Of Plymouth Plantation

1
Of Plymouth Plantation

• By William Bradford

2
Primary and Secondary Sources

• Much of our knowledge about past events comes
  from primary and secondary sources.
• Of Plymouth Plantation, written in the early
  1600s by William Bradford, is a primary source
  because it offers first hand information on the
  Pilgrims.
• Woman and Children First The Mayflower
  Pilgrims, written in 1993 by Alicia Crane
  Williams, is a secondary source because Williams
  did not experience the events she describes

3
Comparing Primary and Secondary Texts

• Primary sources are more likely to present a
  realistic insight to an event.
• Firsthand knowledge can be more realistic and
  insightful
• However, it can also be biased, or skewed, to the
  authors own perspective
• Secondary sources are more likely to present a
  longer view of the history of events.
• Research can reveal the effects that events have
  on future generation
• However, facts can be manipulated, or censored,
  to skew information

4
Bradford himself would have known most of the
details that Williams provides about Elizabeth
and her children. What information does Williams
give that Bradford may not have know?
5
Bradford himself would have known most of the
details that Williams provides about Elizabeth
and her children. What information does Williams
give that Bradford may not have know?

• While Bradford would have known most of the
  details that Williams provides about Elizabeth
  Hopkins and her children, he would not have known
  about the future lives of the colonists and their
  offspring. Crane states that Elizabeth Hopkins
  sons, Oceanus and Damaris did not live until
  adulthood. and that John Alden produced
  sixty-nine grandchildren and nearly four-hundred
  great-grandchildren. Since she is writing a
  secondary source and looking back at the past,
  Crane is capable of providing a longer view of
  the history of events than Bradford, which makes
  her more credible.

6
Williams has chosen to focus on the women and
children among the Pilgrims. What can you infer
about her choice, based on the details she
provides?

• In Women and Children First The Mayflower
  Pilgrims, Alicia Crane Williams focuses mainly on
  the lives of women and children. She points out
  that the passengers included thirty-one children
  ranging in age from a nursing infant to
  teenagers and that at least three women were
  pregnant on the voyage, facts that are missing
  in William Bradfords account. Crane is clearly
  interested in getting the neglected history of
  these equally courageous pilgrims on record.

7
The Billingtons, Williams quotes from Bradford,
are one of the profanest families among us.
What does the quotation from Bradfords account
add to the Williams own account of the Billington
family?

• In Women and Children First The Mayflower
  Pilgrims, Alicia Crane Williams borrows
  information from Bradfords account of the
  Pilgrims to give credibility to her own
  information. Crane says that Bradford called the
  Billingtons one of the profanest families among
  us. Using Bradfords own words about the
  Billingtons, provides Williams with support for
  her assertion that he quarreled with Bradford
  and kept company with troublemakers.

8
Bradfords narrative comes alive with
interpretive commentary based on his observations
of events, while Williams' is an objective,
factual narrative. How would you account for the
differences in tone between the two narratives?

• Women and Children First The Mayflower
  Pilgrims, by Alicia Crane Williams is factual and
  objective, while Of Plymouth Plantation, is
  filled with interprtive commentary. Bradford
  speaks of the poor peoples present condition,
  and The savage barbarians, while Williams tells
  of the numbers births and deaths. Bradfords tone
  is colored largely by his emotions, as he was a
  direct participant in the difficult trials of the
  Pilgrims. Williams tone is a result of her
  distance from the events, and the fact that she
  is mainly researching information provided by
  other sources.