Virginia Vs Massachusetts Essay
Virginia vs. Massachusetts
Two of the first two regions of America to be colonized, Virginia and Massachusetts had many similarities. However, their differences are what defined their society and economy and made them unique. Virginia and Massachusetts differ socially in terms of religion and demographics and economically in terms of production focus and labor usage.
A main societal difference between the colonies in Virginia and the ones in Massachusetts is religion. Whereas the Virginian colonies were declared as Anglican, the colonies of Massachusetts were Puritan. An important point to be made here is that Massachusetts’ colonies were actually founded for religious reasons. The Puritans came to America to escape religious persecution …show more content…
In Virginia, there was plenty of land, but not enough labor. Since the colonists were lazy, they used slave labor to farm their crops. This mainly consisted of indentured servants, who were under a contract to work for a specific owner. Their voyage to America would be paid for by the owner, but they would then have to work for that person until their debt was paid off. This often took anywhere from 5 to 7 years. However, many indentured servants died before they could fulfill their contracts because they were stricken by disease. Over time, immunities were developed and contracts were fulfilled more often. At this point, slave imports became regular in Virginia. In contrast, slave labor was not used in Massachusetts. Instead, they relied on their own hard work. Unlike the lazy colonists of Virginia, the colonists of Massachusetts were able to keep up their production just doing everything themselves. Each family member played an important role, even the kids. This led to rapid population growth, as kids were relied on more and more to help support the farm or family. Also, in contrast to Virginians, the people of Massachusetts believed that people should be equal. Therefore, the rich shared their wealth with the poor, lessening the gap between rich and poor. However, in Virginia, wealth was extremely important, and one’s wealth was measured by the number of slaves owned or the size of his
Two of the first two regions of America to be colonized, Virginia and Massachusetts had many similarities. However, their differences are what defined their society and economy and made them unique. Virginia and Massachusetts differ socially in terms of religion and demographics and economically in terms of production focus and labor usage.
A main societal difference between the colonies in Virginia and the ones in Massachusetts is religion. Whereas the Virginian colonies were declared as Anglican, the colonies of Massachusetts were Puritan. An important point to be made here is that Massachusetts’ colonies were actually founded for religious reasons. The Puritans came to America to escape religious persecution …show more content…
In Virginia, there was plenty of land, but not enough labor. Since the colonists were lazy, they used slave labor to farm their crops. This mainly consisted of indentured servants, who were under a contract to work for a specific owner. Their voyage to America would be paid for by the owner, but they would then have to work for that person until their debt was paid off. This often took anywhere from 5 to 7 years. However, many indentured servants died before they could fulfill their contracts because they were stricken by disease. Over time, immunities were developed and contracts were fulfilled more often. At this point, slave imports became regular in Virginia. In contrast, slave labor was not used in Massachusetts. Instead, they relied on their own hard work. Unlike the lazy colonists of Virginia, the colonists of Massachusetts were able to keep up their production just doing everything themselves. Each family member played an important role, even the kids. This led to rapid population growth, as kids were relied on more and more to help support the farm or family. Also, in contrast to Virginians, the people of Massachusetts believed that people should be equal. Therefore, the rich shared their wealth with the poor, lessening the gap between rich and poor. However, in Virginia, wealth was extremely important, and one’s wealth was measured by the number of slaves owned or the size of his