WILLIAM BRADFORD's

Of Plymouth Plantation

 

Because you are reading excerpts from Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation, I thought that it might be useful to provide you with an outline of the text as a whole (humor courtesy of M. Colacurcio):

BOOK I: A continuous retrospective narrative written in 10 chapters up to Christmas 1630. Written in 1630

1620

Mayflower Compact

1621-22

Survival

1623

End of Communism

1624-25

Rev. Lyford & Mr. Oldham's rise and fall

1626

Death of Robinson (back in Leyden)

1627

"New Deal"

1628

Merry Mount (Thomas Morton)

1629-30

Arrival of Endicot & Others

BOOK II: Annals kept continuously from 1630-1646. Cuts off abruptly although Bradford lives for another 11 years.

1631

Gardiner

1641

Border Disputes

1632

Wealth, Scattering

1642

"Wickedness"

1633

Roger Williams

1643

Death of Brewster

1634-36

Land Disputes

1644

Break-up of Church

1637

Pequot War

1645

War averted

1638

Inflation, Earthquake

1646

Ho-hum

1639-40

Not much happens

1647-48

??

There are 5 primary tenets of Calvinism that can be remembered by the acronym "TULIP."

TULIP

1. Total Depravity. All man's sense are flawed. His will is imperfect and he cannot will himself to salvation.

2. Unconditional Election. God chooses certain individuals for salvation.

3. Limited Atonement. Christ dies only for the elect.

4. Irresistible Grace. The Hold Spirit extends to the elect a special inward call to salvation. The external call, which is made to the saints, cannot be rejected. The Spirit graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate. God's grace cannot fail.

5. Perseverance of the Saints. It is impossible to "fall" from grace.

How do these tenets apply to Bradford's History?

See Group Two's Textual Annotations on Bradford's History

Acknowledgments: This handout is indebted to the work and research of Michael Colacurcio (on Bradford and Puritanism) and Betty Donahue (on Calvinism).

RETURN TO ENGLISH 303 SYLLABUS

[Professor Laura Arnold] [English 303] [Dept. of English] [American Studies] [Reed College]

Questions? Email me at Laura.Arnold@Reed.edu