Sem. 2, Essay 2.

Ethan Brown

Mr. Viles Honors History

Abstract

The following paper will compare and contrast Plymouth and Jamestown. It will show that even though they came from the same country and culture they were different because their backgrounds and religions were different. This paper will use the following sources: 1. The Earth Shall Weep by James Wilson 2. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk 3. http://www.britannica.com 4. Classroom discussions from Mr. Viles' Honors History, 5. Homeschooling Information

Background of Jamestown

The settlers that founded Jamestown were a group of Englishmen who were on an expedition to start an English colony. Once they got to America one of the captains, John Smith, was elected as one of the seven men in the governing council. In December, 1607, Smith was captured by the Powhatan Indian tribe. He was going to be executed until the young Powhatan princess "Pocahontas" rescued him. She did this by putting her head upon his to prevent him from having his skull crushed . Smith was elected president of Jamestown in 1608. He also conducted military training and continued to secure corn from the Indians by compulsory purchasing the corn. One of the main purposes why Jamestown settlers were in America was to keep the Spanish, who were already in Florida, from expanding further into North America.

Background of Plymouth

A group of Separatists called the Pilgrims were the settlers of Plymouth Colony. This group was lead by a man named William Bradford. In England the Pilgrims had to hold their church services in secret; they were arrested and put in prison for it. The Pilgrims heard that the Dutch were lenient to dissenters so they immigrated to Holland in 1608.

In 1620 Bradford, John Carver, Edward Winslow, William Brewster, and other Separatists in Holland decided to immigrate to America. One hundred and two people boarded the Mayflower. After crossing the Atlantic they landed on Cape Cod and established a settlement in Massachusetts Bay. They named it Plymouth. John Carver was elected governor. The plan was to eat fish from the ocean, nevertheless by 1621, half of the people had died due mainly to starvation or disease. This included Bradford's wife who had drowned in the bay. John Carver died in 1621 and Bradford was elected governor.

Religions

Jamestown was in America for a commercial endeavor to profit English investors. This was unlike the Pilgrims who came to America to worship their God freely. Members of the Virginia Company and Jamestown settlers were members of the Anglican Church of England. If any were of Puritan persuasion, they were not Separatists and remained conforming members of the Church of England. The Jamestown settlers contained an Anglican minister who took part in communion after landing. When King James and King Charles were kings, England had a Puritan revolution. However, Jamestown remained loyal to the King and the settlers remained conforming members of the Anglican Church even as the church went through an intense change in England.

Plymouth's people came over because they were trying to escape the Anglican Church. The Pilgrims believed that the Bible was the true word of God and that the government should not interfere with their way of worship.

The main reason that Jamestown was established was to put a permanent English presence in America and to block off Spanish expansion. The reason that the Pilgrims came to America was that they wanted to worship God they way they wanted and still remain English. Because it was so important that their children did not take on Dutch culture and the Dutch language, they left Holland for America.

"Our greatest strength as a human race is our ability to acknowledge our differences our greatest weakness is our failure to embrace them." – Judith Henderson