There were major differences between the hardships encountered by the early settlers of Jamestown, Virginia and the Pilgrims who settled New England in more ways than one. As Pilgrims fled Europe due to religious persecution, the Jamestown colony was founded solely as a commercial enterprise. Although life was difficult for both groups of colonists once they reached the new world, the Jamestown venture was doomed to fail from the start; but where the Jamestown settlers failed, the Pilgrims succeeded. The reasons for traveling to America were different for each group, but they were crucial to their eventual success or failure. The Virginia Company was granted permission by King James the First to travel to North America primarily to find gold; but also engaging in “glass blowing, silk making, winemaking, and river exploration” (C&G 28) as well as trying to find a water route to the East (“History of Jamestown”). The company neglected to take into account that farming would be a necessary requirement. To choose who to send on the expedition, upper-class gentlemen were selected along with a small group of craftsmen, artisans, and laborers (C&G 27). This was one of the many mistakes that paved the way for the venture's eventual failure; the people selected were ill-equipped to deal with the elements and hardships they would face upon arrival. Leaders were unaccustomed to hard work and lacked the organizational skills needed to survive and thrive in the new environment. They also lacked the diplomatic skills needed to deal with the Powhatan Native Americans they encountered. Faced with the real possibility of losing their lands and facing the potential extinction of their population...... middle of paper....... New York: Longman, 2006. Print."History of Jamestown." Historic Jamestowne. Virginia Conservation. Network. February 3, 2014. “Mayflower and the Mayflower Compact.” Plymouth Plantation. ©2003-2014 Plimoth Plantation. Network. 9 February 2014. "The house of the bourgeoisie". History of the United States: Great Britain in the New World. Independence Hall Association of Philadelphia. Network. February 9, 2014. “Religion in Early Virginia.” Colonial Williamstown. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Network. 11 February 2014. "Search Starters: Plymouth Colony." 2014 Scholastic Inc. Grolier Incorporated, nd Web. 9 February 2014. .