William Bradford

Hello! My name is William Bradford. A long, long time ago, in the year 1620, my friends and I wanted to find a new place to live. We wanted a home where we could be free. We all decided to sail across a giant ocean on a big ship called the Mayflower. The trip was very long and the waves made the ship go up and down. It was a bumpy trip, but we were all very brave.

When our long trip was over, we finally reached land. We started a new town and called it Plymouth. It was very cold, and we had to build our own houses to keep us warm. We soon met the kind people who were already living there. They were the Wampanoag people. They became our friends and showed us how to plant corn in the dirt and how to catch fish from the water. They helped us so much.

Because our new friends helped us, we grew lots of yummy food. To celebrate and say thank you, we had a big feast together in the year 1621. We all shared our food and played happy games. The people in my town chose me to be their leader, which is called a governor. I was the governor for many years. I lived to be 67 years old. I am happy that people still remember our story of starting a new home and sharing with friends.