Separatists: William Bradford

First off, Jamestown was mostly made up of men who had traveled for business, while Plymouth was populated by women, men, and children who pilgrimaged for religious security. Because of their reasons for travel Jamestown colonist were self seeking, and self serving, but the Puritans never hesitated to help their fellow Puritans. The leaders of these colonies were also abundantly different. Smith was boastful and made himself out to be a hero of some sort, Meanwhile, Bradford was humble and gave God credit for his and the colony’s accomplishments.

Captain John Smith and William Bradford were both american settlers that came from England. Both John Smith and William Bradford were looking for a better life in the New World yet with many different ideas and beliefs. For example Jamestown came for business and trade purposes and the Plymouth Colony came for religious reasons. Jamestown was founded in 1607 and was lead by captain John Smith.(Smith pg.73) The Plymouth Plantations were founded in 1620 and was lead by William Bradford.(Bradford pg. 5)

There were two different leaders and both of them had a different perspective. One of the leaders was Captain Smith he led Jamestown and William Bradford led the Plymouth Plantation both of these leaders were very different. They both came to the US for different reasons. They both had a lot of similarities too. For example, it was hard for them to take control of the “new world”. But they both demonstrated they are strong and they both grew faith. I will be giving examples of how they were different and similar but more importantly why they came.

Within the New World, individuals such as William Bradford, a separatist religious leader as well as governor of Plymouth (131), and Thomas Morton, a lawyer and social reformer, were both very significant men within our history books. The story of Merry Mount/Ma-re Mount is shown from two different perspectives which offers the readers an awareness and understanding of the way religion and government influenced the lives of those who dwelled in Plymouth Massachusetts, and Ma-re Mount. Thomas Morton and William Bradford are somewhat like Tom and Jerry for the reason that they dislike one another and have different accounts of Ma-re Mount/Merry Mount and that they tend to dispute with one another often when it comes to religion. Bradford’s writing tells the story of Merry Mount in a narrative and formal way whereas Morton’s writing is unlike any writing during his time, it’s humorous and also told from a non-Puritans perspective. Although Bradford claims Morton to be an anarchic drunk there are many reasons to say that he was in fact a comedic hero.

William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, and Edward Taylor expressed multiple similarities within their writing themes, as well as, their lives. They were all Puritan immigrants, which upon settling in America, were associated with highly respected positions within the original colonies. “William Bradford epitomizes the spirit of determination and self-sacrifice…” (Baym 72), therefore, he was elected as governor of Plymouth in 1620. Anne Bradstreet’s husband, also was elected as the Bay Colony governor, which in turn, added to her daily duties and responsibilities at home, resulting in her questioning her faith and the word of Scriptures (Baym 110). Lastly, Edward Taylor played an important role in his community for, which he resided for 58 years.

Bradford helped organize the Mayflower voyage in 1620, which about 100 people joined to separate from The Church of England. “Of Plymouth Plantation” was written by Bradford in which he described the journey to the “New World” and some aspects of the Pilgrim’s life. William Bradford’s purpose of writing this historical account (“Of Plymouth Plantation”) was to inform readers of the future generations that would come to the New World about the hardships the Pilgrims had to endure, so generations to come would not have to go through the same sufferings; Bradford expresses fear/distrust and civility of his fellow Pilgrims through the use of tone.

In John Smith’s, “Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles,” and William Bradford’s, “Of Plymouth Plantation,” they discuss their lifestyle and adventure in the colonies. They also use specific literary styles and techniques to describe to the reader of their unbelievable experiences. In addition, both passages have many similarities and differences amongst each other involving their writing. They are similar because they both tell a story, have a narrative style, use imagery and repetition, and discuss religion. On the other hand, they are not alike because they have different styles, tones, and purposes.

The years 1620-1647, settlement of New England was a very important journal for William Bradford. He was the governor of the Plymouth Colony and an adherent to the protesters. Something peculiar about Bradford’s history on impulse wanting to separate religious from strange matters. Unavoidable worldly affairs evolving God joyful plans opened from the orthodox Massachusetts Bay, but Bradford didn’t depict of Gods joyful plan. The Christians left the church of New England because of the

William Bradford’s “Of Plymouth Plantation” opened my eyes about Plymouth and Thanksgiving. First of all, there was a part in Bradford’s background that caught my eye: Thanksgiving. I am sure that many of us at some point visualized Thanksgiving as a large feast. However, I found it shocking that his narrative does not emphasize a feast, but rather a document of what it was like in Plymouth and the interactions with the Native Americans. Either way, I still found it interesting how Thanksgiving came to be. It would be nice to read another person’s viewpoint of Thanksgiving and to see if there really was a feast or not.

William Bradford felt strongly about the necessity of community and its effect on the prosperity of a person’s spiritual and selfless wellbeing, despite how well their fiscal success was at the moment (“William Bradford”). Bradford refers to “others still, as they conceived themselves straitened, or to want accommodation, break away under one pretense or another, thinking their own conceived necessity, and the example of others, a warrant sufficient for them” (Bradford 130). While the Pilgrims found a thriving market for the products of their farming, this prosperity led to the disintegration of the intimate devout colony. Families relocated to find land for their livestock, and thus became more secular

Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford is a narrative that discusses the experiences of the Puritans that traveled from New England to the New World. The Puritans experienced many hardships while trying to restart their lives in America. Similarly, Anne Bradstreet from the poem “Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th, 1666” experiences many hardships in her life in the Americas. The Puritans experienced hardships that revealed the fact that some Puritans acted selfishly in life, but others were very loyal and kind to each other, on the other hand, Bradstreet experienced hardships that tested her beliefs and commitment to Puritan ideology.

In John Winthrop’s essay “City Upon a Hill”, Winthrop expresses his distinct views on the aims of the Puritans coming to New England. During the early 17th century in Europe, some groups separated from the Church of England. These groups were known as the Pilgrims, who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. This religion had a direct impact on religious ideas and culture in America. John Winthrop acquired a royal charter from King Charles I and created the Massachusetts Bay Colony. “City Upon a Hill” was written on the ship during the first mass Puritan migration to New England. This document provided the followers with a plan regarding their goals upon arriving in America. Winthrop firmly believes that the people who are willing to be fully

The New World in the seventeenth century presented itself in different ways to differing groups of people as portrayed in the accounts written by Olaudah Equiano in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, John Smith in The General History of Virginia, and William Bradford in Of Plymouth Plantation. Olaudah Equiano is a slave through the Middle Passage as a child and spends ten years of his life being traded from owner to owner in Barbados. John Smith is one of the men to lead the first set of colonists to the New World and to establish the first settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. William Bradford is one of the leaders of the Pilgrim colony aboard the Mayflower who settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Each man experiences his own form of fear upon board the ship that will take him to the New World as the anticipation of seeing what the future holds grows. Aboard each ship and in each settlement, conditions worsen as food supplies run low and the chance for illness increases. Dehumanization also occurs in each passage to a group of people who those from a richer, European background deem as a threat to an orderly community or as lesser in quality. As written by Olaudah Equiano, John Smith, and William Bradford, journeying to a new land is a petrifying experience when the level of supplies decreases, the chance of illness increases, and the respect for outside groups decreases.

William Bradford created a detailed picture in our minds of the hardships the Pilgrims endured, especially during their adventures on the Mayflower and Speedwell to find new land in hopes of escaping England’s control. Between furious seas, disease stricken passengers, and a cracked beam on the Mayflower, the hope Pilgrims’ once had, was almost lost. Only the writings of William Bradford could allow us to see what grueling torment our ancestors had to overcome. Some of the many hardships that the sailors and passengers endured included furious storms, terrible seasickness, abuse from the sailors and crew, dehydration and overall misery. The lack of drinking water in combination with seasickness and no sanitation quickly grasped the bodies on board.

Puritan values, ideas, and beliefs are evident in the works of Anne Bradstreet, William Bradford, and Jonathan Edwards. Through her poetry, Bradstreet reveals her Puritan values and ideals. Bradstreet was aware of a woman’s role in Puritan society and tried to portray herself as a humble, pious, obedient, and modest wife. William Bradford’s work also encompasses beliefs, values, and ideas of Puritan life. One can see that in Bradford’s writing such as Of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford emphasizes Puritan suffering specifically through the Mayflower journey and how, with the grace of God, they prevailed. Jonathan Edwards’ work also displays Puritan beliefs, values, and ideals through the installation of fear. In an excerpt from Sinners in the