William Bradford 's ' Of Plymouth Plantation '

The ideal most important to early colonists’ survival and success was piety. One way we see this is in William Bradford’s text, “Of Plymouth Plantation”. Bradford states, “Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity.” This explains the pilgrim’s belief, that without God they would have succumbed to the harsh way of life. Piety in this moment was vital to the pilgrim’s survival, without their strong belief in God they wouldn’t have had the will to survive. Evidence of piety can also be seen in “A Model of Christian Charity”, by John Winthrop. “We must delight in each other, make others’ conditions

The stories called “The General History of Virginia” and “Of Plymouth Plantation” are both similar and dissimilar stories. These stories were journals of two different people going through the process of building their own town. Even though these stories are very much different from each other, they both talk about the same thing. They both want to build a town where the number of population is very high. Although “Of Plymouth Plantation” is a story where religion is something they do, something they have faith on, it helps them. It helps them in a way because they are starving and have no food nor water. But, having faith is what helps them go through the struggle of starvation. In the other story “The General History of Virginia” they are

The English had two main colonies in the new world, Jamestown and Plymouth. The first colony was Jamestown, established in Virginia in 1607. Jamestown was settled by Captain John Smith, and was named after King James I. Tobacco was the main export of Jamestown, and became the basis of the Jamestown economy, sending more than 50,000 lbs of the plan back to Europe by 1618 (textbook 46). Jamestown had a very rocky start, many colonists dying in the first few years of the settlement, and the settlers had many problems with natives. Shortly after the arrival of English colonists the Natives attacked them, and were finally forced back by a canon from the English. A very uneasy truce was finally settled between the natives, called the Powhatans,

In Of Plymouth Plantation, William Bradford writes of multiple acts of God’s divine providence acting on the Pilgrims during their journey to Virginia and the subsequent founding of Plymouth Plantation. Bradford’s portrayal of events he labels providence, such as the death of the lusty seaman, the finding of the corn seeds by the exploring party, and the repulse of the Native American attack, shows his belief that God acted through natural events and reveals aspects of Puritan theology and thinking.

William Braford used allusions to the bible and referenced God’s intervention in “Of Plymouth Plantation”. In the 4th chapter, Bradford alludes to Proverbs 22:3 when he says “a wise man seeketh the plague when it cometh, and hideth himself” (Bradford A: 125). This statement basically says that when intelligent men know that evil is near they should seek refuge or hide. An example of God’s intervention can be found in Chapter IX when he states “But it pleased God to smite this young man” (Bradford A: 131). He then reinforces the notion of God’s intervention when he follows the statement with the assertion that the young man’s friends believed what happened to him was God’s will.

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.

In the New World Bradford and Morton were both important men of our history. The stories of both great men give us an insight into the way religion and influence affected Puritan life.

Even though ordinarily one would expect a lot of emotions from Bradford as he went through so much, Bradford recorded his journey in first-person with almost no tone and emotion. His book was made for the Puritans in England to see. They believed writing in “plain style” would be more effective by using

The poems, journals, and sermons by William Bradford, John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards displayed these characteristics: the love of something, the courage to do something, the belief in something, and the ability to stand strong and stable in their beliefs. In “Of Plymouth Plantation” the people traveling to find the people on the ship had the love and desire to seek God in everything they did. They believed in God so much they were putting not only their health but lives in jeopardy by traveling so far. “Thus his curses light on his own head, and it was an astonishment to all his fellows for they noted it to be the just hand of God upon him.” Even though they under came harsh conditions they were determined to find a safe

Ships the Puritans sailed on contained sails, which means if there was no wind, then the ship could not move. After a few days of no wind, “they put to sea again with a prosperous wind, which continued divers days together, which was some encouragement unto them;” (Bradford 74). Bradford transcribes how the wind gave the Puritans encouragement that their journey will continue on. Only through respecting God’s Covenant and believing in God will the wind continue. Bradford continues on about a storm the Puritans were caught in, but “they resolved to bear up again for the Cape, and thought themselves happy to get out of those dangers before night overtook them, as by God’s providence they did” (75). Bradford writes of God’s providence, or special care, meaning God took special care of those who believed in Him and follow the Covenant. In this passage, the colonists believed they were in grave danger, or death was near, but just as the colonists were starting to lose hope they saw the Cape. The Puritans believed God rewarded them for believing in Him. Throughout his writings, Bradford shows his belief that God is just but also of mercy, and is omnipresent. Betrayal to either God or the Covenant will receive just

Religion plays a major role in the day to day lives of the early settlers in America. So much so, that early colonial writers use it as a form of literary persuasion. John Smith and William Bradford were two such writers.

William Bradford’s writing displays his Puritan faith by including many of their ideals throughout Of Plymouth Plantation. Bradford’s beliefs give his writing a simple and unembellished style, like that of Puritan dress. Furthermore, He demonstrates his faith by including the Puritan concept of election. Foremost, Bradford displays his faith by incorporating providence into his writing. For example, he infers that their trip across the Atlantic ended safely only through God’s intervention. Throughout Of Plymouth Plantation, William Bradford exhibits these aspects of his Puritan faith and lifestyle through his simplistic writing style.

In of Plymouth Plantation William Bradford talks about how the Puritans left England to relish in their own religion beliefs and how things should be handled. While doing so they went through tough

Winthrop had a similar idea to that of Bradford. He too thought there was a religious purpose to his colony. Though his thoughts were slightly different from Bradford’s in the way that Winthrop talks about the social hierarchy in importance to the community. He speaks about how there is an unequal distribution of talents among the people. Though what Winthrop really preaches about in his writing is about love and looking forward to the future. He talks about how he wants his colony to be an example to all others in how the people and the social structure should be. He wants it to be the ideal community calling it the “Citty upon a hill”.

Where does the truth lay when there are two different perspectives on the same situations? Unfortunately, there is no clear cut answer. In William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation and Thomas Morton’s New English Canaan, there are many discrepancies between each story. Both men seek to defame one another in order to preserve the innocence of their individual characters. They are not exactly successful in their mission when Morton and Bradford spend time discussing their issues with one another. There is a lot of finger pointing in these parts yet neither man assumes any responsibility for the troubles. William Bradford and Thomas Morton utilize different approaches to paint each other in an unfavorable way causing their goals to fall short.