| 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. |
Plymouth Plantation 1620 - 1647 Books In Print, Audio Books.