Of Plymouth Plantation

Of Plymouth Plantation
Commonwealth of Massachusetts · Public domain · source
Name	Of Plymouth Plantation
Author	William Bradford
Country	Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts Bay Colony
Language	English
Subject	History of Pilgrims, Mayflower, Plymouth Rock
Genre	Colonial chronicle, memoir
Publisher	Unpublished manuscript (1620s–1640s); first printed editions 19th century
Pub date	1620–1647 (composition)
Pages	manuscript varies

Of Plymouth Plantation

Of Plymouth Plantation is a firsthand chronicle by William Bradford recounting the migration of Separatist pilgrims from Leiden to the New World, the crossing aboard the Mayflower, and the early decades of Plymouth Colony up to the 1640s. The work combines personal memoir, communal record, and theological interpretation, shaping later narratives about the Pilgrims, the Mayflower Compact, and colonial development in New England. Bradford’s manuscript served as a primary source for historians of colonial America, Puritanism, and Anglo-American migration.

Background and Composition

Bradford, a leader among the Separatists who had worshipped in Scrooby and later settled in Leiden, composed the work primarily between 1620 and 1647 while serving as governor of Plymouth Colony. His narrative arises from his roles in civic and ecclesiastical life, interacting with figures such as William Brewster, Edward Winslow, John Carver, and Miles Standish. Bradford frames events through a Providentialist lens common to Puritanism and the English Reformation milieu, linking local episodes to wider developments like the English Civil War era political tensions. Composition reflects Bradford’s use of colony records, meeting minutes, and personal recollections, intended as both communal memory and a moral-theological account for future generations and allies in England and Holland.

Voyage and Settlement Narrative

The narrative recounts the gathering of Separatists in Scrooby, their flight to Leiden, negotiations with merchant adventurers in London, and the perilous transatlantic voyage aboard the Mayflower and companion ships. Bradford details the drafting of the Mayflower Compact at sea, the exploratory ventures led by John Carver and Miles Standish, and first contacts with Indigenous groups including the Wampanoag and leaders such as Massasoit. Bradford records meetings, treaties like the 1621 treaty with Massasoit, and events including the celebrated harvest shared with Native allies that later became enshrined in narratives of Thanksgiving. He also chronicles crises: epidemics that had preceded European settlement, the death of early colonists such as John Carver and Francis Eaton, and internal disputes that involved figures like Thomas Weston and Isaac Allerton.

Social, Religious, and Political Observations

Bradford observes communal institutions including land allotment, the colony’s legal practices, and the moral discipline exercised by leaders like William Bradford himself and William Brewster. His account reflects sectarian debates among Separatists, tensions with non-Separatist adventurers from London, and pragmatic interactions with neighboring colonies such as Massachusetts Bay Colony. He records religious liturgies, covenantal language reflecting Congregationalism, and disputes that implicate persons like Samuel Fuller and Edward Winslow. Bradford’s prose links local governance to broader Anglo-Reformed traditions exemplified by figures associated with the Puritan migration and touches on transatlantic commerce involving merchant interests like Thomas Weston and the Merchant Adventurers.

Manuscript History and Publication

Bradford’s manuscript remained in the custody of the Plymouth Colony and later private owners; it was nearly lost when stolen in the 18th century and then recovered in the 19th century in the possession of Governor Benedict Arnold of Rhode Island’s family and others, before scholars such as Alexander Young and John A. Goodwin edited early printed editions. The original manuscript is now preserved in institutions like the New York State Library (the so-called Bradley-Martin copy) and facsimiles have circulated among libraries connected to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Historical Society. Publication history includes influential 19th-century editions that fed into Victorian narratives of Anglo-American origins and later critical editions that emphasize textual variants, paleography, and Bradford’s compositional phases.

Historical Significance and Reception

Of Plymouth Plantation has been central to historiography of early colonial North America, shaping public memory of the Mayflower Compact and the Pilgrim story in works by historians of New England and writers commemorating events like the Tercentenary of 1920. It has influenced debates about Anglo-Indigenous relations, colonial legal traditions, and the role of Puritanism in American identity, cited by scholars analyzing figures such as John Winthrop, Roger Williams, and Anne Bradstreet’s contemporaries. Reception has ranged from hagiographic uses in nationalist narratives to critical readings in modern scholarship that situate Bradford among early chroniclers like John Smith and Edward Johnson. The manuscript remains indispensable for research in archival studies, early modern migration, and the legal-cultural foundations of New England settlements.

Category:17th-century books Category:Plymouth Colony Category:William Bradford (governor)