Edward Winslow

Edward Winslow was an English Separatist who travelled on the Mayflower and became a leading figure in Plymouth Colony. He served several terms as governor and acted as a diplomat and advocate for the colony in England.

Winslow developed important, though unequal, relations with Massasoit and the Wampanoag. His writings are major sources for the colony’s early years, including the harvest celebration later associated with the American Thanksgiving tradition.

Nathaniel Philbrick’s The Mayflower Papers includes selections from William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation; Bradford and Edward Winslow’s Mourt’s Relation; Winslow’s Good News from New England; Thomas Morton’s New English Canaan; Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narrative; and Benjamin Church’s account of King Philip’s War.