Analysis: Of Plymouth Plantation - William Bradford

Of Plymouth Plantation (1620-1647) paragraphs 124-125, 130-133, 153-157, 162, 216-217, 413-416

Leading to the events in Of Plymouth Plantation:

1517: Martin Luther wrote his 95 Theses
-- His work protested the Catholic Church's corruption and change from a religious institution to a bureaucratic, military, business corporation.
-- Luther split the Catholic Christianity into Protestantism and Catholicism.

1535: Sir Thomas More claimed people could start anew in the New World for religious freedom

1547: Henry VIII established the Anglican Church
-- This was a result of his desire for divorce with his wife, Catherine of Aragon, since she could not produce male heirs for him. He could not divorce her easily, however, because Catherine was the daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain. The Pope was unwilling to grant him divorce because of the Catholic Church's alliance with Spain.
-- Henry VIII established the Anglican Church, which is similar to Catholicism, except you can divorce and it is fully under the control of the British monarch.

1564: John Calvin advocated an austere version of Christianity
-- The branch of Protestantism he founded was Calvinism.
-- Calvinism states that God knows your fate (heaven or hell), so if you see good things in your life, chances are, you'll go to heaven. If you see bad things happen in your life, chances are, you'll go to hell. This concept is called predestination.
-- Thus, people work harder to achieve good things to reassure themselves that they are going to heaven.

1600's: Puritans and Separatists are driven outside of Britain by oppression.
-- First, they tried Holland.
     -- This worked too well, as their kids began to assimilate to Dutch culture and speak Dutch. This was not favourable for the Puritans and Separatists, so they needed to move again.
-- So, they tried the New World.
     -- They took the Speedwell and the Mayflower over to the New World to find religious freedom.
     -- These ships were freight-hauling ships and not meant to cross the Atlantic.
     -- The journey was terrible, especially they inauspiciously left in late summer, which resulted in living through a harsh winter aboard a weak ship. When they arrived at the New World, weather was harsh as well.

Finally... William Bradford.
-- He was a signatory of the Mayflower Compact aboard the Mayflower in 1620. He was chosen by the Puritans to represent, lead, and supervise them as Governor.
-- He wrote a journal on his life in the New World, called Of Plymouth Plantation.
     -- A theme in this memoir is religion. The Puritans and Separatists left the old world for religion, and it remains a constant companion on their journey. Bradford hardly gets through a paragraph in his journal without praising God.

Examples:

• "Being thus arrived in a a good harbor, and brought save to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean..." (paragraph 124).
• "Neither could they... view from this wilderness a more goodly country country to feed their hopes; for which way soever they turned their eyes (save upward to the heavens) they could have little solace or content in respect of any outward objects" (paragraph 125).
• "'... 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.' 'Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, shew how He hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor... Let them confess before the Lord His loving-kindness and His wonderful works before the sons of men.'" (paragraph 125).
• The Mayflower Compact begins with: "In the name of God, Amen... Having undertaken, for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our king and country..." 
• He mentions God repeatedly in paragraph 217 as a superior authority figure with omniscience and infinite wisdom.
• and so on.

This provides a sharp contrast to American Literature afterwards. A central theme of intellectual progress in America is the neglect and questioning of religion; as literature progresses, you will see fewer mentions of religion. At this point, however, William Bradford exemplifies a heavy reliance on religion as motivation, organization, and legitimacy.