Essay Compare And Contrast Jamestown And Plymouth Plantation

Traveling aboard the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery, 104 men disembarked on the coast of Virginia in 1607 in a colony that they named Jamestown. This was the first permanent English settlement in the so called “New World”. Thirteen years later, 102 men on board the Mayflower, came ashore in Massachusetts, in a colony known as the Plymouth Plantation. The Jamestown and Plymouth colonies were the first English colonies to be established in North America. Although many people do not acknowledge these two colonies, they helped us compose America. Jamestown was a strict colony in the state of Virginia. The chief John Smith made it simple, “ You don't work , you don't eat.” Smith did not want sluggish people in his colony, what he wanted was a solid working class that would help him maintain his

“Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land , they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean.” (Bradford 80) As quoted by Bradford, the voyage on the Mayflower was not the best. They had to go through brassy weather, disease ,and being trapped on a boat for months. Furthermore, for the pilgrims it was a blessing to get to the new world knowing they had a chance at a fresh start and see land for the first time after being on a boat for months. Jamestown and Plymouth had many similarities ,but also many differences. First of all, Jamestown was mostly a male populated colony because they all worked independently with one goal in mind which was to become prosperous off of tobacco. Unlike Jamestown, Plymouth was a family oriented community and always worked together to accomplish many tasks. Jamestown and Plymouth both had English leaders. Jamestown had John Smith and Plymouth had William Bradford. John Smith was more of a strict leader rather than Bradford because he wanted his people to work for their