The Jamestown in Virginia colony encountered many devastating problems when trying to colonize in comparison with the other New World colonies. Problems such as starvation, sickness, lacking sufficient skills to farm or even hunt, and murder from the local Indians nearly extinguished the entire colony. Some of the food that was brought to the colony was sent home with other explorers, leaving those behind without much food. Many of the colonist resorted to cannibalism to satisfy their hunger. John Smith stated in his letter to the Virginia Company, “and we are more than two hundred to live upon this: the one half sick, the other little better,” I feel that he wrote this to express the significance of the diminishing health amongst the colonist. The need for competent workers in carpentry, farming, fishing, masonry, and several other skills prevented the colony from growing and sustaining themselves. Due to the lack of food and the declining health, they were too weak to defend themselves against the Indian attacks. A clear presence of order and leadership was not regained until Sir Thomas Gates enacted Martial Law.
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was well led and organized before they even made the trip across the Atlantic to the New World. In comparison to the Jamestown’s Martial Law, John Winthrop organized the Puritans in such a way as to prepare them for how they should interact with one another, work, and most of all practice there faith. Strict religious faith was the way of life and their means of government. Jamestown’s Martial Law was a strict, military driven, means to regain order within the colony. While both of the ends were similar, the way they achieved their goals differ.
The Plymouth in Massachusetts colony was similar to the Massachusetts Bay colony because they too were seeking their freedom from religious persecution and also traveled to the New World as family groups. With nearly half of the colonist dying due to sickness, they were not as successful as the Bay colony in life expectancy at first but more like the Jamestown colony. In comparison to the Jamestown colony, they also had to battle with sickness and death due to their inability of coping with the environment and weather conditions.
The Colony of Maryland was a flourishing group of Roman Catholic’s. Similar in comparison to the Massachusetts Bay Colony because they also worked well together to accomplish a common goal through hard work, honest and fair trade, and their religious beliefs. George Alsop wrote, “Thus is the trade on both sides drove on with a fair and honest decorum. The inhabitants of this Province are seldom or never put to the affreightment of being robbed of their money.” I feel that since these colonist had good trade practices they were able to focus most of their attention elsewhere.