New England, New Challenges

For the class of the 21st we'll be focusing primarily on the founding of Plymouth Colony as seen through the eyes of William Bradford, the colony's second (and often re-elected) governor. As you read, consider the following questions: How does Bradford's Puritanism inform his historicism? That is, what sort of history does Bradford produce as a result of his Puritanism? How does his Puritanism influence the content of his history?

An alternate perspective concerning events at Plymouth Colony is found in Thomas Morton's New English Canaan, published in 1637 in London. Thomas Morton was an Anglican and a staunch Royalist in his politics. He settled at Merrymount, near Quincy, Massachusetts (south of Boston but north of Plymouth). In its entirety, Morton's book is considerably shorter than Bradford's history; it is divided into three parts, and it comments upon the plant and animal life as well as the human inhabitants of New England. The brief excerpt assigned from New English Canaan involves Morton's ("Mine Host") interaction with the Puritans, especially with regard to the incident of the maypole at Merrymount. You'll want to compare Morton's narration of the incident with Bradford's. What is Morton's aim in publishing his book?

Nathaniel Hawthorne later immortalized this incident in his short story "The May-Pole of Merry Mount," published in 1835. Of Plymouth Plantation was not published until the middle of the nineteenth century, but excerpts of it did appear in New Englands Memoriall, a book published in 1669 by William Bradford's nephew, Nathaniel Morton (no relation to Thomas Morton). Hawthorne drew on Bradford's version of events when he composed his short story.