Compare And Contrast Virginia And Massachusetts Bay Colonies
Even though the Virginia and Massachusetts Bay colonies were the some of the oldest and most heavily populated of the English colonies, their differences in their economies, politics, religions and society set them apart. Some of the differences include the southern Virginia colony having a representative assembly, while Massachusetts Bay colony had a democratic assembly, and the main crop of Virginia being tobacco, while the Massachusetts economy revolved around lumbar, fishing and trade. Virginia and Massachusetts were both colonies that were set up by the British empire, they were both some of the most populated colonies and most economically thriving. They both were setup by people who crossed to the New World from England, and
were both funded by investors who were looking to make a profit on the colonies. Both set up unique ways of governing that suited their regions and kept the colony working and prosperous. Both Virginia and Massachusetts had differences that outweighed their similarities, religion, economy and society were the main differences. First off, the Virginia colony was filled with mostly men who were there to make a quick profit, while the Massachusetts Bay colony was filled with families who were there to begin a new life. Virginia had a representative assembly established with the House of Burgesses in 1619, this allowed the peoples to elect someone to represent them since towns were more scattered around due to larger land holdings in the Southern plantation colonies. While in Massachusetts, a democracy was established, and with the Mayflower compact of 1680, everyone that believed in god in one way or another would have their voices heard and rights respected. The economies of the two colonies were different, Virginia relied on its soil and one of its most important crops were tobacco, and later cotton, which was picked by large amounts of slaves. The poor soil quality of the New England colonies made the inhabitants rely on things like fishing, lumber and later on industry. The religion of the regions were also different, Virginia was mostly Anglican, the region was filled with Cavaliers, people who wanted to make the colony as British as possible, so they stayed with the teachings of the church of England. Massachusetts was mainly Puritan, and with this the Blue laws were made, laws made to regulate morality. The Virginia and Massachusetts Bay colonies were two colonies that were set up around the same time, but leadership, economics, religion, and politics were some of the big differences of the two that made the colonies vastly different. This caused the colonies to develop differently and adapt to profit from their environment in unique ways.
were both funded by investors who were looking to make a profit on the colonies. Both set up unique ways of governing that suited their regions and kept the colony working and prosperous. Both Virginia and Massachusetts had differences that outweighed their similarities, religion, economy and society were the main differences. First off, the Virginia colony was filled with mostly men who were there to make a quick profit, while the Massachusetts Bay colony was filled with families who were there to begin a new life. Virginia had a representative assembly established with the House of Burgesses in 1619, this allowed the peoples to elect someone to represent them since towns were more scattered around due to larger land holdings in the Southern plantation colonies. While in Massachusetts, a democracy was established, and with the Mayflower compact of 1680, everyone that believed in god in one way or another would have their voices heard and rights respected. The economies of the two colonies were different, Virginia relied on its soil and one of its most important crops were tobacco, and later cotton, which was picked by large amounts of slaves. The poor soil quality of the New England colonies made the inhabitants rely on things like fishing, lumber and later on industry. The religion of the regions were also different, Virginia was mostly Anglican, the region was filled with Cavaliers, people who wanted to make the colony as British as possible, so they stayed with the teachings of the church of England. Massachusetts was mainly Puritan, and with this the Blue laws were made, laws made to regulate morality. The Virginia and Massachusetts Bay colonies were two colonies that were set up around the same time, but leadership, economics, religion, and politics were some of the big differences of the two that made the colonies vastly different. This caused the colonies to develop differently and adapt to profit from their environment in unique ways.