ENGL 201-D02
The Three Historians - MLA
He was America’s first important historian. His name was Captain John Smith,
and he was born in 1580 in Willoughby, England. He arrived in Virginia in 1607 to
discover Jamestown, Virginia. Captain John Smith was the founder of the Jamestown
Colony. After the discovery of Jamestown, in 1608 he came out with a book called, “A
True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note, As Hath Happened In
Virginia”. In this book, Captain John Smith described the different interactions of the
colonists with the different Native American tribes beginning the battle upon arrival in
Jamestown. John also describes in detail his exploration of the land and its different
trading practices. Shortly after Captain John Smith became president of the Colony from
1608 to 1609. In 1614, Captain John Smith returned to explore New England, and in
1615 he returned to England permanently. Captain John Smith came out with four
different books between 1608 and 1630. Captain John Smith wrote in a plain literacy
style, meaning he wrote reader-friendly. It is clear and precise. He aimed to write for
plain men’s satisfaction.
Let’s talk a little bit about these three historians. They were all important figures
in the early American history. They each shared a numerous number of similarities and a
good number of differences. In this reading, I am going to give you a little knowledge on
these three individuals, and how they are similar and different from one another.
ENGL 201-D02
John Winthrop was also an English Puritan. John was born in January of 1588, in
Edwardstone, Suffolk, England. He was the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay
Colony and the chief figure among the Puritan founders of New England. John Winthrop
had 16 children. At the age of 15, he attended Trinity College, Cambridge. John
Winthrop studied law and became the best English lawyer. From 1627 to 1629 he was
an attorney at the Court of Wards and Liveries. For more than 20 years, John had no
interest in overseas colonization. John was a religious person. From his early teenage
years, he threw himself into scripture studies and prayers. He trained himself to become
a full-fledged Puritan. In 1629, John Winthrop joined the Massachusetts Bay Colony,
pledging to sell his English estate and take his family to Massachusetts. John Winthrop
William Bradford was an English Puritan Separatist. William was born in March of
1590, in Austerfield, a town in Yorkshire, northern England. William was brought up in
Austerfield Manor House by his grandfather and uncles, after being orphaned at the age
of seven. William suffered a long illness, meaning he was too ill or weak to work on his
family’s farm, so instead William focused on reading and studies, especially the
scriptures. William was the governor of the Plymouth colony for 30 years. He helped
shape and stabilize the political institutions of the first colony in New England. William
Bradford’s most well-known work is, “Of Plymouth Plantation”. This is his journal, about
some of the detailed history of the founding of the Plymouth Colony and the lives of the
colonists from 1621 to 1646. William wrote in a plain literacy style. He aimed to write
accurately and truthfully, but also to send forth the hardships and overcome the
difficulties that his people went through.
ENGL 201-D02
wrote tons of books, his most famous is “A Model of Christian Charity” written in 1630.
This book was written about the moral laws that should dictate the relationships
between community members and command people to love their neighbors as they love
themselves. Another one of his books was “The History of New England” from 1630 to
1649, also known as “Winthrop’s Journal”. This journal or book discussed the first two
decades of the Bay Colony. He describes in detail the religious and political problems of
the new settlement. John tends to write in a precise expository style, meaning he wants
to be clear and concise. He aimed to write for people he would provide spiritual
guidance to in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
In conclusion, all three of these historians are similar and different in many ways.
Captain John Smith and William Bradford both established some sort of colony, but they
were both a completely different leader. These two men both wrote journals to educate
people about what was happening within their colonies, and their experiences within
that colony. John Smith wrote more from a 3rd person point of view, meaning he was
referring to himself as a pronoun, like, “he, she, or they” and William wrote more from a
1st person point of view, meaning he told his story from his own point of view. Despite
the differences, John Smith, William Bradford, and John Winthrop all shared some
similarities as well. They all were tremendously involved in their discoveries. John Smith
and John Winthrop both saw America as a great opportunity to start over. But, John
Smith saw the opportunity to start over economically, and John Winthrop saw it more as
a paradise for religious freedom. They each wrote a letter to the people of England and
asked for them to be recruited and help them establish colonies in the New World.
ENGL 201-D02
References:
"John Smith." Britannia, www.britannica.com/biography/John-Smith-British-explorer.
ENGL 201-D02
"William Bradford." Britannia, www.britannica.com/biography/William-
Bradford- Plymouth-colony-governor.
"John Winthrop Summary." Britannia, www.britannica.com/summary/John-
Winthrop- American-colonial-governor.
Dunn, Richard S. "The Journal of John Winthrop, 1630–1649." Harvard University
Press, 1 Jan. 1997, www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?
isbn=9780674484276#:~:text=The%20journal%20of%20Governor%20John,problems
%20of%20the%20new%20settlement.
Hall, Crystal. "A Model of Christian Charity: Summary & Analysis." Study.Com, 20 Dec.
2021, https://study.com/academy/lesson/a-modell-of-christian-charity-by-john-winthrop-
summary-analysis-quiz.html#:~:text=A%20Model%20of%20Christian%20Charity
%20largely%20concerns%20the%20moral%20laws,at%20the%20time%20of
%20creation.
Smith, John, and Lyon G. Tyler. "A True Relation Captain John Smith, 1608." American
Journeys, 1 Jan. 2003, https://www.americanjourneys.org/aj-
074/summary/#:~:text=Smith%20described%20the%20interactions%20of,practices
%20that%20sustained%20the%20colony.
https://www.coursehero.com/file/220637215/John-Smith-ENGL-201docx/
This study source was downloaded by 100000879560163 from CourseHero.com on 01-24-2024 02:55:41 GMT -06:00
