Like the Jamestown colony, the Plymouth colony also had dealings with the Native Americans. In order to maintain peace, however, the colonists made a treaty with the Native Americans. Upon finding a Native American who could speak English, the Plymouth colony succeeded in passing a peace treaty with the Native Americans, which, among other things, allowed the colonists and the Native Americans to make a security pact. Other than feared threat from the Native Americans, the colonists had a variety of different problems settling in the area. These included illness, finding provisions, etc.
Third and finally, the colony at Massachusetts Bay allowed faith to play an incredible role in the formation of the society's laws. John Winthrop's "A Model of Christian Charity" sets out not what actual struggles that the colonists had during the foundation of their colonies, but what kind of social contract that they would live by. Highly founded in scripture, the contract was founded on two principals -- justice and mercy. Indeed, Winthrop lists the reasons for abiding by this social contract as threefold -- to glorify God, to allow the Holy Spirit access into one's personal life, and to bring people closer together. Further, his principals for living in the colony are supported with scriptural references. Although the document...
For instance, in this model, Winthrop instructs his fellow colonists to accept that they have no enemies in Christ. This would make for dealing with Native Americans in a very different manner than the previous two colonies did. In addition, Winthrop's propositions for Massachusetts Bay Colonies have incredible implications for societal order. Like the Plymouth colony which sought to instruct colonists on how to live together as Christians, the Massachusetts Bay Colony as structured by Winthrop would have to rely on a great deal of community building in order to survive.
Thus, elements of all three of these colonies helped foster the culture of the United States, which would become one of the predominate cultures in the world in the 20th century. While these colonies had similarities, such as overcoming disease and troubles with Native Americans, they also had differences, such as their goals and upon what system they were based. The Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony have a great deal of similarities, as they were both founded primarily on Christian principals. The Jamestown colony, however, has a more governmental and business flavor.
