Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - American History John Smith vs William Bradford John Smith vs William Bradford When the first American settlement on Roanoke Island was established in 1585 it’s primary force, Sir Walter Raleigh, had no idea that this “New World” would evolve into one of the most powerful voices in the modern world. But before it developed it would have to shaped by it’s founders from the Western world. Two of the largest voices in America’s early development are John Smith, who with a group of English merchants, hoped to get rich in this new land, and William Bradford, a puritan farmer who was one of the most influential men involved with the Mayflower compact. In their two pieces they both convey America as a place to escape but fail to reach many other similar conclusions on what America was like at this time. In John Smith’s A Description of New England he portrays early American life as a place for great opportunities to start over, live easily, and to turn small fortunes into a great wealth. Smith earned credibility for making these statements by leading many expeditions in America such as Jamestown. An example of Smith attempting to persuade the reader into believing that America was a place for rebirth he stated “What please could be more than recreate themselves before their own doors.” Smith obviously believes that the potential settlers would find it easy to drastically adjust their lifestyle in this new world. Another common theme in Smith’s piece is that he states America is an easy place to live. “... is it no pretty sport to pull up two pence, six pence, and twelve pence as fast as you can haul and veer a line?” Smith stated when describing how easy it would be to take in money by being an angler in this new world full of “divers sorts of excellent fish”. The third theme ever-present in Smith’s piece is that with ease the new settlers would be able to turn small fortunes into a great wealth. One example of this belief is when smith declared “...people that have small wealth to live on, here by their labor [they] may live exceeding well.” Overall, Smith’s piece is an extremely persuasive piece that hopes to convince potential settlers to move to the “New World” by portraying early American life as a place for great opportunities to start over, live easily, and to turn small fortunes into a great wealth. In William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation he articulates that living in young America was a tough life that included dangerous living, starvation and disease. Bradford sailed from Holland with the Pilgrims and when their first governor died in 1621 Bradford was elected. Bradford’s opinion was well respected in the community and he was reelected to his position thirty times. This position gave him the ability to have many of his works published and read by many. An example of him describing the new world as dangerous is when he painted the picture of a wicked forest across “the whole country” . He went on to describe this forest as having a “wild and savage hue”. Another problem addressed in William Bradford’s piece is starvation. He described that once winter arrived many people began to die and by February “half [the] company died”. Finally Bradford described the new world as a haven for disease. As the starvation began to set in in the early winter so did the diseases like scurvy. He described the rate of death rapidly in this statement “...of 100 and odd persons, scarce 50 remained.” Essentially, Bradford’s piece is an attempt to explain the hardships of the new world such as dangerous living, starvation and disease. In William Bradford and John Smith’s two pieces they both convey America as a place to escape from the Western World but fail to reach other similar conclusions on what America was like at this time. Smith’s piece is a persuasive piece most likely hoping to convince settlers to move to the “New World” in a money making venture. Many companies in England encouraged settlement in preset communities in the colonies so they could profit from it. Smith was involved in many of these corporations. Bradford’s piece, on the other hand, described early America as a more wild and savage place where toil, hardship and death were not uncommon. Smith makes many metaphors to the great cities and wealth of England, while Bradford takes many biblical passages and asscocitates them with situations in the colonies, using little or no metaphors. Bradford attempts to make his reader believe that they could live extravagantly on a small fortune earned in Europe. Bradford promotes that only the determined and strong will should come to this new land. A similarity the both paint in the pieces are that of America being a place to escape. Smith’s reader escapes from financial and image issues in Europe while Bradford’s reader escapes from religious persecution. Overall, the two pieces convey conflicting descriptions of the new world that is caused by Smith hoping to convince settlers to move to the “New World” and Bradford describes it as a savage place that only the strong will survive. William Bradford and John Smith’s two pieces they both convey America as a place to escape the European world but completely fail to contain congruency on what early America was like in this time period. Bibliography: Word Count: 890
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