Introduction
The 17th century was a troublesome period for most of the colonists in New England. The Europeans had migrated to North America with the hope of starting a new life. They wanted to become rich and prosperous. The article begins by explaining how the settlers failed to address most of the challenges affecting the immigrants. The article “An Indentured Servant, Laments his Condition in Virginia, 1623” examines the experiences of these immigrants in New England. This essay places Richard Frethorne’s article within the context of the history discussed in class.
Personal Response to the Essay
Summary of the Article
This article explains why the process of transplantation continued to affect the lives of both the Native Americans and immigrants. The narrator also explains how most of the colonists lived in fear. This was true because the natives could attack them any minute. The situation worsened after their relatives, and family members continued to die. People’s expectations had diminished. The people encountered hurtful events such as death and sickness.
The people lacked appropriate clothes. They also stole amongst themselves. The narrator explains how every person missed his or her old life back in England (Foner 56). The author was energetic before leaving England. This article explains why most of the indentured servants were unhappy with their living conditions in New England.
Personal Analysis and Response to the Essay
This primary article is a letter written by Richard to his parents. The author uses the letter to complain about the hardships experienced by every indentured servant in New England. From 1607 to 1700, over 500,000 people decided to leave England and live in America. Most of these people came to America as indentured servants (Foner 49).
The practice was similar to slavery. However, “the servants looked forward to their freedom” (Foner 56). The class readings have the experiences of many colonists in North America. This explains why the 16th and 17th centuries were hectic for most of the European settlers.
The class readings also explain why the first settlers established their colonies in North America. The immigrants worked as indentured servants for several years before becoming free citizens in their respective colonies. According to the author, the tensions between the English colonies and the Red Indians continued to affect the immigrants. The existing policies also forced the colonists to attack the natives (Foner 58). This heightened the relationship and enmity between the two groups.
This letter is an important document because it supports most of the themes studied in class. The class readings explain how most of “the Europeans wanted to make fortunes and create new societies based on religious doctrines and teachings” (Foner 52). However, the unexpected happened because most of the immigrants lived as beggars in New England. This letter is an important source of information about the events encountered by both the immigrants and the natives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this primary article by Richard explains how these indentured servants did not find happiness in North America. Every colony had desperate people who stole money and clothes from one another. The author describes how the people were ready to give up their limbs in order to go back to their motherland and become beggars.
The immigrants had left their country to create a new life. Most of these people considered themselves as poor and decided to come to America as indentured servants. Life was extremely hard for these indentured servants. They also lacked freedom or liberty. In conclusion, the article describes the experiences of these servants in New England.
Works Cited
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History. New York: Seagull, 2011. Print.