Examination of Puritan Philosophy in William Bradford's "On Plymouth Plantation"

        The Puritan people first came to the New World to escape the religious persecution that hounded Non-Anglicans in England. They established the Plymouth Colony in 1620, in what is now Massachusetts. The colony was a reflection of the Puritans' beliefs. These beliefs, along with the experience of establishing a colony in 'the middle of nowhere', affected the writings of all who were involved with the colony. In this writing, the Puritan philosophy behind William Bradford's 'Of …

…influences a great deal of 'Of Plymouth Plantation'. His beliefs sometimes affect his interpretation of events, as in his telling us of Thomas Morton. His Puritan beliefs also form the basis of the purpose of his writing. Still, Bradford manages to accomplish a great deal in this writing. He does immortalize the struggles of his Puritan camp at Plymouth, and he does a good job of accurately depicting the events during those same struggles.                                                                                          John