Differences in New England Establishments
Differences in New England EstablishmentsVirginia and New England were two very different colonial experiences in the early 17th century separated on their ideas of family, religion and economy. Both being new establishments in the New World they had completely different structures. Jamestown, Virginia was established mainly as an investment, a place to send beggars and criminals with the main purpose of growing tobacco, the staple or cash crop. Indentured servants and African slaves, the first of which came in 1619, were needed because of the immense amounts of labor needed on the tobacco plantations. Because of the excessive pressur
Land was passed down to the sons and was equally divided which kept everyone close and the community centralized. Bay started Harvard in 1636 to teach ministers so they could make their beliefs more widespread. They wanted to maintain order and keep good habits, crime was centered on morality and they were obsessed with the law. There were to be no 'bachelors' who lived away from a family and their goal was t bring over as many Puritans and middle class people to convert as possible. They had no commercial crop because the land was rocky and hilly; however had a higher life expectancy than did Virginia. All the energy was focused on money to go back to England so they spent nothing on schools or churches, had no real towns or family order. Since New England was more of a religious society it was a community made up of large families that shared the same views and looked after each other. They were trying for a model community, a 'city on a hill', they didn't want anyone different from them living there because they had no religious tolerance. The population consisted mainly of young men, with the ratio of men to women being 6 to 1. This system gave 100 acres to all live white males and another 50 acres for every indentured servant they brought over and sponsored. e on the land the people of Virginia were nomadic, moving every three years to have fertile land. Massachusetts Bay in New England on the other hand was established for the Puritans who wanted to break away from the Church of England because they thought it was corrupt. The high mortality rates, lack of skills, and little incentive to work, because of evenly distributed wealth, led many to not want to come to Virginia, so they established the head rights system.
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