A Series Of Journal Entries From The Perspective Of A Pilgrim Girl
The history HW I had fun with and thought I'd share...I love this sort of thing, it reminds me of the one I did in 5th grade about Elizabeth Cooper, a Cooper. cheesey...but I loved it
November 21, 1620
Dear Journal,
We arrived to the land of the New World early this morning. Most of us were eager to feel land under our feet after we had only felt the rocking ocean for so long. It was cold outside that morning but I didn’t mind. I felt a sense of excitement flood through me as I knew that we were going to live in a place that few humans had ever inhabited before. Before we could leave the ship a few men went out to explore where we had landed. Shivers rushed through my veins as I left the ship and felt my feet finally touch earth. I could hardly wait anymore; I was anxious to see our new home.
December 5, 1620
Dear Journal,
The land they call America is so much different than England. I was used to living in a crowded town with houses, schools, stores, markets, and a very busy shipping port on the ocean. Now there are only trees, sand, and ocean in sight. In England all of the people living there looked like me and we could easily communicate. But here I have only heard of these strangers who supposedly look and sound and act differently. The captain calls them ‘savages’. He’s told us stories about them and says that they’re so quiet, they can easily sneak up behind you among the trees.
Mother and father warned me of watching out for them. I think that we should give them a chance because we don’t even know anything about them. The bible says not to judge people, so wouldn’t God want us to listen? We traveled all the way here because we were called by the Lord, so we should continue to follow him, right? This is all so worrisome.
January 1, 1621
Dear Journal,
Well it’s finally a new year! The months and days are so long and I was surprised this morning when the captain announced that it was already the year of 1621. I hadn’t even been paying attention.
I haven’t done much more than knit for hours on end. Sitting on the ship gets very tiresome and quite frankly, I just want to leave for good. I cannot wait until the snow melts and the flowers bloom and we can start our community on the land.
Once or twice we we’re allowed to leave and take a walk in the snow, or hunt for fish under the frozen water. The men mostly do that part, but my younger sister and I have taken a few walks outside, bundled up in every layer we own. I am still waiting for a real encounter with the ‘Indians’, as we have learned to call them. I haven’t seen them yet.
February 10, 1621
Dear Journal,
I saw a real Indian up close today! My younger sister and I were walking a little father than we were supposed to have gone, but I convinced her that we needed to something exciting after being cooped up for weeks. We walked to a forest and suddenly I heard a twig break behind me. I turned around, and looked into dark eyes. My sister gasped but I shushed her. I had never seen anyone like this person before. She was a female, maybe a little older than myself. She had dark, unruly hair that she wore in long plaits. She had the strangest dress on, of feathers and animal hides. Her shoes were also made of animal it appeared. She was picking up logs, perhaps for a fire. If these people share the same need for warmth as we do, perhaps they really aren’t so different. Before I could make a move, she scurried away. I begged my sister not to tell mother or father that we had seen an Indian because I knew that they would be very angry we had walked so far from the ship. I can only hope that she listens.
March 15, 1621
Dear Journal,
My sister has broken her promise. She has been having bad dreams for nights about the girl we had seen, and finally told mother about it. I guess I can’t blame her because she is young and frightened easily. But now it is Spring and mother and father won’t even let us leave their sight as we set up our community. At dinner time they tell us more stories of Europeans coming over to the New Land and getting murdered by ‘savage beasts’. I only wonder if that was because they treated these humans with disrespect and did not follow the Lord’s words of kindness and love. Do they not understand that they are people as well? I pray that the Captain will not turn into one of those two-faced Europeans and that he will make the right decisions in the future for that benefit everyone, including the Indians.
November 21, 1620
Dear Journal,
We arrived to the land of the New World early this morning. Most of us were eager to feel land under our feet after we had only felt the rocking ocean for so long. It was cold outside that morning but I didn’t mind. I felt a sense of excitement flood through me as I knew that we were going to live in a place that few humans had ever inhabited before. Before we could leave the ship a few men went out to explore where we had landed. Shivers rushed through my veins as I left the ship and felt my feet finally touch earth. I could hardly wait anymore; I was anxious to see our new home.
December 5, 1620
Dear Journal,
The land they call America is so much different than England. I was used to living in a crowded town with houses, schools, stores, markets, and a very busy shipping port on the ocean. Now there are only trees, sand, and ocean in sight. In England all of the people living there looked like me and we could easily communicate. But here I have only heard of these strangers who supposedly look and sound and act differently. The captain calls them ‘savages’. He’s told us stories about them and says that they’re so quiet, they can easily sneak up behind you among the trees.
Mother and father warned me of watching out for them. I think that we should give them a chance because we don’t even know anything about them. The bible says not to judge people, so wouldn’t God want us to listen? We traveled all the way here because we were called by the Lord, so we should continue to follow him, right? This is all so worrisome.
January 1, 1621
Dear Journal,
Well it’s finally a new year! The months and days are so long and I was surprised this morning when the captain announced that it was already the year of 1621. I hadn’t even been paying attention.
I haven’t done much more than knit for hours on end. Sitting on the ship gets very tiresome and quite frankly, I just want to leave for good. I cannot wait until the snow melts and the flowers bloom and we can start our community on the land.
Once or twice we we’re allowed to leave and take a walk in the snow, or hunt for fish under the frozen water. The men mostly do that part, but my younger sister and I have taken a few walks outside, bundled up in every layer we own. I am still waiting for a real encounter with the ‘Indians’, as we have learned to call them. I haven’t seen them yet.
February 10, 1621
Dear Journal,
I saw a real Indian up close today! My younger sister and I were walking a little father than we were supposed to have gone, but I convinced her that we needed to something exciting after being cooped up for weeks. We walked to a forest and suddenly I heard a twig break behind me. I turned around, and looked into dark eyes. My sister gasped but I shushed her. I had never seen anyone like this person before. She was a female, maybe a little older than myself. She had dark, unruly hair that she wore in long plaits. She had the strangest dress on, of feathers and animal hides. Her shoes were also made of animal it appeared. She was picking up logs, perhaps for a fire. If these people share the same need for warmth as we do, perhaps they really aren’t so different. Before I could make a move, she scurried away. I begged my sister not to tell mother or father that we had seen an Indian because I knew that they would be very angry we had walked so far from the ship. I can only hope that she listens.
March 15, 1621
Dear Journal,
My sister has broken her promise. She has been having bad dreams for nights about the girl we had seen, and finally told mother about it. I guess I can’t blame her because she is young and frightened easily. But now it is Spring and mother and father won’t even let us leave their sight as we set up our community. At dinner time they tell us more stories of Europeans coming over to the New Land and getting murdered by ‘savage beasts’. I only wonder if that was because they treated these humans with disrespect and did not follow the Lord’s words of kindness and love. Do they not understand that they are people as well? I pray that the Captain will not turn into one of those two-faced Europeans and that he will make the right decisions in the future for that benefit everyone, including the Indians.