Virginia and Massachusettes Bay Colonies

Virginia and Massachusetts Bay were two colonies that were colonized by England but both developed into different societies.   Some of the contributing factors to how they both developed differently can be found from the geography, demography, ideology, and economy of both colonies.   During the 17th century, England showed interested in the colonization of America.   Some of the reasons why English emigrants showed interest in moving to America were because of religious and economic purposes.   Some settlers from England wanted to worship their religion in their own way while others wanted more opportunity in land ownership.   As a result of the colonization of America, Virginia and Massachusetts Bay were two colonies that were established within Chesapeake and New England, respectively.   Although Virginia and Massachusetts Bay were both established by England, the early developments of growth were both colonies were different and Massachusetts Bay had more success as a colony than Virginia due to factors such as demography, geography, ideology and economy.

Geography was a contributing factor in the development of Virginia and Massachusetts Bay.   The locations of these two colonies played a significant role in their growth due to the land and resources but the Massachusetts Bay colony benefited far more than Virginia.   In 1606, English colonists set sail to America to launch a new colony in Virginia.   Jamestown was the first village in Virginia and selected by the leaders of the colony, the London Company.   The selection of this location was viewed as promising and an ideal location to build a fort in the case of a surprise attack from Native Americans or Spain.   Without the consultation of resident Native Americans, Jamestown proved to be unsuccessful for development due to the low-lying ground that “proved to be a disease-ridden death trap,” (Divine, page 32).   The drinking water was contaminated due to salt, and the location was cut-off from the mainland....