Comparing Colonial Virginia and Massachusetts: Divergent Paths, Shared Legacy

Abstract

Instructor’s Name Virginia and Massachusetts were both English colonies. Massachusetts was founded in1629 by Puritans for religious reasons. The Pilgrims wanted religious freedom the colonial leadership showed little tolerance to other religious views. Economic motives prompted the movement to the colony of Virginia. They believed that they would find gold and become rich but their mission failed. The first arrival of the English to Virginia was in 1607 to Jamestown; their arrival was marked with hostility by the native Americans(Tucker et al., 2017). Their arrival brought mixed feelings and reactions before they were offered food and hospitality. The Natives wanted the colonists subject to drudgery, work, and Slavery. Powhatan, a leader who presided over the empire during the settlement of the English, was not happy at all. The English did not return the hospitality to the natives as expected by marrying their women. They realized that they only wanted to possess the country and invade its people. The natives realized that the English were there to stay and they began attacking them by killing their livestock and burning their crops. The colonists sought revenge by attacking the natives and both sides committed atrocities against each other. The rift was cut short when the colonists captured Powhatans daughter and married an Englishman, John Rolfe. The population in Virginia was lesser than that of Massachusetts since all religious populations moved there. Colonists in Massachusetts formed their government and were more stable agriculturally and financially making them successful than the colonists in Jamestown. The growth and development of the two colonies contributed immensely to the language, heritage, culture, government, and religion of present-day America. Reference Tucker, S., Arnold, J. R., & Wiener, R. (Eds.). (2017). The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Wars, 1607–1890:...