William Bradford was born in the late 1500s in the land of Austerfield, England. From a young age, Bradford saw corruption in the Church of England and became a Puritan or Separatist. Because of the religious persecution all Separatists faced, he and his family decided to make their home overseas in order to practice their faith freely. He would end up taking the Mayflower to North America. On his voyage, Bradford had many responsibilities like book-keeping, finances and negotiation for legalities. In fact, he later formed his book, “Of Plymouth Plantation”, from all the documents and records he collected on the Mayflower. In his book, Bradford describes the adversity the ship faced. The journey was difficult on both its crammed 100+ passengers, in which only 44 survived, as well as the ship itself. …show more content…
They were taught how to plant and fertilize soil by these natives. In return, the pilgrims aided the Indians in defense against opposing tribes. In this new land, Bradford was elected the first governor and would remain governor for the next thirty years. Because of Bradford’s courage and leadership skills, the colony thrived. Without him, they would have faced much more