William Bradford

1590-1657

Life

Homes

• England (1590-1607)
• Holland (1607-1620)
• Plymouth, Massachusetts (1620-1657)

Occupation

• farmer
• weaver
• governor

Religion

• Separatist Puritan

Chronology

• 1590: born in Austerfield, England
• c.1603: becomes a Separatist Puritan
• 1609: moves to Holland, where other Puritans have fled to avoid persecution in England
• 1620: Comes to America on Mayflower
• 1621-1657: serves as governor of Plymouth almost continuously; acts as jurist, superintendent of agriculture, and secretary of state
• 1630: begins Of Plymouth Plantation
• 1644-1650: resumes Of Plymouth Plantation

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Issues and themes

The first great American Puritan, William Bradford came to America on the Mayflower in 1620 as one of the many Separatists, Puritans who believed the Church of England could not be reformed and therefore resolved to separate themselves from it. Before a second wave of Puritans, led by John Winthrop, came to Massachusetts in 1630, Bradford and his fellow settlers created the community of Plymouth in the wilderness. In Of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford, who became governor of Plymouth Colony in 1621, wrote an account of the Separatists' travails and successes, comparing them to the Israelites in the wilderness. Like the works of John Winthrop, Mary Rowlandson, and others, Of Plymouth Plantation provides a glimpse of the Puritan mind, particularly in its interest in typology.

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Work

Of Plymouth Plantation

• Composition: 1630, 1644-1650
• Publication: 1856
• According to Bradford's explanation in Book I, what is the nature of the Puritans' quarrel with the Church of England?
• Why, according to Book I, do the Puritans move from Holland to America?
• Comment on the significance of the following line: "Besides, what could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts and wild men--and what multitudes there might be of them they knew not" (95).
• Like Mary Rowlandson, William Bradford attributes many events to God's providence. What are some of these events, and what does his treatment of them reveal about Puritan thought?

Bibliography

• "William Bradford." Norton Anthology of American Literature. Shorter Fourth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton, 1995. 83-84.
• Bradford, William. Of Plymouth Plantation. Norton Anthology of American Literature. Shorter Fourth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton, 1995. 84-100.

© Mark Canada, 1997

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