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The Colonial Period Assignment
Lindsey Importico
ENGL201 – American Literature I
Professor Yaw Adu-Gyamfi
February 6th, 2023
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In the 17th century, America was known to most as the land of opportunity. Many
historians chose to travel from Europe to America to better understand the new world.
Adventurers brought over new religious and social views along with many different types of
people, such as servants and tradesmen. Among some of the first people to travel to America
were writers that were eager to communicate about what their experiences were and how they
felt. Three well-known historians were William Bradford, John Smith, and John Winthrop. The
men shared many of the same struggles on their way to America, but their journeys influenced
them in different ways. One way they were different is their use of different writing styles.
William Bradford was a prolific writer who wrote about the early days of the Plymouth
Colony in his book Of Plymouth Plantation. He wrote with a deep sense of faith and a strong
belief in God's providence. His writing style was direct, often using biblical references to
illustrate his points. He wrote with an eye toward history, but also included personal anecdotes
and reflections on his own life experiences. His work is considered to be among the most
important sources for understanding the early days of American colonization. In addition to Of
Plymouth Plantation, Bradford also wrote several other works including “A Dialogue Between
Old England and New and The History of Plymouth Plantation”. These works provide valuable
insight into the lives of those living in the early colonies and their struggles to establish a new
way of life in America. As a historian, Bradford served as Governor for many years and played a
large part in gaining the trust of the Native Americans around him. This trust is what started the
first Thanksgiving, which occurred in 1623. Bradford documented the experiences in Plymouth
with his book “Bradford’s History of Plymouth Plantation, 1606-1646.”
The next literary writer is John Smith, who was a famous adventurer and soldier. He is
known for creating the first permanent colony in the New World in Jamestown. Smith enjoyed
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writing about his experiences while Jamestown was under his control, many of his writings were
about the challenges that his settlement faced, especially against the Native Americans. He first
wrote about Jamestown, which was published as “A True Relation of Such Occurrences and
Accidents of Noate as Hath Happened in Virginia” which was published in 1608. Jamestown had
many problems, such as drought and famine, and Smith wrote about all of these hardships. Smith
wrote with many colorful descriptions and exaggerations. His writing style is poetic, and he
often changed the point of view from which he would write from.
Lastly, John Winthrop was a Puritan leader who aimed to establish a religious society in
England. As a writer, he journaled and wrote a spiritual autobiography called “John Winthrop’s
Christian Experience.” In this autobiography, Winthrop spoke of his childhood up until his adult
life. He wrote in dialogue form and was religious and wrote that he was “inclined to some peace
and comfort in God.” He enjoyed writing in journals and said, “We must delight in each other,
make others conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together,
always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, our community as
members of the same body” (John Winthrop, 1635). To this day Winthrop’s writings detail the
stories of his colony so well that his writing stands the test of time. As a historian, Winthrop
served as Massachusetts Bay Colony’s Governor. He believed that power was determined by
numbers and because the Puritans outnumbered other colonies, he was the most powerful.
During his time as Governor, he created “A Model of Christian Charity” and “A Little Speech on
Liberty” which helped to define the differences between the meaning of natural and civil
freedoms.
Each of these men had their own distinctive writing style and helped to contribute to the
development of their respective colonies differently. Each historian had their own perception of
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the conflicts they faced and how those should be resolved. There are some similarities between
them, such as their writing styles. In their stories, they speak of their experiences with Native
Americans, but they each had unique experiences with them. They also spoke of what life was
like after they traveled to the New World. In conclusion, John Winthrop, William Bradford, and
John Smith all played very vital roles in the New World and in their respective colonies and will
always be known as important icons in American Literature.
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References
History.com Editors. (2018, August 21). William Bradford. HISTORY.
https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/william-bradford
Project MUSE - Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History. (n.d.). Muse.jhu.edu.
https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/29
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018). John Smith | British explorer.
In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-
Smith-British-explorer
Vile, J. R. (2009). John Winthrop. Mtsu.edu. https://www.mtsu.edu/first-
amendment/article/1232/john-winthrop
