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Literary analysis: cultural characteristics






Reading focus II: from Of Plymouth Plantation

(Chronicle by William Bradford)

KEY IDEA Hard times can bring people together or tear them apart. For example, in a blackout after a serious storm, people could respond by sharing supplies or by stealing what they need from unprotected homes. When does facing hardship become a source of strength and unity rather than one of distrust and division?

Before You Read: William Bradford ( c. 1590–1657)

Long before there were holiday legends of Pilgrims and Indians, a group of English Puritans set off to create a new, pure society in the North American wilderness. Their leader was William Bradford.

Early Rebel Born into a time of religious upheaval in England, Bradford joined the crusade for religious reform at age 12. He was inspired by the ideals of the Puritans, a Protestant religious group that wanted to purify the Church of England and create simpler, more democratic ways to worship. By 17, Bradford had joined the radical Puritans known as Separatists, who called for a total break with the official church.

Not surprisingly, the Separatists clashed with the king of England, who also headed the church. Emigration to North America offered the hope of freedom, and Bradford helped plan and finance the voyage across the Atlantic. In 1620, Bradford and his wife, Dorothy, left behind their four-year-old son to join nearly 40 other Separatists on the ship Mayflower. Facing the journey with typical resolve, Bradford described the group as “pilgrims, ” or religious wanderers, the name we use for them today.

A Natural Leader Although the Pilgrims initiated the voyage, they made up fewer than half of the ship’s 102 passengers. During the long, difficult journey, disagreements broke out among the group, and Bradford took decisive action. He helped craft the Mayflower Compact, often called the first U.S. Constitution. Signed by the 41 men on board, the compact was an agreement to work together for the good of the entire group. And they kept their promise. In April 1621, when the Mayflower returned to England, not one colonist left Plymouth Colony—a tribute to Bradford’s sound leadership.

Bradford was also effective in forging alliances with local Native American tribes such as the Wampanoag, a union of tribes led by Massasoit. The Wampanoag, who had lost 80 percent of their people to smallpox shortly before the Pilgrims’ arrival, faced their own struggle to survive. Out of mutual need, Bradford and Massasoit created a strong alliance that lasted throughout their lifetimes.

Historian in the Making With a historian’s instinct, Bradford saved many documents from the trip’s planning phase. During his 30 years as governor, he continued to document the challenges of the growing colony, which owed its survival to his energy, vision, and expert diplomacy. His chronicle, Of Plymouth Plantation, is our best history of these adventurous times.

Literary analysis: cultural characteristics

Many texts, especially those about community life, reflect the cultural characteristics of the communities they describe, such as their shared beliefs, values, and goals. Of Plymouth Plantation is a record of the Pilgrims’ efforts to create a model Puritan society. In it, William Bradford describes the outcome of an Indian attack.

Thus it pleased God to vanquish their enemies and give them deliverance; and by His special providence so to dispose that not any one of them were either hurt or hit....

Bradford’s description makes it clear that the Pilgrims see the victory as a gift from God. As you read, consider what else Bradford’s descriptions and sometimes subtle word choice reveal about Puritan ideals.


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