The history of William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation is nearly as interesting as the history that Bradford recounts in his seminal work of history. The original manuscript had vanished from its place in Boston sometime following the Revolutionary War. Fortunately, all up to Chapter IX had already been transcribed into a copy retained among the church documents of Plymouth. All subsequent to Chapter X, however, were assumed lost to posterity until a lucky day in London when the original manuscript was discovered by a British bishop in its entirety. The book was subsequently published in 1856. It would not be until 1897, however, that Bradford's story was restored to its homelands.
In terms of history within the book itself, Of Plymouth Plantation is a historical account written by Bradford during a period of twenty years. Bradford himself held office for thirty years as Governor of Plymouth and the ultimate fate of his effort at a personal, in-depth reporting—never even intended for publication—came to be central to illuminating some of the most symbolically rich moments of early colonial life, from Mayflower's arrival at Cape Cod through the first Thanksgiving. The study of Bradford's history provides students with a breathtaking—and not entirely always positively complimentary—break between fact and the myth which was founded on the fact.
For instance, that Mayflower anchoring in the history-altering occurrence of November 11, 1620 did not involve any rock whatever. "Plymouth Rock" was a silent and unmentioned attraction of the New World until almost a century later. In addition, the Mayflower's landing on what was to become Plymouth Rock is revealed in reading Bradford's account as being far other than the standard artistic and movie portrayal: the landing was not made in the Mayflower but in a small boat on which there were no women and which was not greeted by any "Indians.".
The history Of Plymouth Plantation details the numerous struggles, adversities, humiliations, victories and stories of the birth of a nation up to 1646.
