The Tone Of Bradford's Indian Relations

In Indian Relations, Bradford’s tone shifts from skeptical to manipulative using invariable details, simplistic diction, and contrasting syntax proving that the Puritan’s and Indian’s harmony resulted from deceit, and the Puritan’s original distrustful perception of the Indians changed to finding them “afterward profitable” since the Indians proved intellectually inferior and could easily fall prey to manipulation. When detailing the Puritan’s idea that the Indians would “skulk about them”, Bradford implied skepticism of the Indian’s motives for sneaking around the Puritan’s land. Using the word “skulk” shows the already cautious mindset about interactions with the Indians, because while the Puritans understood that the Indians demonstrated

The treaty describes “conditions of peace” that benefit the Puritans in every clause, but because the Puritans know they outsmart the Indians, this causes the treaty to contain inequities. Out of context, “conditions” indicate a catch to an agreement, and “peace” shows the occurrence of harmony and agreement. Using these words together illustrates the relationship between the Puritans and Indians proved beneficial, but only for the Puritans. This evidence clearly describes Bradford’s manipulative tone because the entire treaty’s foundation begins with clear inferiority of the Indians. This shows how easy it became for the Puritan and Indian’s harmony to result from deceit, because the Indian’s did not express awareness of the inequities in the treaty. Bradford uses this evidence to show the Indian’s and Puritan’s relationship conditionally caused peace because the Puritans used their intellectual abilities to manipulate the Indians. The treaty also describes the procedure in combat if the Puritans and Indians ever engaged in a battle. This clause states that the Indian’s must leave their “bows and arrows behind them”. The phrase, “behind them” means the same thing out of context as it does in context, which means to leave an item in the past or not to bring an item. This evidence creates a clear idea of the lack of equality in the treaty because it favors the Puritans in every sense. This enforces Bradford’s manipulative tone and the claim that the deceit between the Puritans and the Indians resulted in harmony. Bradford uses this to show his manipulative tone through the various clauses in the treaty, and demonstrates the intellectual superiority of the Puritans because of the inequities the treaty