Essay about The Success of the Massachusetts Bay Colony

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†¦show more content†¦The Virginia colonists on the other hand, were unable to achieve this sense of community, as a result of the high mortality rate in the colony. Many complications arose among the people because of this. For example, since the ratio between men and women was three to one, many spouses, especially wo men, often remarried with children after one of the spouses died. These situations created complex families, and hostility among its members (Divine, 81). However, because of the constant amount of fatalities in the colonies, immigrants were continuously sent, making them the large majority of the population (Divine, 84). This made creating a community in the Chesapeake Bay Colony almost impossible because of the uncertainty the people had about one another. And because this chain of events continued, the attempt of composing a society became a seemingly hopeless endeavor among colonists of Virginia. Within the colony of Massachusetts, religion played an important role in shaping the community’s people and interests. The reason for the Puritans move to North America was to escape the convictions the Christians of England were placing on them (Divine, 89). Winthrop and his followers believed that in this new land they must create a place where they could come together as a people and build the perfect religious society (Divine, 90). In a speech about his vision for the land, John Winthrop said, â€Å"We must delight in eachShow MoreRelatedEssay on Jamestown Vs. New England Colony1272 Words   |  6 PagesJamestown and the Massachusetts Bay Colony had many similarities and differences. Many of these differences were due to their physical location and climatic conditions. The success of both colonies can be contributed to strong leadership and the characteristics of the personalities of the settlers that inhabited each settlement. Many of the early problems in both settl ements can be contributed to a lack of knowledge on the parts of the settlers along with attacks from neighboring Native AmericanRead MoreThe New World1640 Words   |  7 Pagesof England, or start a new life with their family. 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