Plymouth and Jamestown: Government, Power, and Survival

469 Words1 Page

The Jamestown and Plymouth settlements were both settled in the early 1600's. Plymouth and Jamestown were located along the shoreline in Massachusetts and Virginia, respectively. Although both had different forms of government, they both had strong leadership. Jamestown was controlled by the London Company, who wanted to profit from the venture, while the Puritans who settled at Plymouth were self-governed with an early form of democracy and settled in the New World to gain religious freedom. John Smith took charge in efforts to organize Jamestown, and at Plymouth William Bradford helped things run smoothly.

The settlement of Jamestown was controlled by the London Company. The London Company, for the most part, had full control of the colony. Jamestown greatly needed to plant crops, but instead the Company, driven by money, ordered the settlers search for gold and other values. The directors of the Company had little knowledge of what really needed to be done in the colony, and they did not seem to care. Plymouth colony was also supposed to be controlled by the London Company, bu...

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of The Documentary The Early Settlement Of Jamestown: Against All Odds

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    Against all Odds is a very interesting Documentary that follows the early settlement of Jamestown in the 17th century .With endless against the odds situations thrown out in from of the people of Jamestown left and right things seemed bleak. But a lot of perseverance from the early settlers including the Documentaries depiction of the original leader John Smith things seemed to resolve themselves. In Documentary there were several parts where it conceited with what is in chapter three of the Textbook the American Promise. For example, In the Documentary when the subject of the Tobacco business came up it was exampled in the same way as the first page of chapter three. With examples of how the product was grown and distributed out into the world. Making it a very valuable trade to be doing although very labor intensive, which is why it would soon lead into the slave trade. Something that was briefly shown in the documentary mainly to show what lengths the people of Jamestown were willing to go to make things work out in their new home.

    Read More

  • Delaware: The Breadbasket Colony

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    Unlike the other two popular systems of government during the time, the Charter Colonies in which charters were granted to the colonists instead of the proprietors, and the Royal colonies which were directly ruled under English monarchy, the Proprietary Colonies stood somewhere in between. The Proprietary Colonies were originally founded in order to repay certain debts and favors and give leadership to those who were most trustworthy. Other Proprietary Colonies include colonial New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Carolinas. Proprietors, the governors of the lands, were given immense powers in order to create profitable enterprises in their given land. Some of these powers include the establishment of churches, towns, ports, and other public buildings, the creation of courts and laws, the ability to collect yearly land fees from those who had settled and purchased land in the colony, and much

    Read More

  • Chesapeake Colonies Dbq Essay

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Jamestown: Why Did So Many Die?

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jamestown was the first successful settlement established by England. It was first built in 1607 and lasted until about 1614. On the first ship, 100 male settlers set off for a new settlement in the New World. Life there at times was hard for various reasons. They did, however, become 7 7 trading partners with the Indians. 80% of Jamestown’s more than 500 settlers that had arrived had been dead by 1611. The reason for this is because of sickness and disease, lack of resources, and where they chose to build their settlement.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Virginia And Massachusetts Colonies

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the early stages of North American colonization by the English, the colony of Jamestown, Virginia was founded in 1607 (Mailer Handout 1 (6)). Soon after the Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded in 1629 (Mailer Handout 2 (1)). These two colonies, although close in the time they were founded, have many differences in aspects of their lives and the way they were settled. The colonies have a different religious system, economic system, political system, and they have a different way of doing things; whether that be pertaining to making money, practicing religion, or electing governors. Along with the differences, there are also a sameness between these two colonies. Each colony has been derived from England and has been founded by companies

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Jamestown Vs Plymouth

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jamestown and Plymouth were both founded by early European settlers that wanted to find a new land in which they could gain personal benefits, although each of the two groups had similar goals and their entire foundation of being in the new land was completely different. The settlers from both colonies were very similar in their way of living but a few differences such as reasons for colonization, religious differences, and relations with the Indians set them apart.

    Read More

  • Significan Mercantilism In The Columbian Exchange

    1540 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jamestown: Jamestown was an English settlement in America, located in Virginia and named after King James I. The first group of men to arrive were dispatched to Jamestown by the Virginia Company of London. The men of Jamestown experienced several problems, such as lack of gold, inadequate food and water, disease, and an inability to dominate the native population. This term is significant because Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in America, laying the foundation for the eventual colonization of the rest of

    Read More

  • Dbq Early Jamestown

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everyone knows the story of how the Pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower and started a new life. But what about before the Pilgrims? On May 14th, 1607, 104 English settlers stepped off the crowded boat and started a colony in modern-day Virginia. These people are referred to as the “early Jamestown settlers”. Now, it’s important to know that when we say “early”, we mean the first 544. However, they didn’t actually ever have 544 people there at once. The most they ever had at one time was 381 people, and the least amount was 40. This is because a lot of them died. Why did they die? That’s a good question. Their deaths can be attributed to multiple things, including the climate, disease, and a lack of money. However, those things are mere

    Read More

  • Early Jamestown Dbq Essay

    417 Words  | 1 Pages

    America, it has always had everything we need, except for when colonists flocked in the early 1600´s. Its 1609, you and a group of people have been on a boat for months. Now you aren't even sure if the America's exist. But once you lost every single drop of hope, you see it. A beautiful swampy land. This place makes you feel like you have a lot of opportunities, there’s a river, a lot of wildlife, and not that many Native’s around. It seems perfect, that’s what people that saw posters of Jamestown thought in England. Jamestown seemed, perfect, appeared perfect…

    Read More

  • The Chesapeake and New England Colonies: A Comparison

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Self-government in the Early Colonies

    454 Words  | 1 Pages

    How were the seeds for self-government sown in the early colonies? Why was this important when England started to enforce rules (such as the Intolerable Acts)?  Please give specific examples.

    Read More

  • Jamestown and Plymouth

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • William Bradford and Thomas Morton

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Bradford said he believed, “Plymouth people were the chosen people to live out their last days in the earthly church” (Daly pg 560). Puritan settlers came to the new world seeking a better life and to get away from the rule of the Catholic Church they wanted to become a primitive Baptist church like in the Old Testament. The Puritans wanted to live their lives in Old Testament biblical way of life; when the settlers came to the, “New England they thought they had landed in God’s country” (Callicott). They thought they were the chosen ones the new Israelites.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast William Bradford And John Winthrop

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Success of the Massachusetts Bay Colony

    1524 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Plymouth and Jamestown: Government, Power, and Survival

Open Document