Question

Compare and contrast massachusetts bay colony and plymouth colony - what were the major similarities and differences?

Answer 1

The Plymouth Colony was one of the first settlements in New England, it was founded by Pilgrims. when the Massachusetts Colony was created by the Puritans, the first difference that we see is that the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony were less organized than the Massachusetts Puritans and because of that a lot of Pilgrims died. Another difference is that the Plymouth Colony were separatists, they wanted to practice their faith separated from the others, the Puritans differed because they wanted to reform the church and still be a part of it.

Answer 2

Plymouth Colony

- Founded in 1620 by a group of Pilgrims.

- These pilgrims were escaping religious persecution in England and desired a complete break up with the Anglican Church (aka Church of England).

- These individuals sailed on the Mayflower and developed the first colonial government through the Mayflower Compact.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

- Founded in 1630 by Puritans.

- Puritans were hoping to purify (aka fix) the Anglican Church and continue its teachings in North America.

- Group was lead by John Winthrop who gave the famous "City Upon a Hill" speech.

- Their ultimate goal was to create a type of religious utopia in the New World. Their society would be the ideal place to live and other societies would take after their structure.