Question

If one word summed up the English Atlantic colonies from 1604 to 1725, it would be: anxiety. But the causes of anxiety varies from one colony to the next. Compare and contrast the worries of the governor of Massachusetts around 1640 with those of a South Carolina governor in 1720. Which fears do they share, and which are unique?

Answer 1

Answer:

The concerns and fears they shared were organizing the growing population of their colonies.

For Massachusetts, their concern was the growing religious beliefs.

For South Carolina, their concern was the progress of the colony (a transition from Proprietary to Royal Colony).

Explanation:

The colonies of Massachusetts and South Carolina had worries and concerns as they emerged to civilization.

For the governors of Massachusetts around 1940, John Winthrop was the governor at this time.

Their concern was majorly in organizing their growing population.

John Winthrop helped much to organize the towns - by the mid-1640s Massachusetts Bay Colony had grown to more than 20,000 inhabitants; the colony which started with 1000 Puritan refugees.

Also, there were religious concerns among the leaders. Theocratic government were established by the Puritans. John Winthrop, Dudley, Rev. John Cotton, and other leaders zealously sought and fought to stop any independence of religious views, and many with differing religious beliefs.

On the other hand, South Carolina in the 1720 had Sir Francis Nicholson as their first provisional governor.

Before then, South Carolina was in a transition from Proprietary to a royal colony in 1719 which brought in the revolution.

Their concern was the progress of the colony and the character of the leaders. Also, the colony’s economy, population, and reputation which grew slowly during the early decades, in part because of the inefficient system of proprietary government was also a concern.

Answer 2

During the early years of the colonies, there was a lot of concern and enxiety surrounding the future of the new colonies. In the case of Massachusetts, an important concern was the growing diversity of the population. Initially, the colony was mosly Puritan. However, with time, many other people came to settle in the region.

On the other hand, a concern that South Carolina had at the time was that of organizing its government. Established as a crown colony, the locals wanted to introduce more direct representation.

However, these colonies also shared some problems. For example, both colonies were most likely concerned with their economy. As both their economies consisted of trade and agriculture, these two areas received a lot of attention from the leaders.