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In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered land, which had become of great interest to the Europeans when they started to colonize the land in the 1600’s. The colony of Massachusetts was settled in 1620, by William Bradford and John Winthrop. All the settlers seeked freedom of religion in new land. The other colony of Virginia was settled before Massachusetts in 1609, by the Virginia Company. The company was controlled by two men, Walter Rolly and John Cabot, who seeked new opportunities for profit. Although Massachusetts and Virginia were both colonies, they evolved in separate manners, because of their reasons for settlement, the geography and climate, and their economies.
Massachusetts and Virginia evolved in separate …show more content…
The soil in Virginia was fairly fertile, and the warm climate helped plantations. [nps.gov]. In the Virginia colony, plantations became a very popular way of life because of the great growing conditions in the south. The soil in the southern colonies, like Virginia, was so fertile. This means that the soil helps support the crop that is being planted by giving it healthy and nutrient-filled soil. The warm climate in the south created the tobacco industry. [p.87] Given that the climate was warm, it helped farmers in the Virginia colony plant crops most year round. One of the most popular crops was tobacco and the climate was a big reason why the farmers were able to plant tobacco. Without the crop, the farmers profits would be a bit decreased due to the demand of tobacco. In the Massachusetts colony, the climate wasn’t nearly as warm year round, and that didn't support crop growth. However, the colony turned to, “Lumbering, shipbuilding, fishing and trade.” [nps.gov]. The colony turned to these resources because of their advantage in the cold climate. The rocky soil made farming on plantations not the greatest option due to the difficulty of growth for crops. This is why they had to turn to other options like cutting wood and fishing. However, the lumber they had for building was a great trade resource because that wasn’t a common good in the south. The climate and …show more content…
The geography and climate for Virginia in the south was the main reason why profits were so high. Plantations in the Tidewater region lead to an economy centered around crops. [p.87]. The crops that were grown mainly year round were extremely profitable and tradeable, especially tobacco. Tobacco was referred to as, “brown gold,” because of its high price tag, like gold. This resulted in farmers all over the south and Virginia plating tobacco so they could trade and sell at a good price for the high demand. However, the rocky soil and cold climate made it impossible to farm in the Massachusetts colony. [nps.gov]. This resulted in the settlers having to find a different resource that they could make profit on, like the southerners did with crops. They had to rely on resources that were common and easy to get from their climate, such as lumber and fishing. These resources were more profitable in places like the south, or the Virginia colony, and that’s how they made a large portion of their profits. Without the profits they made, it would be harder for their economy to flourish. Back down in the south, the Virginia colony had large plantations where the crops they sold were grown. This made the production slower because of the difficulty of harvesting the mass quantities of crops. Tobacco and rice were, “Crops that required many workers in the fields and thus were partly responsible for