Both Massachusetts and Pennsylvania were settled by religious separatists from England. The various Massachusetts plantations that later became a unified colony were settled earlier than Pennsylvania and by Puritan groups which did not endorse religious freedom. Instead, the Puritans consciously imposed their form of faith and worship on all inhabitants of their colony and persecuted those who pursued a different path.

In contrast, Pennsylvania was founded by a Quaker, William Penn, who insisted on religious freedom in the colony, opening it to settlement by persecuted religious groups other than Quakers. These included Swiss and German anabaptists sects. This changed the flavor of the colony by infusing it with a variety of cultural and ethnic groups.

Penn, following the Quaker peace testimony, also pursued peaceful relations and reconciliation with Native American groups in the colony. This led to a less bloody and antagonistic history—at least initially—between colonists and natives than was the case in Massachusetts.

Pennsylvania was more amenable to farming than Massachusetts, which relied more on fishing and trade to generate wealth. Both, however, became wealthy colonies, and their major cities, such as Philadelphia and Boston, were centers of colonial power.

Pennsylvania's example of toleration of diverse religious groups had a longer lasting impact on the American way of life than the Puritan theocracy, for the United States early on embraced the ideal (if not always the reality) of religious freedom.

There were differences between the colonies of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. One difference is from where the settlers came. Most people who went to Massachusetts were from Great Britain, while Pennsylvania had settlers from many different countries including Great Britain, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland.

Both colonies were established so people could freely practice their religion. However, there was a big difference, because, in Massachusetts, people were expected to practice the Puritan religion, while, in Pennsylvania, people could practice whatever religion they wanted to practice. The Puritans left Great Britain because they were persecuted for their religious beliefs and wanted to go to a place where they could practice their religion freely, yet when they arrived in Massachusetts, they persecuted people who believed differently than they believed.

The jobs were different in each colony. In Massachusetts, there was limited farming because the soil was rocky and the climate was less suitable for farming. Many people worked as shipbuilders, fishermen, manufacturers, or traders. In Pennsylvania, the land was more fertile and the climate was better suited for farming. Wheat was an important crop that was grown by the people who farmed. Besides farming, there also were people who worked in industries and people who were involved in trading.

While both colonies were settled by the English initially, Pennsylvania soon saw immigrants from Germany and Holland who were looking for religious freedom. Although Massachusetts was settled by those who were looking for religious freedom, once here, the Pilgrims stifled religious freedom of other groups. The soil in Pennsylvania proved to be better for crops and by 1700, Pennsylvania was considered the breadbasket of the colonies. Massachusetts farmers produced enough for their families but not enough to export. This colony used shipbuilding and whaling as its paths to prosperity. William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, also reached a deal where all land had to be purchased from the Native Americans, whereas the Pilgrims took it mainly through conquest and unfair land deals. While religion was important to both colonies, it was in Massachusetts and the rest of New England in general where religion became a major factor in the social life of the colony.

These colonies were different for a variety of reasons. First of all, Pennsylvania settlers mainly were Dutch, Swedish, German, and Scotch-Irish. These colonies were considered the Middle Colonies and were mostly Quaker, yet freedom of religion was allowed. These colonies also had good relations with the Native Americans. Iron ore was their most important natural resource which allowed them to manufacture goods such as plows, tools, and cooking utensils that they could export for profit.

The Massachusetts settlers were mostly English, and these colonies were considered New England Colonies. The settlers were Puritans and did not allow freedom of religion. These colonies also did not have good relations with the Native Americans and war eventually erupted. The rocky coast and cold climate made farming difficult, and their major industry was lumber and shipbuilding. They also exported rum.

These colonies differed in a number of ways.  These ways included:

• Ethnic/national background.  Massachusetts was essentially settled only by people from England.  In Pennsylvania, there were also Scots-Irish people and Germans.  
• They differed economically to some extent.  Massachusetts was much more dependent on the sea with shipping and fishing as major industries along with rum distilleries using molasses shipped in from the Caribbean.  By contrast, Pennsylvania was dominated by farmers, largely producing grain.  
• Religion.  Massachusetts was settled by the Puritans and was meant to be dominated by them.  Pennsylvania, of course, was settled by Quakers and was meant to be a much more tolerant and religiously diverse colony. 

How was the colony of Pennsylvania different from the colony of Massachusetts? 

Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn, who was a Quaker, and its culture was informed by Quaker beliefs in the equality of all people. Therefore, the government pursued peace with the native people and was opposed to conducting warfare. As a result, many people in the colony were opposed to the American Revolution. The colony recruited people from Germany to settle as farmers, and the land was ripe for growing grain.

The Massachusetts Bay Colony, on the other hand, was founded by Puritans and was composed mostly of people from England. Those who settled in Boston were not separatists, meaning that they did not want to separate themselves from the Anglican Church but instead to reform it from within. The colony was run as a theocracy, and, at first, only members of the Puritan church could vote.

Massachusetts was made up of tightly knit communities in which families exercised a great deal of control over their children. Education was of prime importance to the Puritans, as they emphasized reading the Bible, and schools were founded very early in the life of the colony, as was Harvard College—founded in 1636. The land in this region was poor and rocky, and it was difficult to grow crops, so people in Massachusetts turned to shipbuilding, fishing, and other pursuits.

How was the colony of Pennsylvania different from the colony of Massachusetts? 

Pennsylvania was founded by a prominent Quaker, William Penn. He had felt keenly the religious persecution the Quakers had experienced in Great Britain, especially after the restoration of the monarchy. Quakers were jailed, beaten, lost their property, and sometimes died for their religious beliefs. Penn, therefore, very much wanted to found a colony that would be an experiment in religious freedom and toleration. In the spirit of this, he welcomed settlers of other denominations and faiths. He allowed the persecuted Anabaptists, for example, to settle in the colony.

Massachusetts, on the other hand, was founded by persecuted English religious groups who came to the New World specifically to practice their own brand of faith in a pure way, unmolested by other groups. They wanted to maintain their English and Protestant identity in their own way, and they simply weren't interested in religious toleration and freedom. They believed their way was God's true way. It can be easy to judge the Puritans harshly, as we are a country that has gone in the direction of Penn's religious toleration, but the Puritans were upfront about who they were and what their goals were.

These differing goals influenced how the governments of the two colonies were structured. Pennsylvania was less autocratic and attempted to offer more people a voice in decision making, whereas Massachusetts was more theocratic and top down in structure. When the U.S. was established, it adopted a governmental model closer to Pennsylvania's but the tension between civic/religious tolerance and groups that feel that such tolerance threatens or dilutes the purity of their own beliefs has been on-going in American history.

How was the colony of Pennsylvania different from the colony of Massachusetts? 

Massachusetts was settled as a place for the Puritans to have religious freedom.  Once established, they were intolerant of other doctrines and insisted on everyone there following the established doctrine.  Since the soil was thin and the growing season relatively short, the colony was known for exporting lumber, fish, and ships back to Britain, though there were many family farms.  

Pennsylvania was mainly settled by the English, but its reputation for religious tolerance also brought people from other countries, most notably, Germany.  These people maintained their own language upon arrival, and Pennsylvania had a large German population on the eve of the Revolution.  The colony produced grain and other foodstuffs for export back to Britain.  Pennsylvania had a longer growing season, and the colonists here were, as a rule, generally healthier than those in New England or the Southern colonies. They did not have to face extreme cold or tropical diseases.  

How was the colony of Pennsylvania different from the colony of Massachusetts? 

There were differences between the colonies of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. One difference was in the economic activities of these colonies. In Massachusetts, there was a great deal of manufacturing. Due to the rocky soil, subsistence farming was the kind of farming done in Massachusetts. Shipping, manufacturing, and fishing were the main economic activities. In Pennsylvania, the soil was more fertile. Farmers grew grain and sold it throughout the colonies. Unlike Massachusetts, Pennsylvania had a cash crop, which was grain. Some manufacturing was also done in Pennsylvania.

Another difference was in the area of religion. In Pennsylvania, there was a great deal of religious tolerance and religious freedom. People of many different backgrounds and religions settled in Pennsylvania. In Massachusetts, the Puritan religion was the main religion. There was no religious tolerance or religious freedom in Massachusetts.

Pennsylvania and Massachusetts were different kinds of colonies. Pennsylvania was run by William Penn and was a proprietary colony. Massachusetts was a royal colony and was run by the King.

There were differences between the colonies of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.