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Bradford Vs. Franklin: Early American Literature

This essay is comparing the similarities and differences between Bradford and Franklin in their pursuit of knowledge.

These two writers were a major part of the early history of literature in the new world, and although they were fairly close, in a time sense, they had very different views on many topics, one of which was knowledge. William Bradford was born in 1590, and was one of the first of many who wanted to get away from the English church and come to the new world to practice their own religion.

These people were known as the Puritans. They were also known as "Separtists," because unlike the majority of Puritans, they saw no hope of reforming the Church of England from within (Norton p.75). Bradford did not receive a college education and did not become a writer until later on in his life, when he came to the new world. Bradford came over to America on the Mayflower and settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. This is where many of his ideas for writing came from. Bradford was a self-educated man, deeply committed to the Puritan cause. The Puritan cause is the foundation for not only his writings, but his viewpoints on just about everything.

Benjamin Franklin was born in 1709, which was only about a century later then Bradford, in Boston. Franklin was only twelve years old when he began to apprentice his brother as a printer. He loved books and loved to read. His brother was actually the one who published one of Franklin's first essays entitled "Silence Dogood." Later on in his life, he became infatuated with the sciences, (i.e. his observations on electricity). Franklin said, "people were naturally innocent, that all the mysteries that charmed the religious mind could be explained to our advantage and that education, properly undertaken, would transform our lives and set us free from the tyrannies of church and monarchies." (Norton p. 220).

This kind of thought became popular during the time period known as the Enlightenment, and this type of thought became very evident in Franklin's writings. Bradford and Franklin in my opinion are very different as writers. Not just in their backgrounds, Bradford being from England, and Franklin being one of the first true American writers, but the way they view knowledge is very different. Bradford, like all the Puritans, did everything for God, and God only. Everything happened because God wanted it that way. God was present in all things, all the time. A good example of this comes from one of Bradford's early writings, "Of Plymouth Plantation."

Bradford recounts a story from the journey to the new world when the ship is in the midst of a bad storm when he says, "and in one of them [storms], as they thus lay at hull in a mighty storm, a lusty young man called John Howland, coming upon some occasion above the gratings was, with a seele of the ship, thrown into sea; but it pleases God that he caught hold of the topsail hayards which hung overboard and ran out at length…" (Norton p. 77). Howland was "allowed to live" according to Bradford because he was trying to save God's people, therefore God chose to let him live. Later in his work, he goes on to talk about the troubles that the early settlers faced when trying to make it in the new world but Bradford was a strong believer that if they relied on God, that they would make it through any situation.

Bradford also mentions Pisgah and the promise land, relating the journey of the early settlers to the Israelites' journey with Moses to the promise land. This shows that the duty of a Puritan was to honor God above all else, and he will be given his due and to do not what was good for his own, but to do what was good for God. Bradford and the Puritans looked to God at all costs, for everything. God was the foundation for their knowledge. Franklin's views on knowledge were drastically different from that of the Puritans. He was a part of the Enlightenment Age, when people looked to science, not necessarily God for knowledge. Franklin became distraught with sermons. He believed that the pastors did not relate things to society and therefore became self taught in religion, even making up his own prayers.

Franklin developed his thirteen virtues; temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility (Norton p. 285). This was the way he would strive towards perfection, or at least what he thought was perfection. These virtues had to be done in order, and you could not move on to the next without completing the previous virtue. Eventually, after many years, Franklin believed that he had completed the first twelve, and therefore developed the thirteenth virtue, humility. He was proud that he had completed the first twelve, but believed that people thought he was vain which led to humility as well.

He thought he was almost perfect but that no one was perfect, therefore you must practice humility. Humility was the first reference to religion, none of the original twelve were religious in nature. Franklin always challenged people to question, much like Socrates (reason) but at the same time strived for perfection (Jesus). Therefore, Franklin was not anti-God completely, he was a little bit of both, and therefore, not completely different from Bradford.

Albeit there are many differences in the ideas and viewpoints of Bradford and Franklin, there are some general topics that are similar. Both are in search of knowledge, how and where they look for knowledge is what is different. Franklin was a believer in God, not as hardcore as Bradford, but he did look to God in some aspects of life.

He took a more hands off approach in his beliefs of God, like a clockmaker. God created the world, but let the people dictate what happens next. Another similarity between Bradford and Franklin is that they both strived for perfection. Bradford believed that God was the way to perfection, while Franklin believed the way to perfection was through self-fulfillment, like his thirteen virtues. Even with their differences, the ending goal was the same, the pursuit of knowledge. Bradford and Franklin were two very influential writers who had the same goal, to obtain knowledge.

However, they used two very different ways to obtain that knowledge. Bradford led a life that was devoted strictly to God, and Franklin lived a life based more on reason than the divine, although not entirely. These two authors paved the way for many other authors in early America. These two opposing viewpoints are very distinct in the development of our nation's beliefs today. Bradford and Franklin were very important writers and their ideas/values are still somewhat apparent even today.