Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The 1607 Virginia and 1620 Massachusetts settlements diverged in origin, economy, governance, and religion—shaping two distinct colonial models.
| Dimension | Virginia (Jamestown) | Massachusetts (Plymouth / Mass. Bay) |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1607 | 1620 (Plymouth); 1630 (Mass. Bay) |
| Sponsor | Virginia Company of London (joint-stock, profit-driven) | Pilgrims (separatists) → Mass. Bay Company (Puritan merchants) |
| Primary Motive | Economic: gold, trade, resources | Religious freedom (Pilgrims); Puritan "City upon a Hill" (Mass. Bay) |
| Early Economy | Tobacco (cash crop, export-oriented, plantation) | Subsistence farming, fishing, timber, trade; family farms |
| Labor System | Indentured servants → African slavery (by 1660s) | Family labor; some indentured; limited slavery |
| Government | Royal colony (1624); House of Burgesses (1619) — elite planter control | Plymouth: Mayflower Compact (self-govt); Mass. Bay: General Court (freemen church members) — theocratic republic |
| Religion | Anglican (official); tolerant in practice | Puritan/Congregational (established); dissenters banished (Williams, Hutchinson) |
| Native Relations | Powhatan Confederacy: conflict, trade, displacement | Wampanoag: initial alliance (Squanto), then King Philip's War (1675–76) |
| Geography | Tidewater rivers, swampy, malaria | Rocky coast, harbors, thinner soil, healthier climate |