Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Anne Bradstreet, Puritan Poet
Anne Bradstreet Day
Reading Comprehension for September 16
Anne Bradstreet was America's first woman poet. She was a Puritan who sailed to America from England. In England, she had been a young woman of noble birth. Her family was wealthy and could provide a very good education for her. She studied history, literature, languages, music, and dance.
Anne had become the wife of Simon Bradstreet at the age of 16. He was the son of a Puritan minister. Two years later, Anne and Simon emigrated from England with her parents and many other Puritans. They took a ship across the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in New England at the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Both Anne's father, Thomas Dudley, and her husband served as its governor at different times.
Life in colonial New England was not like Anne's life in her British homeland. It was like starting over with nothing! However, she and her husband made a home for themselves. They had eight children, and Anne taught them at home. Simon found success in politics. His work involved a lot of travel.
