U.S. History Colonies: The History

U.S. History Colonies:

The history of the United States colonies shows a significant distinction in the nature and character of the colonies that contributed to the difference in their establishment. Some of the major colonies that were established differently include Jamestown in Virginia, Plymouth in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and Maryland. As the first and only English colony in the continental New World, Virginia had boundaries that extended far to the north and west as its initial explorers could imagine or envision. On the contrary, Jamestown was a colony that experienced a period of chaos which was commonly known as starving time following the departure of John Smith from the colony. Maryland was a colony characterized with trade while Plymouth Colony was established following agreements between Virginia Company and Pilgrims from Holland regarding their settlement (Bradford, n.d.). Massachusetts Bay Colony was mainly occupied by Puritans with few difficulties but a slowly thriving community.

Based on these descriptions, it's evident that these colonies were not only different in their establishment but also differed with regards to their nature and character. The Virginia Colony was the remaining English colony during the continental New World and basically consisted of explorers. Since early explorers were the major settlers in this colony, the nature of Virginia was characterized with manpower and shipments of provisions (Smith, n.d.). From the shipment of provisions, the character of Virginia Colony was to offer help to other colonies and people lacking some basic necessities. As a colony in Virginia, Jamestown was a colony that was characterized with chaos, particularly after the departure of John Smith. While the population in the colony was mainly Christian, it experienced a disordered situation. The nature of the colony was a tendency towards lawlessness and order, which contributed to the establishment of laws that could address the disorder situation ("The Laws of Virginia," n.d.).

On the contrary, Massachusetts Bay Colony was a religious colony with strict religious beliefs, leadership, firm authority, and organization (Winthrop, n.d.). The nature of this colony was to uphold religious beliefs and enable America to serve as an example to the world in commitment to the divine mandate. Through the Puritan population and community, Massachusetts Bay Colony was primarily a Christian colony.

In contrast, Plymouth Colony was established as a place that provided an opportunity for Pilgrims from Holland to overcome great difficulties and challenges in their native land. The nature of this colony was to provide a home for the pilgrims to escape great hardships while contributing to the development of this colony. Therefore, the nature of the colony could be considered as a home of foreigners i.e. For the pilgrims of Holland. Unlike the other colonies, Maryland was increasingly involved in trade of various commodities or items that were sold to the Inhabitant (Aslop, n.d.).

Despite of these differences in establishment, these colonies consists of some similarities and differences that characterized their early history. Some of the major similarities between the colonies include the fact that their populations were mainly settlers from other regions and dependence on trade for the growth of the communities. The populations in each of these colonies were settlers from other regions in the continental New World instead of native people. While the settlers came from distinctive regions, they mainly depended on trade for survival and community development. However, the colonies are differentiated from each other based on their religious beliefs, establishment, and significant events that took place. While some colonies exhibited commitment to specific religious beliefs, others did not display such devotion. They also differ in relation to the processes and events that took place during their establishment and development.