself to be the stronger colony and the most successful, as a result of its community development and social advancement, its economic growth, and the positive influence the government had on the Massachusetts Colony.
Instead of having scattered villages like the Virginia colony, the people of the Massachusetts Bay Colony organized communities that were small and built close together. These centers were built so that villagers were able to complete a wide range of duties such as cultivating land or fetching lumber from forests (Divine, 94). This system was especially efficient for finishing these important tasks and allowing time for other agendas that were important to the colonists. The setup of the town was not just efficient. Families were able to live close together which helped create a sense of community among the people. Taverns and meetinghouses were commonly built in town, giving the ...
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...ve in Virginia did not mean immigrants were free from its rule. Upon departing England, those leaving would take an “oath of allegiance and supremacy” (Virginia Ship’s List). This meant that the people owed their loyalty to the monarch of England, not to Virginia itself. The colonists of Virginia could have been frustrated that their head official was chosen by a single person, a person who had no place within their community. In fact, Berkeley, the governor the monarch of England elected, “brought high taxes on the people, increased his power at the expense of local officials and created a monopoly on Indian trade” (Divine, 85). This abuse of power is possibly one of the causes of rebellions, specifically Bacon’s rebellion. This republic government leading the Virginia Colony was an increasingly stark contrast to the Massachusetts’ Colony’s democratic government.
A fundamental difference between the New England and Southern colonies was the motives of the founders. In 1606, the Virginia Company was formed, motivated primarily by the promise ...
Missionary- A person who teaches their religion to other people who believe in something else
Warren M. Billings received his PhD in history from Northern Illinois University, was a long-time Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at New Orleans University, and is currently a visiting professor at the College of William and Mary Law School. In his 1970 article “The Causes of Bacon’s Rebellion,” Billings examines the fifteen years preceding the uprising in an attempt to determine its origins. He emphasizes three elements of late-17th century Virginia society which contributed to the unrest; rapid social mobility and a decentralization of the colony’s power, political instability caused by a reduction in status of Governor Berkeley, and a stagnant colonial economy.
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, and the English (textbook 44-5). Economic growth and expanding their territories were the main priorities of the English in the Jamestown colonies.
People in the Chesapeake colonies were unhappy with the rich aristocrats running the show. Francis Bacon led a revolt in Virginia against Governor Berkeley. He felt that the lack of unity among all citizens was apparent and needed to change. He felt that the government at the time was doing an inadequate job at public work i.e. safety, defense, advancement of trade (Document H). This problem was not present among the citizens of the New England colonies as the goals of the New England citizens were different (Document A).
Virginia Company sent a small convoy of vessels to the mid-Atlantic region, where they built a fort named Jamestown in honor of James I, the king. It was in 1607, and that became the first permanent English settlement in North America. (Faragher, John M. Out of Many: A History of the American People. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004. Print) The Chesapeake villages became united and formed the Powhatan Confederacy. The chief led it, named Wahunsonacook or “King Powhatan.” He believed that the Europeans were trouble, but enjoyed the great quantity of supplies that came from across the sea.
The seventeenth century was a time of great change in colonial America. Virginia, the first colony in the Chesapeake region, was established in 1624. Plymouth, the first colony in New England, was established in 1620. These two regions developed in distinct ways, but were intertwined because of their ties to England. The Chesapeake colonies were established for economic reasons, as the Virginia Company of London looked to mass-produce cash crops in the new world. The New England colonies, however, were created to be a religious haven for those who opposed the English church. Both regions developed economic and political systems that catered to the desires of the respective populations and the geographical conditions.
During the 1700's, people in the American colonies lived in very distinctive societies. While some colonists led hard lives, others were healthy and prosperous. The two groups who showed these differences were the colonists of the New England and Chesapeake Bay areas. The differentiating characteristics among the Chesapeake and New England colonies developed due to economy, religion, and motives for colonial expansion. The colonists of the New England area possessed a very happy and healthy life. This high way of living was due in part to better farming, a healthier environment, and a high rate of production because of more factories. The colonists of the Chesapeake Bay region, on the other hand, led harder lives compared to that of the colonists of New England. The Chesapeake Bay had an unhealthy environment, bad eating diets, and intolerable labor.
...owners holding too much political and economic power, as personified by Governor Berkeley. Thus the landless, freed indentured servants revolted in 1676 in Bacon's Rebellion, as is stated in Bacon's Manifesto symbolizing the conflict in Virginia between its aristocratic and poor inhabitants of the back county over the aristocracy's concentration of power and refusal to help those living in the frontier.
As stated in Document A, unity was encouraged among New Englanders, which developed into close societies. The close societies often built a bond of trust within the community, knowing that neighbors would come together during times of danger. Document A also stresses the importance of working together as one, and to promote the welfare of the community. By doing so, the community is allowed to strive and flourish. On the contrary, Document F supports the idea that there was little unity within the Chesapeake societies. Document F asserts, “There was no talk…but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold…” Shown in Documents B and D, the emigrants to New England were often whole families. Families in the society resulted in population increases because of higher reproduction rates. The higher reproduction rates allowed for more stable societies. As Documents C, F, and G assert, the Chesapeake region consisted mainly of single men and few women. Few women in the area resulted in a small number of families, l...
The causes and outcome of Bacon’s rebellion had effects that were not dramatic enough to significantly impact Virginian politics. Although the movement represented the revolutionary potential of unemployed and landless men, it did not have a tangible effect on the change of leadership or the Virginian policy towards the natives. Bacon’s rebellion was more of a symbol or indicator of the present character of the colony and foreshadowed later events, but it ultimately had no direct effect on Virginian politics because Berkeley ended up maintaining his political influence and control. The rebellion did contribute to the growth of slavery, and it showed how land greedy the settlers were. These indeed were significant effects of the event, but they did not impact Virginian politics. The backcountry men did not have a more powerful presence or influence in Virginia
Just like their religions, Massachusetts gave more power to the people and Virginia gave power to England. In the New England Handout, Mailer describes the difference further, “Unlike in Virginia where a governor is elected from a faraway company in London, and after 1624, by the Crown itself, the ‘freemen’ of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire elect their own governors.” (1) This information describes the contrast in the way a governor gets elected. In Massachusetts, the “freemen”, men who own land, get to vote for their governor, while Virginia’s governor gets appointed by the crown. Virginia’s government also consisted of the Governing Council, rich elites controlling everything, and the House of Burgesses, upper middle-class landowners. The main reason the governments of these colonies differ is the fact that the charter of Virginia created by the Virginia Company resides in England, or in other words it is controlled by the crown. On the other hand, Massachusetts’s charter, created by the Massachusetts Bay Company, resides in the colony, so the colony self-governs itself. This brings forth another comparison of the two colonies; the reason why they were founded.
The Chesapeake region of the colonies included Virginia, Maryland, the New Jerseys (both East and West) and Pennsylvania. In 1607, Jamestown, the first English colony in the New World (that is, the first to thrive and prosper), was founded by a group of 104 settlers to a peninsula along the James River. These settlers hoped to find gold, silver, a northwest passage to Asia, a cure for syphilis, or any other valuables they might take back to Europe and make a profit. Lead by Captain John Smith, who "outmaneuvered other members of the colony's ruling and took ruthlessly took charge" (Liberty Equality Power, p. 57), a few lucky members of the original voyage survived. These survivors turned to the local Powhatan Indians, who taught them the process of corn- and tobacco-growing. These staple-crops flourished throughout all five of these colonies.
A community is a group of people who work together towards a common goal and share a common interest. Lack of such a quality can and most likely will cause a struggling town or city to fall into the extremes of poverty and wealth. The New England community was so strong and so supportive in comparison to that of the Chesapeake Bay, that it is no wonder they developed into two distinctly different cultures before the year 1700. The Chesapeake region developed into a land of plantations and money-driven owners, with the elite wealthy, almost no middle class, and those in poverty creating the population. New England, on the other hand, had developed into a religion and family based society comprised of mostly middle class families by 1700. Looking at the terrain, ethic, government, and even the people themselves, reveals clues about how the drastic split in society came to be. It was one America, but two distinct societies had developed in it by the 1700's.
Often when looking at American history, people tend to lump all the characters and actors involved as similar. This is especially the case in regards to Early American Colonial history. Because the Puritan communities that grew rapidly after John Winthrop’s arrival in 1630 often overshadow the earlier colony at Plymouth, many are lead to assume that all settlers acted in similar ways with regard to land use, religion, and law. By analyzing the writings of William Bradford and John Winthrop, one begins to see differing pictures of colonization in New England.