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North America was first discovered by European country in the late 1400 s. A little over 100 years later two men by the names of John Smith, leader of the Jamestown settlement, and William Bradford, the Governor of the Plymouth, decided to adventure cross the Atlantic Ocean in a ship in search of the New World. The Puritans and Jamestown settlers left England in search of a new way of life. The colonists left England for different reasons and ambitions. In The General History of Virginia and Of Plymouth Plantation, had the authors outline these groups different reasons to leave England. These include reasons for settling, compacts and relations with the Indians, and hardships of the immigrants.
First, the colonizers of Jamestown had very different reasons for settling from the Pilgrims. The people of Jamestown were entirely motivated to move to the New World purely for economic reasons. The folks of Jamestown were entrepreneurs, coming to America for business and economic gain not for freedom for themselves. They came to America because of the tales of huge deposits of gold.
The pilgrims settled in what is now known as Massachusetts Bay. They were responsible for giving New England its Puritan Heritage. The Puritans had one reason for settling and that was for religious freedom. The Puritans colonized in America because they wished to purify the Church of England. The pilgrims wished to change because they felt it resembles the Roman Catholic Church too closely. (3) An instance of the strong belief in God was that the Colony wished to organize a Theocracy instead of the usual Democracy because of the strong beliefs in God.
Next, the settlers from both colonies would run into the Native Americans, which could help or hurt the colonies. The Jamestown settlers unfamiliar to the land would explore the nearby area resulting in confrontation. This example demonstrates the relationship the Jamestown settlers had with the Indians. Once while Jon Smith and a group of men were exploring up-river, they ran across an Indian village, which caused the abduction of Jon Smith by the so-called savages. Smiths men were killed in this conflict by three hundred bowmen (16) that followed them. While the Puritans were lucky in choosing a spot to settle, the natives in the area were peaceful and did not want conflict.
When the Puritans first settled the Indians never would show themselves or approach the colony. Finally one day a Native American by the name of Samoset approached the colony and spoke to the pilgrims in broken English. He told them of Squanto an Indian who could speak even better than he could. Squanto in tuned with the land, taught the colonists how to cultivate and plant crops, for example, corn and wheat.
The Puritans also made a compact with the Indians, which continued for 14 years after its signing. The compact favored the white-man and left the Indians with little power. Lastly, the hardships of both colonies differ in many ways. For instance, the Jamestown colony came to a land that was not well suited. The colonists settled on an island on the James River thus the name Jamestown was started. The island was marshy and susceptible to flooding and the spread of disease such as Malaria.
Also, the people from Jamestown were mostly rich and were called Gentlemen, which meant wealthy men not accustom to working with their hands. The weather in Virginia was very hot and humid which made for a hard and hot summer. The Puritans also had their hardships, which included a long hard winter in which many Pilgrims died. In the New World an early winter meant disaster.
More than half the colony was buried by spring. The pilgrims had experienced their first northeastern winter that had brutal wind and below freezing temperatures for sustained amount of time. Pneumonia set in after people couldnt recover from their colds. Different disease and harsh weather affected both adversely.
In conclusion, the two colonies although similar, differ in many ways according to The General History of Virginia, and Of Plymouth Plantation. The two colonies set assail risking their own lives for freedom and riches. The two colonies differed in three as discussed; the reasons for settling, their compacts and relations with the Indians, and the hardships they endured. Thirteen years separated their travels, hardships, and successes. Both the colonists and the Puritans had courage and a vision. Their vision was similar, their motivation was different.
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Research essay sample on Reasons For Settling Differ In Many Ways Jamestown
