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The Colonial Period Essay
Ashley Perez
ENGL 201
Professor Stephanie Hobson
April 08, 2023
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There were political and religious prosecutions that many settlers in England dealt with in
the early years when America was discovered. John Smith, John Winthrop and William Bradford
were significant founders during the Colonial Period. There are many differences as well as
similarities between these historians that played a role in the development of American
Literature.
John Smith, born in Willoughby, England contributed tremendously to the early
developments of America as well as in the literature realm. When Smith's father died, he left
home and found himself getting involved with professions such as a soldier, sailor, and writer
(Belasco & Johnson, 204, p.120). Smith’s plain style writing was based on the themes of new
lands and people, the advantages of immigration, as well as the riches and pleasures of the new
world. Smith authored the first English book written in America titled “A True Relation of
Occurrences and Accidents in Virginia”. Smith arrived in Virginia where the first established
colony was found, Jamestown. This is where he became inspired and wrote the popular story
about his encounters with Pocahontas.
William Bradford was born in Austerfield, New England. Bradford was an English
Puritan who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. With the lack of religious freedom he faced, he
became unhappy and set out to Plymouth colony where he became governor. “Plymouth
Plantations” was Bradfords first manuscript which started 10 years after the Pilgrims arrived at
Massachusetts in 1630. That year he finished Chapter X and gradually wrote the rest in pieces.
“His writings were more focused on religion and how the Pilgrim's should be based on God's
word” (Liberty University, 2021, Bradford p. 3). Bradford had handwritten journals that
recounted the congregations travels from England to Amsterdam and Leyden. Along with
information on how they prepared to sail to North America, a list of passengers that were on the
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Mayflower, the establishment of Plymouth Colony as well as detailed history of the colony dated
to 1646. The manuscript also includes a list of passengers on the Mayflower, along with their
birth and death dates, encounters with the original inhabitants of Massachusetts, and both
business and theological conflicts within the colony" (Bradford', n.d.) William Bradford told a
great story as he depicted the experiences of a new nation.
John Winthrop was born in Edwardstone, Suffolk, England. Winthrop was an English
puritan lawyer and the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony where they valued religion.
“A Model of Christian Charity” is a sermon written by John Winthrop. It was a 26-page sermon
that alluded how religion in Massachusetts would take place. "Winthrop appears to have used the
image primarily to implore the colonists to live honorably and piously, because a watching world
would take notice of how the Massachusetts experiment went and would project its judgment
onto its religious beliefs" (Vile, 2009). His literature was based on religion that impacted the
beliefs of puritans and carries on to still be very important to American history today.
Along with many differences, these three historians have many similarities as well.
Winthrop’s and Bradford both focused on Puritan beliefs and both of their works were intended
to be published after their deaths. As for Smith, he was one that did not have a religious or
spiritual basis and allowed for immediate publication. One major factor that these three
historians have in common is that they all wrote the idea of a new world which they all saw as an
escape for opportunities that were economic or religious. Finally, they all had the same goal
which was migrating to a new world in search for new opportunities. A major difference between
each historian was that Smith’s writing differed from Bradford and Winthrop in the sense that
they focused more on the religious standpoint, while Smith had more of a secular view. Winthrop
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and Bradford escaped to the new world in search of opportunities that were religiously better.
Smith was strictly focused opportunities from the new world that were economically better.
These three English men were historians and authors that had an everlasting impact on
America and its history, and still stands strong today. These men showed their courage to seek
more for themselves and starting somewhere new. Although they each had a different standpoint,
they reached the same goal in seeking better opportunities. They all showed what the new world
provided and offered which is what the Colonial Period provided.
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References
Bradford', W. (n.d.). A Treasure of the Commonwealth. Retrieved April 9, 2023, from
https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/bitstream/handle/2452/807691/on112261725
2.pdf?sequence
Vile, J. R. (2009). John Winthrop. Mtsu.edu. https://www.mtsu.edu/first-
amendment/article/1232/john-winthrop
Belasco, S., & L. Johnson (Eds). (2014). Captain John Smith. The Bedford anthology of
American literature, Vol. 1 (2nd ed., p. 120). New York, NY: Bedford St. Martin'.
Liberty University. (2021). ENGL 201: American Literature I. Week one, lecture notes:
Wk 2lecture note 2: Captain John Smith. Https://learn.liberty.ed
Liberty University. (2021). ENGL 201: American Literature I. Week one, lecture notes:
Wk 2lecture note 3: William Bradford. Https://learn.liberty.edu
