Compare and Contrast the Colonization of Jamestown, Plymouth

HIST 1301: U. S. History to 1865 Fall 2012 Essay Assignment #1 Question: Compare and contrast the colonization of Jamestown, Plymouth, and Massachusetts Bay. Be sure to discuss the settlers involved, the purpose of the colonies, the success or failure of the colony, important developments associated with colonization, and the role of religion in the colony. HIST-1301-009 – U. S. HISTORY TO 1865 Essay Assignment #1 Jamestown, Plymouth, and Massachusetts Bay are all belong to English Colonization. There have some similarities and differences among these three places.

Jamestown has no settler, but only 100 male adventures which was leaded by Captain John Smith looking for quick profit. Then, Thomas Gates sails 500 colonists and Lord Delaware arrives with 150 colonists in Jamestown. However, different with Jamestown, although Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay were settled by different people; Plymouth was steeled by Separatists from the Church of England and Massachusetts Bay was steeled by Non-Separating Congregationalists, but those settlers are all Puritans. The settlers of Plymouth are 101 men, women and children.

In Massachusetts Bay, over 1000 Puritans sail for America in 1631 after 1630. Jamestown is for those adventures looking for a quick profit. But in Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay, both of them settled up not for quick. Plymouth was settled to avoid persecution. Massachusetts Bay was settled to reform the Church of England, to some extent, the colonists build a new society in there. Unfortunately, not like the success in Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay, the colonization of Jamestown is failure. From 1607 to 1624, people in Jamestown died from 14,000 to 1,132.

In Plymouth, after they settled the colony up, it still had many people died at the first winner. The colonists helped the Wampanoags, and colony became self-sufficient in the following year. Then, civil government also grew out of church government. As Plymouth’s success, Massachusetts Bay also success in colonization. The colonists formed the New England Company, and Charles I grant a charter to the company. Finally John Winthrop moved the company to America to ensure the Puritan control. Even though Jamestown is failure, there still have many developments in colony.

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Tobacco became goods in exportation, colony accepted the Head-Right Policy to gain more settlers, and colonists granted the right of Englishmen. In Plymouth, colonists signed for the Mayflower Compact and became civil government because they landed off course and outside governmental jurisdiction. Massachusetts Bay had General Court. It was form by Winthrop and a few people, after more and more people got in, it finally became a legislative body in 1634, and became bicameral in following year. From Jamestown, there is no any religion get involved.

Just some adventures want to get money in the short time, so they established the colony. However, different from Jamestown, religion plays a crucial role in Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay. First of all, the settlers of Plymouth are Separatists from the Church of England, and the settlers of Massachusetts Bay are Non-Separating Congregationalists. Both of those settlers are Puritans. Furthermore, Plymouth’s settlers established colony for avoid persecution, and Massachusetts Bay’s settlers established colony for reform the Church of England. Religion relates to these two colonies at the beginning.