Essay/Term paper: Virginians and the puritans

Essay, term paper, research paper:  History

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

goals. They may not have had as much religion

as the Puritans did, but they still had a way of

life. The Virginians can be looked back upon,

and thought of as a successful colony. One

example of proof is that our nation's capital is

located in the same general vicinity that John

Smith once settled in.



The significance of being able to grow tobacco,

have a longer growing season, and be able to

trade with England is that all these things allow

for basic survival, and prosperity. Food is

produced, along with a cash crop to keep the

colony going.