This
link leads to a letter written by an early colonist sent to his family
back home. The young man writes to describe the new land he has
travelled to and its many impressive resources. Also, he writes to
express his appreciation to his family and sends his sincere
apologies for his actions in the past. It is made clear by reading
this letter that one important reason for this young man travelling
over to such a dangerous and unknown land is to encounter the new and
exciting world, along with his challenge to carry on his family name,
prove himself worthy to his father and establish a new life overseas.
“My
writing unto you is to let you understand what a country this New
England is where we live.” The young man seems thoroughly impressed
and is hoping that his words are enough to express to his family how
incredible this new life is and hopes they can appreciate his
experience.
“They
are a crafty people & they will [cozen] & cheat, & they
are a subtle people, & whereas we did expect great store of
beaver here is little or none to be had. They are proper men & .
. . many of them go naked with a skin about their loins, but now sum
of them get Englishmen's apparel;” The
settler describes the native people, presumably
the same way most people in his position would. He seems curios about
them, their tendencies and choice of clothing and approves of their
transformation into a typical American settler, whether by choice or
not.
He
then elaborates and discusses the different resources and hopes to
impress upon his family the vast amount of resources at his
disposal. However, he then admits that this new land is not as
abundant as one would hope and continues to request supplies from his
family back home and admits to his challenges. He is clearly a
religious man and has resorted to relying on prayer, however, in
harsh times he has now had to beg his family for support, revealing
the true and not so exciting circumstances for early settlers.
You have selected a useful example and make some relevant points. In terms of improvement, your commentary could be a bit more detailed, both in terms of the observations made by the settler, and with regards to why you think this is a useful source.
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