Introduction
Virginia was established as a colony in 1600s, and the colonists came to Virginia for economic progress. Meanwhile Massachusetts was settled by a community who was outraged with the Church of England. Though capitalism was a part of these ventures, of these two sets of colonists, the Virginians were here for economic reasons, while the New Englanders tended to have religious motives for leaving the Old World. Both of the colonies came to establish their existence on ‘systems of supremacy’ which had influenced British philosophy. For society to develop in the New World, people would have to forfeit some of their personal freedoms.

Salient differences on various aspects between two colonies:
While comparing the basic fabrics, which constitute the English settlements in Virginia and Massachusetts, the following differences did contribute to the success of the New England:

• For economic development, the colonizers who came into Virginia were totally illiterate English males. Massachusetts, on the other hand, was founded by educated Puritan families who were disgusted with the practices of the English Church.
• The success rate of a colony was evaluated by employing different methods, for the use of their laborers. These colonies also used different policies for the distribution of their lands. How have these two factors shaped the economic history of these two colonies? Though the subsequent explanation clearly shows and gives some concrete reasoning as why Massachusetts was more economically successful (it should be kept in mind that that the identical system would not have suited the Virginia settlers). And this does, without a shred of doubt, provide some of the enlightenment why Massachusetts evinced to be the more economically successful of the two settlements.
• Demographically, the very first successful English colonists headed for Jamestown. Virginia was absolutely not a group of variety; rather, they were a group of explorers, adventurers, and fortune hunters. They of course came alone, because they could not afford to take their families with them, and their obsession for gold and dreams of a world of milk and honey did not allow them to look for long term investments like agriculture. Their shortsighted dedication, in addition to the poor setting chosen for Jamestown, their starvation for gold and for wealth and negligence in building up a well thought-out society resulted in a high death rate. In contrast, the Puritan colonizers in New England were successful in building a prosperous society based on the solid infrastructure of cultivation and their achievement in building a ‘stone solid society’ would ultimately affect America. Around twenty thousand Puritan immigrants, consisting of entire families, unlike the solitary adventurer of Virginia, came to Massachusetts, looking for a place to practice their religion in peace. While they did not accept as true that fulfillment could be achieved only through ‘money-oriented means’, they knew that long term stability was essential to achieve the mental peace for practicing their religion. Hence it can be understood that it was not only the factor of religious belief that separated the two demographically different groups of colonists, but the very basic reason for leaving England and the subsequent goals were vastly different. While the settlers in New England wanted to create a new foothold for themselves on the new continent, the fortune hunters arriving in Virginia wanted to become rich overnight and wanted to return to their native land.

Why did colonists come to both colonies?
Let’s start with the famous quote of John Winthrop, the famous Puritan governor. He wrote, during his journey to New England, "God Almighty in His most holy and wise providence hath so disposed of the Condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich, some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity; others mean and in subjection". At the same time, he stressed that "we must knit together in this work as one man" (Winthrop, 65), which necessarily means that some socioeconomic differences may exist, but should not be permitted to damage the public calm. Let us study the route adopted towards the distribution of land in the town of Dedham, one among the first towns to get advanced in the Massachusetts Bay area during 1630-1635. Here the method for the land distribution follows Winthrop’s teaching. Two main benchmarks were set to determine an individual’s share of land. MORE…