Thomas Morton Vs William Bradford Essay
3/13/12
Essay #1
Thomas Morton vs William Bradford and the View of the Native Americans
To begin, William Bradford was the leader of Plymouth, which was one of the earliest colonial settlements in the United States. Thomas Morton was there around the same time; however he was just a settler. Bradford became very popular throughout the colony and demonstrated his talents when writing “Of Plymouth Plantation”. Morton was known for his pieces, “New English Canaan” and “Manners and Customs of the Indians”. Both authors did their best to describe the events which took place in the colonies and show their views of the Indians. However, William Bradford and Thomas Morton had a different view of the Native Americans from both of their first sightings. …show more content…
He says, “Besides, what could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts and wild men-and what multitudes there might be of them they knew not” (116). These natives at first proved to be a minor problem to the settlers; they would lurk around and upon confrontation run away. Also once while at dinner the natives stole tools from Bradford’s people. Bradford did end up getting to know the natives and was able to see them as a group of people he could associate and trade with after the settlers met a native who knew some broken English named Samoset. He then introduced Squanto to the settlers; he spoke better English then Samoset and ended up being a huge help. They were able to see eye to eye with the natives through entertainment and gifts. After bringing back the tools that were stolen and everything was square with the Natives, Bradford saw that these people could now be called friends. The view of the natives for them changed for the better so much that they even made peaceful terms which they would both obey. However, there are other natives besides Samoset and Squanto that the settlers were not fond of. Bradford writes, “And first he taught them how to use them, to charge and discharge, and what proportion of powder to give the piece, according to
Essay #1
Thomas Morton vs William Bradford and the View of the Native Americans
To begin, William Bradford was the leader of Plymouth, which was one of the earliest colonial settlements in the United States. Thomas Morton was there around the same time; however he was just a settler. Bradford became very popular throughout the colony and demonstrated his talents when writing “Of Plymouth Plantation”. Morton was known for his pieces, “New English Canaan” and “Manners and Customs of the Indians”. Both authors did their best to describe the events which took place in the colonies and show their views of the Indians. However, William Bradford and Thomas Morton had a different view of the Native Americans from both of their first sightings. …show more content…
He says, “Besides, what could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts and wild men-and what multitudes there might be of them they knew not” (116). These natives at first proved to be a minor problem to the settlers; they would lurk around and upon confrontation run away. Also once while at dinner the natives stole tools from Bradford’s people. Bradford did end up getting to know the natives and was able to see them as a group of people he could associate and trade with after the settlers met a native who knew some broken English named Samoset. He then introduced Squanto to the settlers; he spoke better English then Samoset and ended up being a huge help. They were able to see eye to eye with the natives through entertainment and gifts. After bringing back the tools that were stolen and everything was square with the Natives, Bradford saw that these people could now be called friends. The view of the natives for them changed for the better so much that they even made peaceful terms which they would both obey. However, there are other natives besides Samoset and Squanto that the settlers were not fond of. Bradford writes, “And first he taught them how to use them, to charge and discharge, and what proportion of powder to give the piece, according to