John Smith vs. William Bradford
Laura Ward

To many Europeans in the early 17th century the Americas seemed as a new land of opportunity. John Smith and William Bradford were two of the first men who left England seeking adventure and freedom in the New World. Both groups had difficulties while trying to form their colonies and Smith and Bradford were both elected to lead. While they were both great leaders they had very different lives before their journey from England. While starting their new colonies they also took different approaches to making the land habitable. One of the most notable differences between John Smith and William Bradford was their writing style. John Smith and William Bradford were very different people in
Bradford and his wife decided to leave their young son behind in the Netherlands and he rejoined his father several years later, unfortunately Bradfords wife did not survive the journey to the New World. Bradford and the rest of the Separatist sailed from Leiden, England in the year 1620 to what is currently Cape Cod, Massachusetts aboard the Mayflower. The first winter was terrible for the pilgrims and over half of them perished due to starvation or disease. John Carver, the first governor of the colony, was among one of those who died during the "Starving Time." In his wake Bradford was elected governor, a position he held for over 30 years. Bradford maintained a friendly if not distanced relationship with the Native Americans. During a period that Bradford refers to as the "Starving Time" a group of Samoset Indians brought food to the ailing colonist which is today regarded as the first Thanksgiving (Bradford 70). Eventually the colony began to grow as more ships arrived to the colony. Bradford married his second wife, Alice Carpenter, in August of 1623. They had three children together and a happy marriage, Bradford described her as "my dear and loving wife" in his will. Bradford stayed in office until a few months before his death in 1657 and was elected to governor a grand total of 31 times. (Kelso np) William Bradford is known for his simple Puritan writing style. His writings are easy to read and use mainly simple sentences and