William Bradford, an exceptional leader and an inspiration to the people of our country, set the foundation for American success and inspires young and old to promote the value of personal freedom and responsibility. With the leadership that Bradford shows in his narrative, “Of Plymouth Plantation,” he sets the foundation for American success and along the way inspires young and old to promote the sheer value of personal freedom and responsibility. He achieves this by describing his grueling voyage to the New World and through his struggles once he arrives. Certainly some may disagree with the leadership that Bradford brought into the New World, but despite that claim his colony was successful for many years into the future . The way that Bradford set the foundation for American success …show more content…
is no doubt through their form of government, the Mayflower Compact. Bradford created a successful foundation for American success which started through the way he led his colony for thirty years. It is true that the Mayflower Compact, the form of government that the male pilgrims on the Mayflower wrote up, is not nearly as well written as our own Declaration of Independence but it served as a great model for our drafters of the Declaration. The Mayflower Compact and the Declaration of Independence shared common concepts, and Bradford was one of the writers of the Mayflower Compact.Through such words stated in the Mayflower Compact like, “...covenant and combine ourselves together in a civil body politic… and promise due submission to the general good of the colony,” we know that this document led to the foundation of American success, through the Declaration of Independence. Some may argue that Bradford was not a suitable leader for the startup of the New World, however he was a successful leader that led his colony to survival. He did so by forming a treaty with the native americans, who thus helped the colonists immensely by means of farming and hunting. In particular Bradford was proud of the treaty he made with the indians, “With whom (the indians), after friendly entertainment and some gifts given him, they made a peace with him.”. He goes on to state the terms of the treaty and how it lasted them for twenty four years at the time of his writing. During the beginning of Bradford’s time as mayor he described the harvest that the colonists prepared. Included in his writing Bradford stated, “All summer there was no want,” this shows the reader that his colony was successful thus far. Not only was Bradford a leader and a contributor to the foundation of success for our home, America, he also inspired many with his writing. The way Bradford continually inspires readers from his writing includes the struggle of his journey in the New World, to escape religious persecution.
Described in his narrative, Bradford showed the struggle to survive on the Mayflower in his groups sixty-six day journey, in which he never doubted his religious beliefs even with the struggles. During a the time of hardship on the Mayflower Bradford writes, “So they committed themselves to the will of God and resolved to proceed,” this shows that the group collectively decided to continue with the voyage under the will of their God. This continued their journey to the New World until they hit land. “Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the fast and furious ocean,” this quote showed that the group was successful in escaping religious persecution and in term rewarded by God with a new life in the New World - the hardships were worth the end result. Reading this, the audience of his narrative feel inspired to promote the sheer value of personal freedom and responsibility that the men and women on the Mayflower in 1620 felt
too. Indeed some may say that Bradford did and does not inspire people young and old however, Bradford should be looked up to as an outstanding leader figure. Bradford took a risk to come to the New World and he did so for his own groups good, for the ultimate goal of religious freedom. Not only did he take the treacherous journey on the Atlantic ocean, but he started the foundation for the country that we call home. Bradford was an excellent leader and, to this day, does inspire young and old to do well in this country. William Bradford set the foundation for American success through the Mayflower Compact and his leadership style, and while doing so he inspired others to promote personal freedom and responsibility through his inspiring tale of escaping religious persecution.
In Woody Holton's Forced Founders, that most revered segment of the revolutionary generation, the elitist gentry class of Virginia, comes across very much as a group of self-serving reactionaries, rather then the idealized revolutionaries of the great patriotic myth of popular history. He sets about disassembling a central portion of the myth created by earlier generations of Consensus historians, by asserting that rather then gallantly leading the charge for independence, Virginia's elitist gentry resorted to independence as their last and only means of saving their elite ruling status, their economic futures, and even their very lives many feared. While this is very much an example of revisionist history, Holton has not so much rewritten history, as he has provided the back story of the complexity and diversity of the Virginia colony on the eve of the American Revolution. For while the book's title may insinuate otherwise, lowly groups like slaves and Indians discussed here are afforded only the status of “founders” by pressing those traditionally thought of in this role to take the plunge for independence. Still the papers and correspondence of the iconic figureheads of the revolutionary generation like Washington, Jefferson, and Madison make up the bulk of primary sources.
There may not be two more contrasting characters of early America then Thomas Morton and John Winthrop. Morton was nicknamed, "Leader of Misrule" while Winthrop was seen as the "model of [a] perfect earthly ruler" (147). These two figures not only help settle a new land, they also had firsthand knowledge of each other. They are not two people that lived years apart from each other but rather they lived concurrently. With two such polarizing people living in a small new land, there was bound to be at least one disagreement. We are fortunate to have writings from each of these two fascinating men. One can't help but be thoroughly entertained when reading the words that each man left behind. Morton was the rebellious and raucous and Winthrop was the conservative preacher. Each had different ideas and ideals for what America was to become. Their two opinions could not differ much more from the other but they both weren't quite right. It seems that America has found a middle ground. Perhaps these two help set the path to where we stand now.
As the regions began to expand and develop, their motivations for settlement helped to mold their societies. New England was a place where men sought refuge from religious persecution and was established as a haven for religious refugees. Despite this reason for settling, the New Englanders still attempted to spread their own beliefs of religion. As illustrated by John Winthrop in his Model of a Christian Charity, he preached to his fellow colonists that “we shall be a city upon a hill” (Doc A) exemplifying the Puritans’ aspirations of a Holy Utopia. He and countless other New Englanders practiced the belief that they must all work together. They were determined to “mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work.” The Articles of Agreement plainly laid out the basis for the New England region. These articles made New England a cosmopolitan mix of rich and poor families, all being in possession of land and resolute in doing God’s work (Doc D). However, while the New Englanders settled to create a Holy Utopia, the people of the Chesapeake were concerned not only with their religious freedom, but also ...
Nathaniel Philbrick tells the story of the Pilgrims, beginning with them breaking away from the Church of England, emigrating to Holland, and eventually to America on the Mayflower. He talks about the relationship they had with the "Strangers" or nonbelievers that accompanied them on their adventure. He tells stories about disease, death, deception, and depression. I had never thought about it, but you know some of those people had to be suffering from depression. He tells of joys but mostly of hardships and as he describes some of the first meetings with the Native Americans. His description of the first Thanksgiving is not the same as the pictures I have seen all of my life.
William Bradford said he believed, “Plymouth people were the chosen people to live out their last days in the earthly church” (Daly pg 560). Puritan settlers came to the new world seeking a better life and to get away from the rule of the Catholic Church they wanted to become a primitive Baptist church like in the Old Testament. The Puritans wanted to live their lives in Old Testament biblical way of life; when the settlers came to the, “New England they thought they had landed in God’s country” (Callicott). They thought they were the chosen ones the new Israelites.
Each of these individuals did their part in making a historical effort on this time period. Their tributes to their communities helped form the nation we are still living in today. William Bradford was a natural born leader and assisted to better his colony in the best of his ability. He was very successful in his trials of teaching and learning as well. Jonathan Edwards was also authentically well in his purposes. From preaching impacting sermons regularly, to being recognized as one of the most prominent philosophers of all time, Edward’s left behind some very big shoes to fill. Bradford, leading his colony as governor in a more lenient matter, and Edward’s, was the stricter of the two. Their differences is what made them both so unique as authors, because their writing skills helped connect with their
Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford and A Description of New England by John Smith are essentially irrelevant to one another in the way that each piece has a very different point of view. The author John Smith was a pilgrim who arrived in the Americas and wrote a description of the new land. William Bradford was also a pilgrim who arrived at Plymouth and wrote more about the realities of his personal journey. The purpose of this essay is to contrast the purposes of the writers, their intended audiences, and how each writer gives out a specific feeling.
Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford gives us an insight into the endurance of the early settlers and the kind of pain they went through in order build the foundation of our great nation. They embarked on the new world and developed a colony from the ground up. However, there troubles started long before they even stepped foot on the land. With a strong hold on their religious beliefs, they continued their voyage to the new world even though there were questions about the safety of the vessel. They managed to work hard on the ship and make it to the new world, tired and hungry, only to learn that there was no rest to be found, but even more work.
William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation differs from William Byrd’s The History of the Dividing Line in the cases of purpose, tone, and style. The main purpose of Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation is to show how the colonists in Plymouth colony were struggling and dying due to the lack of food, and how the Native Americans in the area came and helped them. Natives like Squanto “directed them how to set their corn, where to take fish and to procure other commodities” (Bradford, 33). The lessons taught by the Natives saved the colonists and they formed a mutual friendship, as evidenced by the first Thanksgiving. Bradford was trying to show how the colonists were suffering and dying, but survived with the help of the Natives. Byrd, on the other hand, showed that the Virginians
William Penn was a great human being who went through tremendous hurdles in life, went against his family’s views but had a strong vision and a will to accomplish pacifism in a colony. Creating Philadelphia was a great accomplishment for the years he spent there and the belief of religious tolerance attracted many individuals to practice freely. I am overwhelmed by his actions he took at a young age and his strong will power to accomplish his goal. Even though, his colony negatively transformed after his departure, his vision was to care for the people and to eliminate differences based on ones’ skin, color, gender, or religious beliefs. To conclude, William Penn was a great human being who envisioned something different and tried his utmost best to create a peaceful colony for one to dwell in and allowing religious tolerance.
Dear Samson this is Royce, in good faith, who apologizes for such a sinful delay from your last letter. That letter bestowed a whole hearted warmth upon me, a warmth I cannot say the voyage to the New World has brought. Recalling the influence of religious freedom which had urged me to strive towards this New World has pursued a bittersweet arrival. My brethren and I have prayed for different, blessed lands, yet, Cape Cod stared wildly and callously upon my optimism. Before our arrival, half of our ship’s men were plagued by scurvy and disease. Whether one death on the ship is fortunate or unfortunate (Of Plymouth Plantation, Page 7), a poor man was starved, killed and thrown over the Mayflower’s sides (Of Plymouth Plantation, page 5). Nevertheless, the Mayflower continued miles across the stormy seas (Of Plymouth Plantation, Page 8) I prayed for relief and the holiness of our arrival could not be expressed with prayer. Father would probably laugh at my pessimism. I know at times I seem like a pessimist but, deny me not that the voyage was horrible. While it was mostly terrible, during the voyage to the New World a woman did welcome a lovely child that was gifted the name “Oceanus” (Plymouth Plantation Video). For me, Oceanus symbolized a marvelous
Most people go through life not worrying about others thoughts, just throwing stereotypes around without any justification or knowledge of the person being alienated. Some are ungrateful for the religious freedom that most of us are able to carry. Some do not realize the fight that people went through over 300 years ago to gain religious freedom and work through and around the profiling given by the hierarchy of society. No one worked harder for the freedoms to be provided and stereotypes to be dissolved than Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island. Williams, born in London in 1603, was a seasoned young man early on, after witnessing many burnings at the stake of puritans for being "heretics" and not following the religion of the Church of England. Several years after graduating from Cambridge University, Williams decided to take his wife, and come to the Massachusetts colony in 1630. In the colonies, Williams felt it was best for a man who continually spoke out against the Church of England for being too involved in the Government actions, to be rather than face the fire of being a heretic. After reading "Roger Williams", a biography written by Edwin Gaustad, the feelings, thoughts, and actions of Williams are shown through literature by Williams, letters between Williams and John Cotton, and Williams's actions with the Native Americans.
Bradford emphasizes the “wind so fierce and the seas so high” and how the Puritans, after sailing themselves and managing the journey, “fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven” for “bringing them over the…furious ocean” and for “delivering them from…peril and miseries” ( ). The fact that the Puritans thank God for rescuing and delivering them danger rather than taking credit for saving their own lives highlights the Puritan belief of divine intervention, the belief that God controls everyone’s actions and who lives or
In Of Plymouth Plantation, a work quoted in Mayflower, William Bradford attributes the death of a “proud and very profane” sailor aboard the Mayflower to “the just hand of God” (pp. 30–31). What does this almost jubilant response to another person’s suffering suggest about the nature of Bradford’s religious beliefs? How did this attitude continue to reveal itself in the other experiences of the Pilgrims and the Puritans?
In “ A Description of New England ”, Smith starts by describing the pleasure and content that risking your life for getting your own piece of land brings to men. On the other hand, Bradford reminds us how harsh and difficult the trip to the New World was for the p...