Differences Between Virginia And New England Colonies

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As colonies began to take shape in the 15th century, characteristics between each colony began to compare and contrast, especially between the Virginia and New England colonies. A similarity between the two were that they both had representative government, where Virginia established the House of Burgesses and New England established the Mayflower Compact. Another clear similarity between the two were that both colonies were involved in conflict that resulted in hatred against the Natives. The impact of both Bacon’s Rebellion on Virginian population and King Phillip’s War on the New England population both directly caused hatred towards Natives. A distinct difference between the two colonies was their foundations. The Virginia colony had an economic basis primarily funded upon tobacco, while New England was…show more content…
In Virginia, Nathaniel Bacon led over 1,000 Virginians in a rebellion against William Berkley who opposed attack Indians on frontier settlements. Outraged farmers and others who were unemployed not only grew angry towards Berkley, but also towards the Natives. The unavailability of land became infuriating to those who made a living off of selling crops, and the only land that was deemed unused to them was those of the Natives. This view grew popular in the Virginia colony, resulting in the extreme racism towards Natives. Similarly, the New England colony experienced a war against the Natives due to border conflicts. This war was King Phillip’s War, in which Metacom led Natives against murdering colonists and attacked farms and townships. This war resulted in the death of around 30% of the New England population. Due to this extreme number, New England colonists began to scapegoat their losses against minorities including Quakers and Christian Natives. Both Virginia and New England both display the similar opposition towards the Natives due to border
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