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Compare And Contrast William Bradford And John Smith

Decent Essays

William Bradford and John Smith were both influential men colonizing the New World during the early 1600s. The two European men wrote of their experiences in America, and had a strong desire to settle the land. Most of the similarities to them end there. They had very different views on the land, people, and who they were as individuals. Looking into both of their writings can, and will reveal more of the United States’ founding writers.

In John Smith’s Generall Historie of Virginia, he emphasizes brave characteristics that he would like to get out of his followers. The tales of hardship and danger he faced, albeit some of the stories are exaggerated, would likely appeal to the adventuresome and the brave. This way of writing seemed like a excellent way to attract the courageous to Jamestown. In a line from his story, "…Then as many as could laid hands on him, dragged …show more content…

These characteristics that Smith showed are traits that have been an embedded part of American history. John also has a unique leadership quality to him. He is able to bring people together to endure the newly found difficulties that is settling into a new environment. This type of behavior is called “grace under pressure”. This type of behavior exhibits in Smith the willingness to embark on a new journey, once again proving that he lives for the adventure, and wants to see the same type of traits performed in the colonies. Finally, Smith usually presents himself as the hero of the story. One

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