Compare and Contrast the Colonies of Virginia and Massachusetts Bay. Describe the Similarities and Differences as Well as the Objectives of Settlement.
In the 16th century, the Spanish were exploring and acquiring wealth throughout the world. Because of Englands recent change to the Protestant church, Spain wanted to gain a big enough army and enough wealth to dominate Europe and reclaim England in the name of the Catholic Church. England realized quickly that Spain was aiming for them, so in an effort to gain wealth, England invaded Ireland. Eventually, England realized that Ireland didnt have the wealth it needed, so they looked to colonize the New World. Besides having riches as motivation, England also had overpopulation to worry about. Sending the poor to the New World to colonize and search for riches solved all of their problems. England was a strong believer of mercantilism, which is the idea that colonists exist for the betterment of the mother country. With this in mind England had many failed attempts at colonizing the New World. It wasnt until the establishment of Jamestown in 1607 and Massachusetts Bay in 1629 that Englands colonization goal began to work.
The colonies of Virginia and Massachusetts Bay are both essential to talk about when speaking of American colonial history. Being two of the first successful English colonies, they paved the way for the future of America. Even though Virginia influenced the South and Massachusetts was a model for the northern colonies, they have many crucial similarities. Their biggest similarity is they were both funded through a joint stock company, a company that increases capital for investment and lowers individual risk by having investors that own stock together. Also, the Native Americans had a large influence on each of the colonies, teaching them farming techniques and being avid trading partners.
One of Virginias and Massachusetts many differences lie in why they were made. Virginia was made solely because of King James. He gave a charter to the Virginia Company in 1606 and with it Jamestown was produced. Massachusetts Bay was formed primarily as a place where Puritans could practice their religion freely. They formed the Massachusetts Bay Company and between 1630 and 1640, 21,000 Puritans made the “Great Migration” journey. That is where another large difference comes in. Because of their different objectives, The Virginia Company only sent