and Fearless courageous brave men and women set sail for the New World with their hopes of a better life. Although they were aware of some of the risk associated with this colonization they knew it the best choice. Much was at stake and they had no inkling of the grave dangers that were awaiting them. I believe it was their faith in the Lord that guided them thru this journey to the New World. William Bradford writes; "those that went first, but the body of the rest, that if the Lord gave them life, and means, and opportunitie, they would come and soon as they could". All these early settlements had some similar issues as they each had their faith to start fresh in the New World. Virginia lacked leadership and organization and they lived in constant conflict among themselves and between the savage Indians. From the beginning they were doomed due to their choice of location for the new colony. The harsh environment, hunger and fear dealt with the inexperienced leaders almost lead them to their demise. The Puritans in Massachusetts on the other hand had strict organization and leadership. They truly trusted and believed that they were chosen by God for this journey. These colonists believe in equality, Faith in the Lord, to love your neighbor and to work together in a common goal and such they put forth a covenant with God himself. The Plymouth colonist understood the risk associated with this treacherous journey however they had no choice as they themselves were to become prisoners in England and evicted from Holland. These pilgrims were extremely hard working and over the years suffered as much sickness and disease as the other colonist. Uncertainty with their lives in Holland as fall to to the Spaniards or risk the same fate of the savages they choose to place their faith in the Lord and ask him for directions and assistance. The rich lands of Mary-Land spun up thru the trade and barter system as these early settlers that founded the Province of Maryland seem to be at peace with the savages. We can see that over these 50 years governmental organization and leadership has come a long way since the first settlers. Tobacco was the highly prized commodity and was in abundance in these lands. Mercantile trade as well thru the fur's trade was secondary. The establishment of law and order was proved to provide a successful outcome in the colonies. In the beginning Jamestown struggled but in the end the establishments of these laws were created to provide some order. Crystal I would have to agree with you. The colonists were definitely brave men and women. Furthermore, they were not prepared for what was ahead. I do believe that they did have faith in the Lord. However, some of those who wanted to settle in the New World were looking for wealth. I think that those that wanted wealth suffered more than those that had a strong faith. As you said in your post, the Puritans had very strict organization as well as a strong leader. Their leader, John Winthrop was a very religious man who put the Lord first and I feel that he lead by example. In my opinion, the Puritans followed Winthrop and tried to glorify the Lord in all they did. I think that says a lot. No matter how hard their situation they put the Lord first and as a result they prospered. In addition, the Puritans had a strong family tradition that helped them succeed. I really enjoyed reading you post. (Word count 167)