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Bradford fled England when he was 17 years old and, along with other persecuted Pilgrims, went to Holland. When he was 30, he sailed to North America with the other Pilgrims on the Mayflower, and he helped draft the [[Mayflower Compact]]. The Pilgrims elected him governor in 1621. He was so popular that he was reelected 30 more times, until his eventual death.

===Economics===Bradford's experience at Plymouth is often cited as the first Thanksgiving<blockquoteref>Since ye first breaking out of ye lighte of ye gospell in our Honourable Nation of England [http://www.ushistory.org/us/3b. what warrs asp William Bradford and opposissions ... Satan hath raised ... against the Saints ... by bloody death and cruell torments ... imprisonmentsFirst Thanksgiving]</ref>, banishments ..but it is also a lesson in economics. What could now sustaine them but ye spirite Bradford wrote in his ''History of God and His grace? ... Ought not the children Plymouth Plantation'' about the colonists' experiences using collectivist and individualist forms of these fathers rightly sayfarming: Our fathers <ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.. came over com/books?id=tYecOAN1cwwC&pg=PA135|last1=Bradford|first1=William|title=The History of Plimoth Plantation|date=1856|pages=135-136}}</ref>{{quotation|The experience that was had in this great oceancomone course and condition, tried sundrie years, and were ready to perish that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanitie of that conceite of Platos & other ancients, applauded by some of later times; - that ye taking away of propertie, and bringing in this wildernesscomunitie into a comone wealth, would make them happy and florishing; but as if they cried unto ye Lordwere wiser than God. For this comunitie (so farr as it was) was found to breed much confusion & discontent, and He heard retard much imploymet that would have been to their voyce. benefite and comforte.For ye yong-men that were most able and fitte for labour & service did repine that they should spend their time & streingth to worke for other mens wives and children, without any recompence.The string, or man of parts, had no more in devission of victails & cloaths, then he that was weake and not able to doe a quarter ye other could; this was thought injuestice. All great The aged and honourable actions are accompanied graver men to be ranked and [97] equalised in labours, and victails, cloaths, &c., with great difficulties ye meaner & yonger sorte, thought it some indignite & disrespect unto them.And for mens wives to be commanded to doe servise for other men, as dresing their meate, washing their cloaths, &c., they deemd it a kind of slaverie, neither could many husbands well brooke it. Out }}Besides the purely economic view, letting people live their lives individually also brought more content and harmony among the citizens.{{quotation|So they begane to thinke how they might raise as much corne as they could, and obtaine a beter crope then they had done, that they might not still thus languish in miserie. At length, after much debate of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand , the Gov (with ye advise of ye cheefest amongest them) gave way that made they should set corne every man for this owne perticuler, and in that regard trust to them selves; in all other things of nothing ..to goe on in ye generall way as before. And so assigned to every family a parcell of land, according to the proportion of their number for that end, only for present use (but made no devission for inheritance), andranged all boys and youth under some familie. This had very good success; for it made all hands very industrious, so as one small candle may light much more corne was planted then other waise would have bene by any means ye Gov or any other could use, and saved him a thousandgreat deall of trouble, so the light here kindled hath shone unto manyand gave farr better contente. The women now wente willingly into ye feild, yea in some sort and tooke their litle-ons with them to our whole nationset corne, which before would aledg weaknes, and inabilitie; let the glorious name of Jehovah who to have all the praisecompelled would have been thought great tiranie and oppression. <}} ==Primary sources==* Bradford, William ''[https:/blockquote>/books.google.com/books?id=tYecOAN1cwwC History of Plymouth Plantation''] (1856 edition)