The settlement of Jamestown and the towns established by the Puritans differ vastly in their success, motives, planning, values, and lifestyle. The Puritan settlements were almost instant success while the Jamestown settlements took many years and lives to be firmly established. .
The first difference was the motives of each group. The Jamestown settlers came to make money. Their chief concern was how much gold they could make. The majority of men who came were business men, people who knew how to make money. But they forgot they needed someone to build houses first. The Puritans on the other hand, came for a variety of reasons, none that could be termed "greedy". The situation in England was horrible at the time. The Puritans suffered religious persecution, political oppression, a poor economy, lack of land, and on top of it all a overpopulation (which is no fun with the lack off food and toilet paper it incurs). So the Puritans and Separatists, another group who wanted to leave, left for the New World.
In terms of planning, the Puritans had thought of everything. They brought food, they brought clothes, supplies, and intelligent people who could help build houses and farm. The Jamestown settlers did not bring anything they should have. Instead of farmers, they brought jewelers. Instead of trying to be peaceful with the natives, they were hostile. The ill-planning went so far to the man to women ratio. There were literally 15 men to every woman! They Jamestown residents forgot in their haste to make money that one must first survive to thrive. .
One of the reasons the Puritans did so much better than the Jamestown settlers, was that they worked and toiled as a group, not as individuals. The Puritans traveled to the New World in families, bringing with them close ties that could weather the voyage, and than start over together in the Americas. The Puritans than based there community upon the Bible.
