How Did Frethorne Come To America

During the mid 17th century two regions carved roots for England in North America. Coming from the same homeland one would assume their inner workings would closely mirror each other but this was not the case for the New England and Chesapeake colonies. Though faced with similar hardships, the ways they handled the difficulties starkly contrast one another.

George Alsop’s memoir of his service as an indentured servant in the colony of Maryland provides an insightful look into the lives of indentured servants in Maryland during the middle of the 17th Century. Throughout this period of colonial America the British were notorious in their use of propaganda to attract young British men into indentured servitude as the use of slaves was not yet perpetual, and would not be until 1670. Alsop depicts an idealistic view of indenture servitude in Maryland during his own time of service, which may have been the case, however this view can be contested by Nathaniel

Originally these colonies were founded primarily for financial gain. This is illustrated in documents C, Is a list of people travelling to Virginia; F, John Smith’s History of Virginia; G, Governor Berkeley's explanation on his inability to defend Virginia from dutch attack; and H, Bacon’s “Manifesto”. In document C, the list of travelers aboard a ship headed to Virginia, we should primarily take note of the subtle differences between this ship's inventory and the one that was headed to New England. The two most noteworthy things I noticed is that these travelers, unlike the ones going to New England, were forced to take oaths of loyalty to England something religious refugees fleeing Europe wouldn't do. Secondly nearly all the people traveling to Virginia appear to be young, fit, men, ideal for labor that would be required to make money in the new world.

I believe that the Navigation Acts were not a good idea. I think this because The Acts of Parliament restricted colonies to trade within all of the Colonies and Countries. The New England Colonies had to starve every day because they were waiting on the ships until they finally got tired of waiting around for the ship. England thought that the New England Colonies had enough fished food out of the sea. They didn’t, they only had what they could find.

England was a very competitive country when it came to colonization. It wanted to be known mostly for the power it had as well as its success. England wanted to maintain its reputation as the leading country by establishing greater control over its land. In the North American colonies, it wasn’t until after the French and Indian war in 1763 that England really tried to totally establish control over the colonies. England tried to establish control by imposing taxes, controlling trade, and by establishing the proclamation of 1763. Despite these steps they took to establish control, they were not ultimately successful.

Frethorne was faced with financial issues as well because he was living as an indentured servant and had little to no money. Both of these men have gone through some of the same issues, whether it be issues they face their entire life or for a short period in their

As Colonial Virginia entered into the 17th century, it was a land marked with opportunity to make a new and also, most importantly, profitable life in the New World. (Cutter Lecture) When the century began, however, it was not the citizens as a whole hoping to make a profit from this new land but rather a small group of greedy landowners profiting off of the work of their indentured servants. (CL) Sure the indentured servants were given a chance to fulfill their contract and one day become free to pursue their own dreams, but the likelihood of this in the beginning was next to none due to harsh living conditions. (CL) According to Richard Frethorne in 1623, "nor is there nothing to be gotten here

In the 18th century, there was a huge migration of people from Europe and Germany into the new land, America. Some fled war, discrimination, some came in as slaves, and others migrated in search of a new beginning, and new opportunities. According to the letter by Elizabeth Sprigs of Maryland to her father, there was a cost of immigration. Only a few of the immigrants like Johannes Hanner, were fully free. Others traded their freedom for a specific period of time in exchange for passage to America. In her letter, Elizabeth expresses the harsh conditions that they went through to earn the passage by working as indentured servants. Johannes, on the other hand, expresses the good life he was experiencing compared with the situation in his former

John Harrower on the other hand, had clothes to wear and food to eat, he had a comfortable home, and since he lived over one hundred year’s. After Frethorne, was in a more colonized and settled Virginia. In contrast, Frethorne had next to nothing. As he said in the letter he wrote to his family, “There is indeed some fowl, but we are not allowed to go and get it, but must work hard both early and late for a mess of water gruel and a mouthful of bread and beef.” Unlike Harrower, Frethorne got the full taste of indentured slave life.

Settlement of Virginia started with James I becoming king and making peace with Spain who at that time had control over North America; as well as the Native Americas. Charter London Company was mainly started to fund the vogue to Jamestown. The idea behind the company was to give investors land, gold, and goods, for investing in help of settlement in Virginia. The settlement of Jamestown was to find more trade and resources. In 1607 Jamestown was colonized but early on there was crises. Lack of food, and new diseases caused many settlers to die. As well as Spanish and Native American attacked the new settlers seeing them as threats and intruders. With low farmers food was scarce and Atlantic crossing was a 3 months sail in order to send messages to England. In order to survive Jamestown

Life in England during the early 1600’s was harsh for a multitude of the poor. The country was just coming out of the Thirties Year’s War with a flood of citizens and laborers displaced. In fact, PBS (2015) indicated that “the timing of the Virginia colony was ideal.” The Thirty Year 's War had left Europe 's economy depressed, and many skilled and unskilled laborers were without work. A new life in the New World offered a glimmer of hope; this explains how one-half to two-thirds of the immigrants who came to the American colonies arrived as indentured servants” (para. 3). This opportunity for those willing to receive free passage to the New World and start a new life was enticing. Granted, the work was difficult it was not without reward.

Indentured servants deserved to be treated as if they are human beings and not just a form of work. Although indentured servants lived comfortably in some regions, for the most part their bet interest were not taken the into consideration. Their master(s) paid little attention to their need of proper health care or health care at all, the need for a substantial amount of food and clothing. The challenges indentured servants endured were difficult and sometimes ended horribly but the willingness to work for their role and stay in this fast growing society portrayed their true loyalty and dedication despite the poor treatment and

The enthusiastic and anguished tones in Douglass’ passage reflect his feeling of elation at being liberated from the bonds of slavery, while he also recognizes his current wretched and apprehensive condition. Frederick Douglass revels in the idea of finally escaping from the unrelenting oppression of slavery. However, his initial enthusiasm declines once he realizes that the life of a fugitive slave, which has presently become his own, is one in which hardships abound, consequently aggravating his anguish.

This selection, Letter by a Female Indentured Servant, really gives you incite as to what life was like in the 1700s as an indentured servant. (Foner, 2011) The reader can really feel the pain she is going through while she was in America trying to pay her dues for passage to what they thought was the promise land. She wanted to ensure her father really knew what kind of horrible life she was living because of the details she included like she was whipped to the degree that she now serves the animals. Apparently, you didn’t speak of the horrible things that would occur as an indentured servant because she writes to her father that she hopes he will pardon the boldness of her complaints and she also hope

* Document 2 indicates life of an English indentured servant could be difficult. In this letter to his parents, Richard Frethorne recounts the trials of the living in the 17th century Virginia and pleads to return to England.