Compare And Contrast Jamestown And Plymouth Plantation

Jamestown and Plymouth Plantation are two colonies but are very distinct from each other. John Smith and William Bradford came from England to explore the Americas, but each with their own intentions. They both had trouble coming here establishing their new colonies because survival was difficult. John Smith barely survived what he went through stating, “Such actions have ever since the world’s beginning been subject to such accidents, and everything of worth is found full of difficulties…”(Smith). Bradford had hardships with his crew on the Mayflower quoting, “…To consider in time of the danger, and rather to return than to cast themselves into a desperate and inevitable peril” (Bradford). The two were similar in cultural backgrounds but they had different experiences traveling to the new
world. Both of these colonies wanted to explore this new world and they were willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that. In December 1606, John Smith and his men set sail and arrived to the new world on April 1607. Upon arrival they noticed that the land was much different than home. They witnessed other people already here, the Native Americans. At first sight they saw each other as threats so kept an eye on each other like a hawk. John Smith who was elected as a council member at the time, had his strengths and weaknesses. The fact that Smith actually arrived in the colony as a common prisoner and was able to achieve the leadership role that he gained is amazing. His creativity and knowledge in certain areas actually saved the colonists from attacks from the Natives and starvation in the early days of arriving. Nonetheless Smith and his remaining crew were captured by the Algonquin Indians and taken to Chief Powhatan. Powhatan was impressed by Smith’s confidence and introduced him to his daughter, Pocahontas. Smith was confident on the outside, but on the inside he feared for his life and was uncertain of his fate. Smith was released a few weeks later and believed Pocahontas saved his life. After his release, dissent grew in the colony. The problem was that there was a lack of supplies and from the laziness from the people. Smith went to look for food in the Bay area. The government was in near chaos so Smith was later elected President of Jamestown in 1608, to improve the colony all together. Smith was different when he was elected. He made policies that the lower class did not like at all. An example of a policy he created was “He that will not work shall not eat” (Smith). The poor didn’t like this because the colony was already low in food, yet Smith had a private storage space to keep food. The problem with Smith was his ego. He would always brag about himself to others, but didn’t help his fellow colonists. The poor protested against him after fifty plus people died from starvation. This made Smith wonder if all of this was even worth being President. Smith eventually left to England but when he left in 1609, he never returned to Jamestown. The people didn’t see him as a hero anymore, they saw him as a disappointment. William Bradford and his crew set sail on the Mayflower in 1620. There was trouble sailing to the new world because of the thunderstorms in the ocean. If someone were to fall off the ship, the captain wouldn’t go back for them and left them to die. Mostly everyone made it and upon arrival they were fascinated on what they saw. They explored the land and it proved to be quite difficult to survive due to the harsh winter. Eventually they survive through it and find an area to make their colony. Bradford believed he survived because it was God’s will to let him live, or predestination. He quoted, “All great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.” (Bradford). They named their colony Plymouth Plantation. Bradford was elected governor for the rest of his life after the previous governor passed away. Soon after his election, they encountered the Native Americans who at first they didn’t like because they didn’t know if they were peaceful or hostile. Turns out they encountered peaceful Indians. The colonists from Plymouth had a small bond with the Natives and they helped each other out. The Natives taught the colonists how to hunt. Eventually the colony and the Natives signed a peace treaty and were in harmony for a while. Under Bradford’s leadership, the colony was doing pretty well. There were many families, everyone helped each other out, and they were equipped for environmental struggles. Bradford kept a journal where he wrote about the progress of Plymouth Plantation and he started writing since 1630. Bradford eventually stopped writing around 1646-1650 probably to attend to the colony. Even though the colonies were both different from each other, they were both very similar. They traveled by sailing from England and had both had a crew. The people from both colonies were all English. They each had their own experiences with the harsh winter and had trouble surviving in this new world they were unfamiliar with. They even starved because food was limited. Both colonies established a Legislative government and everyone had to work. Jamestown and Plymouth had relationships with the Native Americans and yes one colony despised them while the other admired them, but the two colonies had relations nonetheless. Jamestown and Plymouth had their differences which made both colonies unique.
First off, their leaders were different in their own way. They each handled things differently than one another and each had their own personalities. Smith bragged about his colony and himself most of the time while Bradford was more humble and was a ‘man of the people.’ In Jamestown everyone seemed to be on their own while Plymouth seemed to be more of a community who helped each other. Jamestown had the poor work on environmental struggles while the upper class had it easy. Plymouth was mainly the poor and were often in families. Now of course they came for different intentions; The colonists from Jamestown came for economic purposes, to make money, whereas the colonists from Plymouth came here for religious reasons. It was ‘predestined’ as they say, it was God’s will. Jamestown didn’t really get along with the Natives so much. It was so bad that John Rolfe married Pocahontas, the Chief's daughter to ease tensions between the colonists and the Native Americans. Plymouth however, had a pretty good relationship with the Natives and they helped each other out and even signed a peace treaty with
them. In a way, both colonies had their similarities, but were run differently because their leaders had discrete tactics to help them survive in the new world. John Smith was a good leader but he lacked the ability to properly rule the Jamestown Colony because he was too boastful and wasn’t helping his fellow colonists. William Bradford on the other side, was an excellent leader because he was more humble and actually cared for his colonists in Plymouth Plantation. Personally, if I had to choose who I’d voyage with, it would be William Bradford and his crew. He was just a better ruler than John Smith. Plus he was a man of the people which John Smith cared more about himself than his fellow comrades. Despite all this, I believe that Plymouth Plantation is a well established colony thanks to William Bradford and his colleagues. Jamestown was also a well established colony because of John Smith. His leadership in the early days was amazing but he lost his touch when he became the President of Jamestown.