Perspective

William Bradford (1590 - 1657) was a leader of the Separatist movement, one of the founders of the Mayflower Compact, and author of Of Plymouth Plantation. Bradford's intimate involvement in the arrangement of the voyage to America and the design and operation of the Plymouth Plantation give him the ultimate perspective to record the activities that took place during 1620-1647.

Bradford was also elected governor of the colony at least thirty times, serving a total of thirty-three years after the death of his predecessor, John Carver.

Bradford was the son of William Bradford and Alice Hanson. The elder Bradford died when William was a year old. The boy was sent to live with uncles and a grandfather who taught him to be a farmer. At age twelve, Bradford became a vigilant student of the Bible, a practice that would carry him throughout his life. Bradford joined the Puritans, where he...