William Bradford and His Of Plymouth Plantation

 Remember, red italics = Study/Thought Questions.

 (What does the word "plantation" mean in this context?)

This work is probably the most "literary" of colonial U.S. writing. Note the many Biblical and Classical allusions. Also note that Bradford refers to himself in the third person.

(Why do you suppose he uses the third person?)

Bradford had been a very young boy when he became a Separatist, much to the dismay of his parents, and he was only 30 when he arrived at Plymouth. Indeed, most of the Separatists were young people.

Think about why Bradford wrote this journal. It was not for publication as we think of it. Indeed, what happened to his manuscript?)

Let's look at the narrative itself and remember the term "typology" from the introduction in the anthology. Note that throughout Bradford almost unconsciously writes in Biblical symbols because they were second nature to him.

(For example, note the incident involving John Howland. What Christian practice is symbolized in that incident?)

(A bit of trivia: John Howland is an ancestor of Sidney Biddle Barrows. Why is she (in)famous?)

Note the introduction of the Native Americans Samoset and Squanto.

Note on p. 187 the description of the first Thanksgiving. This could be a topic for a term project. You may be interested in some food notes I have compiled.

Unfortunately, the anthology leaves out a small but interesting incident from the year 1627. Please read it now, and think about what it tells us of Separatist beliefs and practices:

"And herewith I shall end this year. Only I shall remember one passage more, rather of mirth than of weight. On the day called Christmas Day, the Governor called them out to work as was used. But most of this new company [adventurers who had arrived on a later ship] excused themselves and said it went against their consciences to work on that day. So the Governor told them that if they made it matter of conscience, he would spare them till they were better informed; so he led away the rest and left them. But when they came home at noon from their work, he found them in the street at play, openly; some pitching the bar [a sort of javelin throwing], and some at stool-ball [a game something like cricket] and such like sports. So he went to them and took away their implements and told them that was against his conscience, that they should play and others work. If they made the keeping of it matter of devotion, let them keep their houses; but there should be no gaming or reveling in the streets. Since which time nothing hath been attempted that way, at least not openly."

The Merrymount incident of 1628 always has been a subject of some amusement in U.S. history, but Bradford plainly does not think it very funny. Note his last line -- it's a very human response to what he found to be a very frustrating situation.

Note the situation that necessitated the Mayflower Compact. The document bound all the settlers -- not just the Separatists. And it is a very un-European document.(Actually, in the earliest days Plymouth Plantation was communistic, but the experiment was an absolute failure. Bradford said that it just didn't work, and he redistributed land so that every family had a piece.)

(Why was the Compact a good idea?)