Examination of Puritan Philosophy in Bradford's On Plymouth Plantation

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Examination of Puritan Philosophy in Bradford's "On Plymouth Plantation"

The Puritan people first came to the New World to escape the religious

persecution that hounded Non-Anglicans in England. They established the

Plymouth Colony in 1620, in what is now Massachusetts. The colony was a

reflection of the Puritans' beliefs. These beliefs, along with the experience

of establishing a colony in "the middle of nowhere", affected the writings of

all who were involved with the colony. In this writing, the Puritan philosophy

behind William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" will be revealed. Some

factors that will be considered include: how Puritan beliefs affect William

Bradford's interpretation of events, the representation of Puritan theology in

the above mentioned text, and how Puritanism forms the basis for Bradford's

motivation in writing.

In Bradford's text, there are numerous instances in which his beliefs

affect his interpretation of what happens. In Chapter IX (nine) of "Of Plymouth

Plantation", entitled "Of Their Voyage…" , he tells of a sailor "..of a lusty,

able body.." who "would always be condemning the poor people in their sickness

and cursing them daily….he didn't let to tell them that he hoped to help cast

half of them overboard before they came to their journey's end". But, "it

pleased God before they came half-seas over, to smite this young man with a

grievous disease, of which he died in a desperate manner, and so was himself the

first that was thrown overboard". Bradford believes that the sailor died

because God was punishing him. According to Bradford, the sailor's cursing, and

mistreatment of the other passengers displeased God, so God punished him

accordingly.

In the same chapter, Bradford tells of another ship passenger named John

Howland. At one point in the trip, the Mayflower came upon a violent storm.

The winds of the storm were so fierce, and the seas were so high, that all the

sailors and passengers had to "hull for divers days together". During this

storm, a young man named John Howland was thrown into the sea, and as Bradford

tells us, "it pleased God that he caught hold of the topsail halyards which hung

overboard and ran out at length". Howland caught hold of a rope, and "though he

was sundry fathoms under water", he held on until he was hauled up. Bradford

reasons that the man was saved because he was blessed by God. He goes on to say

that he "became a profitable member in both church and state, implying that John

Howland was one of the so called "Puritan Saints". To the Puritans, Saints were

people whom God was to save, so these people received God's blessings, and

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