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How Is William Bradford A Good Leader

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William Bradford – A Born Leader of Plymouth The decision to leave Holland, England to trek across the Atlantic Ocean and settle in the new world of America was extremely difficult for the Separatists. Their 65-day journey was hindered by rough seas, hunger, sickness and even death before even landing. Once arrived, the need for a leader was at its highest when Plymouth’s first governor, John Carver, had died. William Bradford becoming the new and eventual 30-year governor of Plymouth Colony, gave us one of the most detailed and substantial literary works of American history. His truly inspiring leadership of the first successful English colony in North America is highlighted in “Of Plymouth Plantation” where the Bradford gives us one of …show more content…

In his account, Bradford makes clear that the first colony of America did begin without struggles and difficulties. One quote to focus comes from Bradford himself in “Of Plymouth Plantation”, “It was answered, that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties and must be both enterprised and overcome with answerable courages. It was granted the dangers were great, but not desperate; the difficulties were many, but not invincible” (Bradford Ch. 4). Written before even leaving their homeland of England, William Bradford knows and prepares for what is to come on the journey to the New World. He acknowledges that the dangers and difficulties faced may be substantial, but they are not insurmountable. Instead, they can be overcome with determination and courage. This sense of perseverance and resilience that Bradford has in him is what would eventually create a great governor and leader of the Plymouth Colony. Even in times of death and despair, William Bradford was a strong and determined leader who was able to navigate the setbacks that the colonists faced in the early years of the settlement. He worked tirelessly to ensure the survival of the colony, and the actions outlined in his literature helped to lay the …show more content…

He was deeply committed to building a community that was based on these values, and he worked to create a culture that was respectful and inclusive. Bradford understood the purpose of coming to the New World as part of the Separatist movement. A quote that projects religious leadership of William Bradford and a reminder of why the Puritans made their journey to America is:
“What could now sustain them but the spirit of God and his grace? May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great [ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice, and looked on their adversity, etc. Let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good, and his mercies endure forever” (Bradford Ch. 9).
Bradford seemingly turned to prayer and faith in God in order to overcome his challenges, and fully believed that God answered the colony’s prayers and helped them through their difficult circumstances. Not only was William Bradford an optimistic leader and writer, he was also a faithful one. As a leader in a religious community, he writes with hope in the plan of God and gives a continual reminder to his people that God's mercy is enduring and that the Pilgrims had much to be thankful for, despite the difficulties they

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He joined the Puritans. Reformers who wanted to purify the Church of England and separate from it. With other Puritans, he migrated to Holland in search of religious freedom. ” The quote is describing William Bradford, who was a Puritan who moved to Holland and established the colony of Plymouth for religious freedom.

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Back in the early 1600s Europeans were traveling to the New World for many reasons, such may be for profit, like planting tobacco, those would be the colonist who would settle in Virginia. The people of the Plymouth Plantation came to the colonies, because of their children losing touch with their British roots while living in Holland. " We were all ignorant, and supposing to make our passage in two months, with victual to live. "(Smith 3) Everyone who traveled to the New World faced hardships that were very difficult to endure, but it was "God's will". These two different colonies faced hardships, similar yet also different.

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Being the first two well-known places in which the English would set out to colonize in 1607 and 1620, Jamestown, Virginia and Plymouth, Massachusetts hold very separate set of beliefs, standards, and outlooks on life then and the future to come. While paving the way for things such as slavery, taxes, ownership of land, inclusion of women, tobacco and government assemblies, John Smith and the people of Jamestown became a classical foundation for new life and economic growth for the new world that is, the United States. On the other hand, William Bradford and his people began to realize the intentions of the Church of England were unholy and had strayed away from God’s teachings from the Bible. With this in mind, the Pilgrims set on a voyage to the new world to seek religious freedom. As we know it, the Pilgrims sought for peace and a new way of living that was fair, just and free from religious corruptions.

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He signed the Mayflower Compact upon arriving in Massachusetts in 1620.Bradford landed in Plymouth to get away from the queen and have freedom. As for Bradford in Plymouth he taught the way of Christianity to the Indians and the settlers. Harsh winter, lack of fresh water and the spread of diseases made life difficult. As for Bradford who wrote nothing but the truth about it like the dangers and all the struggles and sacrifices the new world had. The truth about the new the world was very difficult and much more complex then Smith made it sound to be .

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This journal, “Of Plymouth Plantation”, which was from Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 1, written by William Bradford between 1630 and 1651, and edited by Samuel Eliot Morison in 1953, describes the story of the pilgrims who sailed from Southampton, England, on the Mayflower and settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. Those pilgrims were English Christians in the 16th and 17th centuries and religious separatists who saw no hope of reforming the Church of England from within; therefore, they hoped to separate from the Church of England and form independent local churches in another place. In order to , those pilgrims overcame many obstacles. The author had used the power of rhetoric, especially in the use of the three rhetorical

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During the early 1600’s there were two influential men, John Smith and William Bradford, that both wrote stories on their experience in America being European, where they set off to the New World to become leaders of a colony. Smith wrote The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles and Bradford wrote Of Plymouth Plantation. Smith became a leader of Jamestown, and Bradford became the governor of Plymouth. Smith and Bradford had major differences when it came to their views on Native Americans. They both want the majority same thing for their communities, but they do have some differences on how they want their community to be.

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Of Plymouth Plantation demonstrates William Bradford’s strong religious beliefs through onerous life situations. Bradford writes about how only a few of fifty people could care for everyone else, and how they did not become ill. “And yet the Lord so upheld these persons, as in this general calamity they were not at all infected either with sickness or lameness” (Bradford 139 -140). He states that God supported these people and kept them from becoming sick, so that they could tend to the others. Even through a hardship, Bradford sees the aspect of God’s greatness throughout.

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Bradford was one of the Mayflower passengers to sign the Mayflower compact upon arriving in Massachusetts in 1920. Serving as governor 31 times, he helped Massachusetts draft its legal code and facilitated a community centered on private agriculture and religious tolerance. Under his guidance Plymouth never became a Bible commonwealth like all its other larger and more influential neighbors In 1627 he and four others assumed the colony’s debt to the merchant adventurers who

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In William Bradford’s story “Of Plymouth Plantation”, he uses many examples of Divine Providence. Divine Providence is all that occurs in the universe that takes place under God's sovereign guidance and control. To establish a safe journey, the people of the Mayflower had faith in God’s Divine Providence. In Bradford’s story the people have faith in God and they survived.

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Although all the colonists all came from England, the community development, purpose, and societal make-up caused a distinct difference between two distinct societies in New England and the Chesapeake region. The distinctions were obvious, whether it be the volume of religious drive, the need or lack of community, families versus single settlers, the decision on minimal wage, whether or not articles of agreements were drawn for and titles as well as other social matters were drawn, as well as where loyalties lay in leaders. New England was, overall, more religious than the Chesapeake region. Settlers in New England were searching relief for religious persecution in Europe. Puritans, Quakers, and Catholics were coming in droves to America searching for an opportunity to have religious freedom.

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To learn more about this person and how important this man was to the pilgrims we have to look at his childhood, Adulthood, and his role as governor. The early years of this Explorer life was not what many would expect. As stated by Whitehurst “William Bradford was born in the small farm village of AusterField, England, in March 1590” . His father had

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The values that early American writers considered most important were piety, courage, and industry. They were highly honored by the large Puritan population, and these values helped them survive the beginning of the colonies. Overtime, however, different values were stressed more than others. For example, in “Of Plymouth Plantation,” written around 1620, Bradford chooses to write about the piety, courage, and industry of all the settlers in his settlement. In 1630, Winthrop gave his sermon “A Model of Christian Charity,” and in it he motivates his audience using piety and industry as reasons to succeed.

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Bradford’s religious Puritan views were very important to him and he wanted to make sure the people of New England would have a Puritan church so that they could practice their religion without interference from England because in England they were forced to be part of the Church of England. People such as Thomas Morton did not fancy to William Bradford. Morton’s Anglican ways, his dancing, drinking, and building of the Maypole made Bradford

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The arrival of the first Europeans in the Americas is dramatically captured through the many writers who attempted to communicate what they saw, experienced and felt. What is more, the very purposes of their treacherous travel and colonization are clearly seen in their writings; whether it is poetry, history or sermons. Of the many literary pieces available today, William Bradford and John Winthrop’s writings, even though vary because the first is a historical account and the second is a sermon, stand out as presenting a clear trust in God, the rules that would govern them and the reason they have arrived in the Americas. First of all, William Bradford provides an in-depth look into the first moment when the Puritans arrived in the Americas. In fact, he chronicles the hardships they face on their way to Plymouth, yet he includes God’s provision every step of the way.

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He claimed: “If a man work but three days in seven, he may get more than he can spend, unless he will be excessive.” Bradford, however, warned of the dangers of prosperity, and that too much prosperity can destroy community, as he said here: “For now as their stocks increased, and the increase vendible, there was no longer any holding them together…” Bradford believed that community was the best form of prosperity, while Smith valued wealth and success. John Smith wrote in a way that exaggerated about New England, so that people would come there to seek their fortunes and build cities, “…they fish but an hour a day, to take more than they eat in a week…” whereas, Bradford’s writing was simply a narrative, recounting the stories of the puritan

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