William Bradford: Plymouth's Faithful Pilgrim

by Gary D. Schmidt

Near starvation. Scurvy, tuberculosis, and pneumonia. Bitter cold. Daily deaths. This was the Pilgrims' first winter in Plymouth Colony. But thanks in large part to William Bradford, the colonists survived--and went on to celebrate the following year what we call Thanksgiving. William Bradford came to the New World with the other Pilgrims in search of religious freedom. With great faith in God and in his own abilities, he established a stable colony, doing his best to be just and fair to his fellow colonists as well as to the Native Americans living in the area. After he became governor of the colony, he was reelected more than thirty times. Filled with maps, paintings, and historical illustrations, this fascinating biography by Gary Schmidt introduces readers to the dramatic story of the founder of Plymouth Colony.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, School, Thanksgiving, American History

212 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

Gary D. Schmidt is an American children's writer of nonfiction books and young adult novels, including two Newbery Honor books. He lives on a farm in Alto, Michigan,with his wife and six children, where he splits wood, plants gardens, writes, feeds the wild cats that drop by and wishes that sometimes the sea breeze came that far inland. He is a Professor of English at Calvin College.

Reviews

[George Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish everyone could read this book! What a great account of the founding journey by the band of courageous people who came across the Atlantic to the land we now call home on the tiny boat called the Mayflower. Highly recommended.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read through Gary Schmidt's fiction catalogue, I decided to read this historical account of William Bradford and the Plymouth Colony in New England. It is clear from Schmidt's other works that he loves New England and its history. He does not let us down in this one.

This is a very sympathetic account of Bradford. That is not a bad thing though. It seems quite clear that Schmidt thinks highly of his subject and his beliefs. He has also clearly read widely and especially Bradford's own journals in constructing this account of the famous colony at Cape Cod.

What the account perhaps lacks is a more critical voice that would spend more time on what others were saying about and thinking about the Plymouth colonists. Nevertheless it is what it is, and Schmidt does a great job.

Despite having twice visited Plymouth MA, I have always been a little unclear as to why Plymouth Colony is so revered in the foundational stories of the United States. As a child at school I first heard the story of the Pilgrims and assumed they were the first settlers, but that is not so. Schmidt tells us they were the first permanent and successful colony, but that is not quite true either. They are probably the second on that score.

But Schmidt does provide the correct answer to that question too. It was the Plymouth Compact, adopted by others, broadened and changed, but with a democratic principle from the start, which was so foundational.

[Katherine Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of the life and times of William Bradford (1590-1657), Governor Plymouth Colony and signee of the Mayflower Compact. To be clear this volume is meant for middle school/high school, thus it is not an exhaustive biography as it sketchily skips and skims through major portions of William Bradford's life. However as a supplemental this book brings to life the hardships face by those first settlers, and it certainly highlights the differences between the Puritans and the Pilgrims. If nothing else William Bradford: Plymouth's Faithful Pilgrim makes you want to wade through William Bradford's journal: Of Plymouth Plantation for first hand account.

[Ruthe Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

. William Brewster and William Bradford were up against a mighty foe in the form of King James of England who had the home team advantage (he thought) and of whom it could be said, he played a dirty game. At one point, the pilgrims lost everything, but it didn’t stop them. With great endurance and commitment, they pressed on toward the goal of religious liberty. The book is a great read and includes a few pictures.

[Danielle Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary Schmidt is a favorite author of mine, so in seeking to read all his works, I got this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this account of William Bradford. There wasn't a great deal unknown to me, but it did such a wonderful job of weaving the story of the Pilgrim's vision and faith and how William Bradford adhered and carried it out to give our country one of its greatest heritage. It was a pleasure to read and never felt boring or weighed down.

[Ross Heinricy · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Bradford spent the entirety of his adult life living honorably, performing steadfastly, and pursuing the best of all others intently. Seeking religious freedom, losing loved ones and friends all around him, negotiating with friend and foe alike, and establishing one of the first and most enduring footholds in the New World of our USA.
Great r4ead, good narrative, capturing attention and painting pictures for the mind to lay hold.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography with a nice balance of readable primary source quotations and historical information. Written for a younger audience (middle/high school), but content might be somewhat challenging due to primary source documents/spelling. I found it vastly interesting and informative as an adult reader.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book to use in American History. Explores the social, religious and economic reasons that Bradford left England and led Plymoth's colony.

[Jeniann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little biography of William Bradford and the Mayflower folks. I was amazed at the sacrifices that they made and the things they went through. I learned from reading this book how the Pilgrims at Plymouth gave us some of the foundational principles on which our free nation was founded--freedom of religion, separation of church and state, private ownership of property, no aristocrachy, and self government. After reading this, I feel that they were inspired men so that we could have our current form of government.

[Robbyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

GARY D. SCHMIDT/NONFICTION

This was my least favorite book. I'm not a huge fan of nonfiction or history, and this book didn't do anything to make either exciting for me. I was wondering why Bradford wrote this book for young adults. I realized that though I didn't like it, those interested in history and especially the pilgrims would probably find it interesting and understandable. Schmidt does a nice job of making the story understandable to his readers, and they don't get lost in all the factual details of the story because Schmidt brings in the voices of the characters.

[Michelle Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A readable biography that includes Bradford's faith, but does not neglect his accomplishments as a civil leader. I was particularly interested to read the latter end of Bradford's life and the Plymouth colony, since most accounts I have read stopped after Thanksgiving or gave sketchy summaries of the rest of his life. Schmidt includes a section on his sources, as well as a longer annotated bibliography for further reading.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

The guy who got the colony going and then watched it fade as better capitalized colonists moved in and took his territory. Befriended and murdered various Indians and "strangers" as deemed necessary to preserve his dream.

This book is written for young readers. There was quite a bit of white washing, but it made it come alive anyway.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that this is a super-easy read, but crammed full of historically accurate information. Sure, I read the source documents like Mourt's Relation and Of Plymouth Plantation too, but I enjoyed this biography (so much so that I assigned it to the kids).

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, for our study on Pilgrims/First Thanksgiving.