Puritan Philosophy

The Puritan persons first came to the New World to get away the devout persecution that hounded Non-Anglicans in England. They established the Plymouth Colony in 1620, in what is now Massachusetts. The colony was a reflection of the Puritans' beliefs. These convictions, along with the know-how of setting up a colony in "the middle of nowhere", influenced the writings of all who were engaged with the colony. In this composing, the Puritan beliefs behind William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" will be revealed. Some components that will be advised include: how Puritan convictions sway William Bradford's understanding of events, the representation of Puritan theology in the overhead cited text, and how Puritanism types the cornerstone for Bradford's motivation in writing.

In Bradford's text, there are many examples in which his convictions sway his understanding of what happens. In Chapter IX (nine) of "Of Plymouth Plantation", deserving "Of Their Voyage…" , he notifies of a boat crew "..of a lusty, adept body.." who "would habitually be accusing the poor persons in their sickness and cursing them daily….he didn't let to notify them that he wanted to help cast half of them overboard before they came to their journey's end". But, "it satisfied God before they came half-seas over, to smite this juvenile man with a grievous infection, of which he past away in a despairing kind, and so was himself the first that was hurled overboard" (Bradford, 510). Bradford accepts as factual that the boat crew past away because God was penalizing him. According to Bradford, the sailor's cursing, and mistreatment of the other travelers displeased God, so God penalized him accordingly (Marr & Cathey, 1616).

In the identical section, Bradford notifies of another boat traveler entitled John Howland. At one issue in the journey, the Mayflower came upon a brutal storm. The winds of the gale were so fierce, and the oceans were so high, that all the boat crew and travelers had to "hull for divers days together". During this gale, a juvenile man entitled John Howland was hurled into the ocean, and as Bradford notifies us, "it satisfied God that he apprehended contain of the topsail halyards which dangled overboard and ran out at length". Howland apprehended contain of a cord, and "though he was sundry fathoms under water", he held on until he was hauled up. Bradford causes that the man was kept because he was blessed by God ...