Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoXHXbgRJvc&feature=player_detailpage – Plymoth – America The
Story of Us
Authors: William Bradford (1590-1657)
Born in 1590 in Yorkshire, England, William
Bradford was orphaned at a young age and
William Bradford
Activities
reared by his grandparents and uncles to be a
This link leads to
farmer. Bradford broke with his family in early
artifacts, teaching
tips and discussion
adolescence, affiliating himself with the
questions for this
Separatist Puritans and thereby making a
author.
religious commitment that would profoundly
[6324] Sarony and Major, The Landing influence the course of his life. The Separatists
of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock, Dec. dreamed of creating a purified religious community, free of the
11th, 1620 (1846), courtesy of the
Library of Congress [LC-USZC4-4311]. hierarchies and worldly rituals that they felt contaminated the Church
of England. The sect was known as "Separatist" because, unlike most
Puritan congregations, it rejected the Church of England entirely
instead of attempting to reform it from within. Bradford and his fellow Separatists paid a high price for their
controversial beliefs: religious persecution led them to flee England for safer harbors in Holland and
eventually in America.
In 1620, Bradford and part of the congregation to which he belonged set sail for America on the
Mayflower, bringing with them a patent granting them land in the territory of Virginia, where they hoped to
set up their ideal church. Bad weather pushed them off course, and they landed well north of Virginia on
the coast of what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. There they began the difficult work of establishing a
community in unfamiliar, and sometimes hostile, territory. Bradford was elected governor in 1621 and
occupied that office, with only brief intermissions, until his death in 1657. In 1630 he began writing Of
Plymouth Plantation, the history of his "Pilgrims'" religious and civil settlement in the New World.
Bradford's literary reputation depends, as scholar David Levin puts it, "as much on the quality of his
historical intelligence as on the virtues of his style." Indeed, Bradford's text has long been celebrated for
the "plain style" he endorses in its first paragraph. His simple yet artful prose, characterized by finely
tuned sentences based upon the language and cadences of the Geneva Bible, is often regarded as a
model of a specifically American style of writing. But, as Levin points out, Bradford's text is no less
notable for its historiographic project, a complex balance of religious exhortation and unvarnished
reportage. Clearly, Of Plymouth Plantation is meant to serve as an account of God's design in planting
the Plymouth colony, interpreting events that might seem random or even commonplace to modern
readers as evidence of God's hand at work on earth. Bradford's history extols the purity and strength of
the first settlers in order to inspire subsequent generations to greater sanctity, combating what he
perceived to be the spiritual decline of the community in the years following the initial settlement. While
Bradford's desire to read God's will in the history of Plymouth colors his text—and frequently skews his
understanding of non-Puritan people—his tendency toward exhortation is often balanced by an
unflinching commitment to historical accuracy. He is surprisingly blunt in relating some of the troubles that
plagued the Plymouth community, from rancorous differences between leaders to upsetting cases of
sexual deviance among congregants. The result is a complicated, engaging document that has become
an integral part of the mythology concerning the foundation of America.
Vocabulary – Of Plymouth Plantation
Profane – adj-irreverent
Haughty – adj. proud: disdainful fo something or someone
Execrations – n – angry words” curses
Reproved – verb – reprimanded
Consultation – noun – meeting to discuss or plan
Sundry – adj – some
Relent – verb – soften
Discourse – noun – conversation
Confederates – noun allies; persons who share a common purpose
Comprised – verb – included
1.
What happens to the profane young man who condemned and cursed the people who were ill?
2.
Describe one ordeal the Pilgrims faced on their journey across the ocean.
3.
How did John Howland survive?
4.
What does the author mean when he says. “..they tacked about and resolved to stand for the
southward(the wind and weather being fair) to find some place about Hudson’s River for their
habitation”?
A. The people wanted to avoid settling at Hudson’s River
B. Everyone agreed to find the place with the best weather.
C. They turned south to look for a place to live along the water
5.
In the paragraph beginning with “But here I cannot but stay and make a pause and stand half
amazed…” give at least three examples of things that upset them about this New World.
From Chapter 11
6.
How many people survived the harsh winter?
7.
What kinds of things did the healthy do for the sick at this time?
8.
Bradford discusses how the seamen treated one another. Give an example of their cruelty to
each other during this difficult time. How do the Pilgrims treat the seamen?
9. How did Samoset learn English?
10. What role does Squanto play in the lives of the colonists?
11. What word best describes the “First Thanksgiving”?
ading question only): How did your reading of the text alter what you already knew about the
"pilgrims"? For example, what surprises or new insights did you get from the text and how do
you account for them?
(Response questions): What images of America and its inhabitants (both European and Native)
does Bradford invoke or construct and why?
What does the text convey about Puritan daily life? What does Bradford want his audience to
know/see and why?
How does the reality of the New World match Bradford’s vision? How does he account for any
discrepancies, and what is at stake in his explanations?