Massachusetts Bay Colony and Virginia

Massachusetts Bay Colony:

Massachusetts Bay colony was established in 1620 under the wake of the religious persecution in England by the separatists Puritans. Their main purpose was to establish a theocracy. Under the leadership of John Winthrop, the colony was greatly developed and the community functioned based on the Bible. The colony was established as a "city upon a hill". The church attendance was compulsory and people were fined for their church absence. The colony functioned under a system known as the congregationalism. Inspite of the strict puritan rules, there were dissenters like Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. There was a male supremacy. Women did not take part in town's meeting and was not in the decision making process.
The economy of the colony was based on fishing and trade. The main natural resource of the colony was timber and it was used for ship building. Major industries of the colony were agriculture and manufacturing.

Virginia:

The Southern colony of Virginia was established in 1607 by John Smith. It was a royal colony and it was established solely for business purpose. The economy of the colony was agrarian. Plantations in Virginia were tobacco, wheat and corn. Inspite of its initial setbacks, the tobacco plantations saved James town and led to the success of the settlements. In 1619, the colonists formed the House of Burgesses, the first representative government in the New World. There was indentured servitude, but later the colonists began to bring Africans to start the system of slavery. Religion was a fundamental part of the life of the people of Virginia. The colonists were Anglicans and Protestants. The structure of the government was similar to the England's county courts and it was a contrast to theocracy. The royal governor was in charge of the colony who established Justices of peace to look after the affairs of the colony. Later the House of Burgesses, met to conduct the administration of the colony.