William Bradford

Bradford begins the chapter by referring to the resolution of some "troubles"—what happened is that the boat the Separatists had set out from England on, the Speedwell, had developed leaks, so it...

The passage you cited is quite typical of New Englander's concepts of Native Americans whom they considered to be members of the "lost tribe of Satan." He describes them as being cannibals at times...

William Bradford belongs to the early 17th century period of literature. His most famous book, Of Plymouth Plantation, was written between 1630 and 1651. Bradford was the first governor of the...

In William Bradford's telling, the Pilgrims indeed experienced expectation, suffering, success, and disappointment in the long journey that took them to the Netherlands, back to England, and then...

A salty young sailor on the Mayflower gives the Puritan passengers all kinds of grief. He's forever swearing at and insulting them. He tells them, somewhat rudely, that he can't wait to see them...

While I appreciate that you're reading Bradford's journal and agree that he omitted any details of his wife's death, I don't accept the premise of your question. It doesn't seem reasonable that...

During the first winter, the Puritans went without food, they were cold and they had little understanding of the savages they encountered. Many grew sick. During their voyage, they had lost many to...

This is an interesting pair of choices. Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation is, at its core, a journal. To that extent, it's an attempt to document the literal movements and insights of these...

In the first chapter Of Plymouth Plantation, entitled "The Separatist Interpretation of the Reformation in England, 1550-1607," Bradford writes about the conditions which convinced the Pilgrims to...

One of the most significant differences between their writings is the influence of religion upon their perspectives. Bradford--especially in Of Plymouth Plantation references Providence (God)...

The Mayflower Compact was a set of rules for self-governance established by English settlers heading to America on board the Mayflower. It was the first agreement for self-government to be created...

Bradford's reference to the Mayflower passengers in the third-person as "they," and himself in the first person as "I" can sound a little jarring to modern ears, but it is an effective way to set...

The son of a prosperous farmer in Yorkshire, England, William Bradford took a radical step as a twelve-year-old: Bradford began attending the meetings of a small group of Nonconformists, a group of...

Bradford was the leader, the primary spokesperson, and the most famous chronicler of the Plymouth settlement. He was a member of the initial Separatist contingent that made the trip from England to...

William Bradford was a staunch Puritan Separatist and among his hopes was the aspiration for a community that was separate from English religious intervention and uncontaminated by what was thought...

To provide a little background on the book Of Plymouth Plantation and the excerpt "The Starving Time", William Bradford wrote the majority of the text. As exampled by "The Starving Time," he...