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Title: Plymouth Plantation 1620 - 1647 by William Bradford ISBN: 0-07-554281-1 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages Pub. Date: 01 February, 1981 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.44 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.12 (8 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Not quite the Thanksgiving tale
Comment: I don't honestly know who reads Of Plymouth Plantation the most. Professors conducting research? Students assigned to read it? As I am neither, and decided to go ahead and try something daring, perhaps my thoughts are of some value. I say daring when referring to this work by the Puritan leader William Bradford primarily because reading documents of that era is somewhat difficult. The work spans the years 1620 to 1647, so the language is closer to Shakespeare than it is to us. Already we can see notable improvement from the bard, but sometimes the going is rough. It certainly helps that in this edition, Samuel Eliot Morison has standardized the spelling, written out in full the abbreviations, and provided useful footnotes. Believe me, it makes a difference. It also helps that this first governor of the Plymouth colony, who came over on the Mayflower, writes in a reasonably clear style. The evidence may be found in the many letters written by other Pilgrims and their friends back in England that are inserted into the text. By comparison, Bradford is the model of clarity and simplicity. I'm dwelling on the language point because I think this is the sort of thing that probably turns off the casual reader with an interest in the earliest era of colonial times. There are many easier ways to learn about the Pilgrims, but there is obviously a certain authenticity to reading a primary source, even if it can be difficult going at times.
The other main issue with reading a source like this is its limitation. Bradford was hardly the only source of information, and what he presents can be choppy at times, dry at others. He spends little time on exciting matters such as the Pequot war, one of the earliest confrontations with Indian tribes, but writes extensively on finance issues with traders and suppliers. As most of the material is a year-by-year account of brief highlights, there's a fair amount missing that would make for a clearer story. The best sections, to my way of thinking, were the earlier ones covering the time up to the Mayflower voyage. There Bradford takes the time to really write about their lives and their thoughts as they leave England for the Netherlands and how they got along there.
Despite the difficulties, there is much insight to be gained here. Puritans are not the easiest group of people for modern readers to understand. Countless times Bradford casually would say something like "But in that year it pleased God that (insert terrible calamity here)" Whether it was illness, some natural disaster, or whatever, it seemed to be accepted as just God's will and nothing to get upset about. Whether this represented their actual reaction at the time or only Bradford's official note of it is unclear. What is clear is that Of Plymouth Plantation is of more use for history than for ethical philosophy. The Puritans remain a very odd people with some very odd and occasionally horrifying standards. Certain acts, for example, done with barnyard animals would result in execution for the perpetrator. The same acts done to an eight-year-old girl warranted only a fine and a whipping. The flip side of Puritan character, of course, is that these were really strong willed people. They stuck it out even with a death rate of more than half their population succumbing in the earliest years. It is clear not only from Bradford but the letters of other participants that they considered the life they chose, however difficult, to be the one that they were going to see through come what may. This, perhaps, is the most memorable feature of their story.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great!
Comment: Excellent book! I read this in combination with the Governer William Bradford's Letter Book and Mourts Relations and Good Newes from New England by Edward Winslow. I am really glad that I have done it this way, because there is further information in the Good Newes from New England that fills in the gaps of certain events.
This is William Bradford's point of view, and the information in it is amazing. If you are into history, then it doesn't get any better than this. Its not very often that you have the opportunity to see events through someone elses eyes, and this does it.
Rating: 3
Summary: Was not what I expected
Comment: I was suprised at how gossipy William Bradford was. He told tales about his neighbors and friends and described how the pilgrims constantly bickered with traders and their benefactors over money. My whole fantasy about what I thought the Pilgrims were like has completely changed. Now I consider them petty, self-righteous gossip mongers. The book was good for general information about preparation for their trip and what they actually did when they got here, but as far as historical fact goes, I was unimpressed. Bradford discusses people who stray from the flock, "outsiders" who get girls pregnant, drunkards, and preachers who were not to his liking. It was more like a "dish" session n the Jenny Jones show than something I would be proud to uphold as historical fact to the rest of the nation.
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Title: Plymouth Colony: Its History and People by Eugene Aubrey Stratton ISBN: 0916489183 Publisher: Ancestry Publishing Pub. Date: March, 1997 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Good Newes from New England by Edward Winslow ISBN: 1557094438 Publisher: Applewood Books Pub. Date: August, 1996 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: William Bradford: Plymouth's Faithful Pilgrim by Gary D. Schmidt ISBN: 0802851487 Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Pub. Date: November, 1998 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: The Mayflower Pilgrims : Roots of Puritan, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Baptist Heritage by David Beale ISBN: 188989351X Publisher: Ambassador-Emerald, Intl. Pub. Date: August, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
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Title: The Times of Their Lives : Life, Love, and Death in Plymouth Colony by Patricia Scott Deetz, James Deetz ISBN: 0385721536 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 16 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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