Plymouth Rock colony was a very difficult place in the 1620s. Everything seemed to go wrong for them when they least needed it. Food was scarce, tensions were high, and the future of the Massachusetts Bay colony rested in the hands of this man and what he was able to accomplish.
William Bradford, right from the start, got off on the wrong foot. His wife died soon after landing in Cape Cod, but he managed to continue on being that towns governor and leading them through their starving time. He wasn't without help however. An Indian named Squanto, who spoke broken English helped the colonists establish relations, and trade with the natives. Bradford was instrumental in negotiations, and helping to keep the peace between the two different cultures. Bradford also volunteered to be a leader of an exploration party, which was a very dangerous undertaking in the early days of the colony. Evidence off all this comes directly from William Bradfords journal, and the writing Of Plymouth Plantation.
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Thanks for the bio and the sources...
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine how hard it must of been to travel for that long on a boat to a new, unexplored country only to have your wife die on arrival. Then to have the strength and courage to continue on not only living amongst the colony but leading it. Surely William Bradford was a remarkable man of great honor.
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