Jamestown and Massachusetts Bay Essay

Both the colonies of Massachusetts Bay and Jamestown were different in that Massachusetts Bay consisted of mostly puritans; Massachusetts Bay was settled by Europeans. Both settlements struggled to survive at first. They both also encountered natives living there before they arrived. In Virginia there were the Native Americans and in Massachusetts Bay there was a large number of Puritans. Although there were many differences between the two colonies it comes to no surprise that they are very much so related, mostly in their hardships. Such as in Virginia there was disease, famine and continuing attacks of the neighboring Native Americans which took a tremendous toll on the population. Only sixty out of the original two hundred and fourteen settlers at Jamestown survived. While at the Massachusetts Bay, the settlers had their hardships too. The long, harsh winters, the unfertile soil, and the unfriendly relationship with the puritans surely made the population shrink. Both colonies struggled with finding nourishment. They survived mostly on the crops that they grew or wild berries and vegetables found in the wilderness. In the winter the crops soon started to die and there was nothing for the settlers to eat. This famine therefore, being the main cause of the population decrease. In the winter, the temperature would drop so low that if you didnt wear several coats of animal fur to keep you warm, you wouldnt stay alive. In Jamestown (Virginia) the settlers were being faced with the danger of the being under attack every day. The Native Americans did not take kindly to the settlers and found it an invasion of land. They were under the impression the settlers were only staying a short time, and would not take over the territory. The settlers had other plans however, to claim the land for King James. In summary, the colonies of Massachusetts Bay and Jamestown were alike in their hardships. Their population downfalls were also quite similar. They were different, in the people in which they had living in each colony, also the enemies that both colonies established. Jamestown and Massachusetts Bay  were great civilizations that started our society as a whole, where would we be without them? Sources http://www.nps.gov/jame/historyculture/jamestown-and-plymouth-compare-and-contrast.htm