Jamestown Vs. Plymouth: The First Two Settlements In The New World

Jamestown vs. Plymouth

There were several differences and similarities between the first two settlements in the New World, Jamestown and Plymouth. This paper will make note of a few of the highlights. The chief difference between the two civilizations was their reason for coming and their key similarity was the poor relationship with their native neighbors. Starting off with the main difference, each settlement came here with a different goal in mind. The people of Jamestown, who came first, came with the dreams of entrepreneurship. They were charted by the Virginia Company and came here to prospect and mine gold. They had no farmers, so they wanted to make a living from other, more capitalistic means. They used indentured servants and native slaves to do the hard labor, while they would search for gold. To their dismay, there was no gold to be found. They tried other means of trade, such as silkworm farming, and glassblowing, but it was far too cold for either. Jamestown’s saving grace came in the form of tobacco production found by John Rolfe. These tobacco plantations would be the center of the community in Jamestown.

They came here as pilgrims looking to escape the corruption of the English Anglican church. They wanted a fresh start with their families to pursue their faith the way they wanted to. The Puritan pilgrims of Plymouth were framers themselves, so they had no intention of using slaves. They were more self-sufficient and wanted to establish churches and schools at the center of their communities. The Puritans originally had good relations with Native Americans, but this friendship would soon fade as the pilgrim population grew too quickly and they felt the need to expand. This pushed the natives back further and further until they were now a small minority with little to no room for