Virginians and the Puritans :: essays research papers

The Virginians were better off than the Puritans were, because they had tobacco for a cash crop, they had a longer growing season, and they could trade and sell to England easier than the Puritans could. The Virginians were also more loosely structured than the Puritans, and were allowed to be individual people instead of one large mass. Smith and Bradford’s ways of leading their colonies were similar, yet so very different. Smith’s main concern was to make money and be famous. Bradford’s concept was to start a new life, and preach his own, new religion. Both had keeping their people’s health and well being a high priority. The idealistic colony for Bradford was a colony where people were religiously bonded, and kept together by the church. Smith was more interested in profit for himself, and let the people conduct themselves more freely. One of the main industries that the Virginians had was the harvesting and selling of tobacco. The good thing about this is that the majority of people in the 1700’s used tobacco. Of course the Puritans also had tobacco, but it was harder to grow up north because of the rocky terrain, and the difference in temperature. The Virginians found that selling tobacco was very profitable, and growing it was relatively simple. It was a fairly easy way to make money, and expended little effort. The Virginians had a longer growing season than the Puritans did, due to their latitude. The longer growing season not only allowed the Virginians to grow their cash crop tobacco longer, but also enabled them to grow fruits and vegetables longer into the year. This made winter less harsh for the Virginians. Smith liked the idea of being able to grow longer, because he profited from it. Bradford was more concerned with keeping his people faithful to God, and well from sickness. The Puritans had a growing season also, but not as long as the Virginians. The longer the growing season was, the longer money could be made, and produce be harvested. The Virginians could more readily trade and sell their cash crops to England, because they were partially funded by England. This made trips across the Atlantic less expensive for the Virginians. Not only did England fund the Virginians, but also the Virginians were welcomed with open arms, and the Puritans weren’t as much because they sought religious refuge, and were looked upon as outcasts. Virginia was a better-founded colony due to their