William Bradford (1590-1657)

Texts by Bradford

• History of Plymouth Plantation

• "Providence and the Pilgrim" 

Resources About Bradford

1. VanSpankeren, Kathryn. An Outline on American Literature. "Early American and Colonial Period to 1776: William Bradford (1590-1657)". December 2006. From Revolution To Reconstruction Online. 2 June 2007 < http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/LIT/bradford.htm >.

 -The brief article highlights Bradford's influences on the early colonial times, where he was a leader of his colony. Bradford was elected governor of Plymouth in the Massachusettes Bay Colony thirty times and served twenty-five of those elections. Bradford was the head of the government of Plymouth. He oversaw the courts, the colony's finances, formulated policy with regards to foreigners, Indians, and law, and so had a very active role in the running of the entire Colony. Beginning in 1630, be began writing a history of the Plymouth Colony and his writings are now published under the title Of Plymouth Plantation.  Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation is a significant text of its time and today for it records the beginnings of America. Another significant writing of William Bradford is the contributed documents, which he wrote while aboard the Mayflower, of the Mayflower Compact, which is often referred to as the foundation of the U.S. Constitution.

 The article also informs about the preferred genres of the time, "nonfictious and pious," where included as some of the writings to be of sermons. Bradford's first chapter in Of Plymouth Plantation, describes his view of religion and church in England. He emphasizes the gospel and its teachings as well as his strict religious beliefs, therefore, signifying the religious aspect significant during the Puritanism period in his writings.

 Although the page is very brief, it highlights the main points and offers links to one of Bradford's influential text of his time and ours. The page is credible as the author is a university professor who has written many various literary journals, reviews, poetries, and edited online literary sources, among other works and the information offered appear to be facts from relevant sources.

3. Daly, Robert.  “William Bradford’s Vision of History.”  American Literature.  Jan1973. Issue 4.  p557.  http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.mc.maricopa.edu/ehost/detail?vid=8&hid=2&sid=782c3fe7-6c7b-4894-9b71-7da422093aa1%40sessionmgr8 . 

This article, published in a scholarly journal in 1973, focuses more on Bradford’s views of history, and less on his own personal life.  It mentions his leadership positions found within the new world, and his own actions against and views of the “Indian problem.”  It mentions a few of his literary works, along with an outline of his own religious ties and ideals.  While it doesn’t offer much of a critical analysis of his literature, it does examine the historical aspects of it.  I found this article through MCC’s database.