Bradford’s History of ‘Plimoth Plantation’

Written by the longtime governor of the Plymouth Colony, this firsthand chronicle records the Pilgrims’ flight from persecution, their perilous Mayflower voyage, the terrible first winter, the first Thanksgiving, and the struggles of building a new society in the American wilderness. Plainspoken, devout, and deeply human, Bradford’s history is the single most important source for the Pilgrim story and a founding document of American self-understanding. Its account of faith, hardship, and endurance shaped the national myth of the country’s origins. A vital and moving eyewitness record, Of Plymouth Plantation stands at the very beginning of American literature and history.