Essay on Virgina and Massachussets Bay Colonies
Uploaded by AlexaAriel17 on Nov 02, 2012
Virginia and Massachusetts Bay were two colonies that developed into very different societies by 1600 , although both were established by English colonists, due to differences in government, economy, and religion.
The Virginia and Massachusetts Bay colonies greatly differed in governmental structure. Puritans who were fleeing from harassment in England established the Massachusetts Bay colonies. The first colony that the Puritans set up was north of Plymouth, at Massachusetts Bay. However, after finding a gap in the charter they received from King Charles I the Puritans moved their capital to Salem, Massachusetts. This colony was self-governed and was separate from English joint-stock companies and/or proprietors. A conservative hierarchical system was formed by Puritans based on "god's will" and family structure. Colonists were ruled by their social superiors both in religion and in family status. Unlike in any Massachusetts Bay colonies, in Virginia the setup colonies were under indirect rule of the King of England who appointed wealthy, trusted landowners to rule settlers. The King appointed governors to rule the land. By 1634, the colony adopted England's court-council system. Justices of the peace were responsibly for creating local taxes, managing the payroll of officials, and managing public works. Justices were chosen by the governor, as were sheriffs. The colonists favored an elected assembly and after many repetitive petitions King James, I gave in and allowed a representative government to be instated. In 1650, this representative government split up into two branches: the House of Burgesses and the Governor's Council.
Another way that the two sets of colonies developed differently was in terms of economy. Shortly before arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, Governor John Winthrop reprimanded class hatred and economic greed. He strongly believed in the rich giving to the poor to try to create as close as possible to an economically equal society. However, this sense of equality excluded Native Americans. The Puritans forced the Indians, who had no sense of landownership, to sell their lands. Many of these natives then became assimilated into the Puritan culture. The Massachusetts Bay colonies did not use slaves. To server their labor needs they heavily relied on families, but even more specifically, children. The average family would consist of a large amount of children that were responsible for farming, while the male head of the household served as a supervisor and manager. Virginia...