William Bradford: Of Plymouth Plantation, el diario del viaje del Mayflower

William Bradford. Of Plymouth Plantation

It is a journal written by William Bradford in 1650, who was a member of the Puritan community. It describes the voyage that the Pilgrims made in an attempt to leave their country due to the internal problems in which England was immersed. It tells the story from their settlement in America to the troubles they experienced during that journey on a ship called the Mayflower.

Contexto histórico

By this period, England was under the reign of King Charles I, who was experiencing some troubles in his country because of his decision to dissolve the English Parliament. As numerous members of Parliament were Puritans, they had to leave England to avoid this situation of political hostility between the Crown and Parliament. However, as soon as the English Civil War began around 1640, Puritans returned to England to support the parliamentarians in their fight against King Charles I.

El proyecto puritano

Around 1630, Puritans wanted to create a "nation of saints" in America in the form of a colony, hoping this new land would serve as an example for all of Europe and trying to create a deeply religious and politically innovative culture. Then, they made an expedition across the Atlantic Ocean to travel to America and settle that colony on the Mayflower, the ship that transported them there. The leader of this expedition was William Bradford, who was one of the Puritan pilgrims.

El viaje del Mayflower

The ship was originally destined for the Hudson River, a place where an English colony already existed. However, during this voyage, the Mayflower experienced some troubles due to the bad weather and the crew's health conditions. The journey lasted at least 66 days, marked by disease, and consequently a few members of the crew died. Because of the approaching winter, which was responsible for bringing the expedition the bad weather, the Mayflower was blown off course and had to anchor at Cape Cod. As a result, almost half of the crew died during the journey, and the survivors had to move ashore at Plymouth, the place where the colony was finally settled. After that, William Bradford, who was the guide of the expedition, was also named governor of that colony, and later on, the Mayflower would return to England.

Temas principales

The text is focused on the idea of early colonialism in the new land, America, and also on the attempts of people to escape from religious persecution in England. The Grace of God is also present ("the Lord"), through which it was believed that the entire crew and William Bradford himself were the chosen ones to make a good and safe trip. Finally, in the last lines of the text, the author includes some phrases from the Bible, which keep alluding to the image of God that would help them in those difficult moments.