The Letters of Richard Frethorne are a rude awakening into our history. I’m constantly amazed by our history and have recently developed a better understanding of why we study America’s past. Letters or stories such as Richard Frethornes letters are a brilliant way to look at our society and how it has progressed throughout history.
From a mother’s point of view Richard Frethorne’s letters were heartbreaking. Although, I don’t believe any reasonable human being would see the letters any different. When I read about his journey, all I see is a child who so desperately cried out for help. He lived in poor conditions that seemed far off from what he was expecting. As an indentured servant, I doubt Richard or his parents knew what was in store for him. Indentured servants were sold on the dream only to find that they would be slaves to their masters. The indentured servant’s contracts took place years before slavery began, leading me to believe this may have been the beginning of slavery in itself. At first it seems that this is not the case because they were contracted to do a job in order to receive a service (that is a ride across seas), but…show more content… In his letter Richard wants his intended reader, his parents, to feel sorry for him so that they would rescue him from his contract. He may have exaggerated his situation as any child might easily do when addressing their parent. This very well could be a cry for help or an attempt to have his parents rescue him from a not so serious situation. In any case, had I read his letter at the time, I would have easily wanted to help provide Richard with food and shelter. When he writes of illnesses and no comfort, the reader is automatically drawn in. A child in need has definitely caught my attention. We don’t really know the living conditions as Richard is writing to his parents. The only thing we may know for certain is that there were contracts and land was offered in
