Compare And Contrast John Smith And William Bradford

Captain John Smith and William Bradford have differences as well as the colonies they were responsible for.Their colonies were diverse in the ways they were managed; what they grew, the laws that kept order, what their export items were, what religions they tolerated and also how the occupants acted. Both of these individuals had different ways to look at things. Although Captain John Smith and his Jamestown were so different to the Plymouth plantation and their leader William Bradford, they also had some differences due to the fact that they were both from England and both of their colonies were helped by the natives.

Captain John Smith and William Bradford both have the same background referring to the place they were born, England. Both of their colonies came to the West Indies (America). Plymouth was founded for the purpose of religious tolerance. Plymouth was founded by a group of religious separatists from the church of England. They believed that the Anglican

church had too many Roman Catholic beliefs, therefore man created and unholy. The Anglican church who was very involved politically in this era had officials who persecuted individuals who sought to reform the English church. These individuals seeking religious tolerance took a voyage to find new land in which they could live in peace, however Captain Smith and Jamestown were looking for something totally different. Jamestown was the first permanent Colony , but it was not founded for religious purpose if not for in hopes of profit. This voyage was funded by the Virginia company of London, which wanted to get some type of profit from the new discovered land. Jamestown was the first permanent English colony in the Americas. The most profitable cash crop was planted in Jamestown, tobacco, a new discovered crop that only existed in the Americas, but this was not enough to sustain the life in Jamestown. ¨Pocahontas with her attendants brought him so much provision that saved many of their lives¨ (smith 75). As this quote states the
jamestown would have not survived if it weren't for the natives, Powhatan tribe. The colony did not create any profit even with the cash crop, tobacco.
Both of these colonies were helped by the natives one way or another. The Powhatan tribe was the tribe that Jamestown interacted with , while the Wampanoag helped the Plymouth.¨At last they brought him to Werowocomoco, where was Powhatan, their Emperor¨ (smith 73). The Powhatan tribe helped the Jamestown explorers navigate the new land so they could find sources of water and showed the explorers places that were holy to them, and like in the quote the natives took Jamestown leaders to important people. Without the Powhatans jamestown would have not flourished in later years. The Jamestown occupants were close to extinction due to low sources of food , but the natives helped them get through rough times and survive tough winters and rainy days. The Wampanoag helped the Pilgrims learn how to grow new crops. The Pilgrims also suffered from starvation. with the natives help they managed to stay alive and acquire food. Although Plymouth was not under distress like Jamestown, they still needed all the help they could get from the nice indigenous people.
Jamestown was full of individuals who just tried to make money and discover silver and gold.

They were there for the riches and the treasures. People in Jamestown were selfish and really didn't about anything but themselves, they were constantly looking to get rich. ¨… so moved our dead spirits as we deposed him and established Radcliffe in his place¨ (smith 73). This shows just how self centered the people in Jamestown were. They did not really care if their leader died , as long as they were well and lived a good life they did not care about others. On the other hand the Pilgrims were more selfless. They actually helped one another and wanted everyone to be well . ¨...hazard of their own health, fetched them wood, made them fires, made their beds, clothed and unclothed them.¨ (Bradford 81). This shows that the Pilgrims actually thought about others and they knew that they were a part of a group and that not all actions should be based on what would be better for oneself but better for

everyone.
Jamestown and Plymouth were founded for very distinct reasons. Jamestown was after the riches, but they failed miserably due to the selfishness that existed within the colony. Even though Plymouth was after religious tolerance and were not after making profit or the discovery of precious metals, their union helped them thrive even more than Jamestown. Union makes power and we are able to see that through what the Pilgrims accomplished. Both these colonies, although distinct , had some similarities. They were both helped by the natives. I believe that without the natives Jamestown would have become a ghost town, but Plymouth would have figured out something in order to stay alive.