Richard Frethorne, Letter to his Parents (1623) - Essay Example

Richard Frethorne, Letter to his Parents (1623) In the above letter, Richard Frethorne reveals the conditions that afflict those who went across the Atlantic to seek opportunities in the US. From Frethorne’s letter, one can discern that the indentured servants experienced climatic hardships. The conditions in the new world were too harsh for many of them. He says that the country made them sick. Some of them even ended up with scurvy, a condition caused due to lack of Vitamin C. From the letter, one may observe that the hope immigrants had while coming to the US was met with shock.

The sun was not so much bright on the other side of the Atlantic after all.One may also deduce from Frethorne’s letter that the masters do not care about the welfare of the indentured servants. The author of the letter reveals that the sick receive no medication at all. In addition, they have to wake up very early in the morning and work until very late. After a day’s toil, the indentured servants were appreciated with a mouthful of water, gruel, bread and beef (Frethorne 1). Although the servant does not talk about the conditions they were promised directly, one can observe that the shock they receive upon arrivals speaks contrary to their expectation.

It would appear that they were promised a life full of bliss such that they did everything to come to the US. The sad and disappointed tone in Frethorne’s letter reveal what seems to be a betrayal. It points out to a possible breach of promise by their masters. The ill-treatment of the indentured servants reveals that the elite viewed this source of labor with contempt and little care. The health, conditions and general well-being of the indentured servants was the least of the master’s concerns (American History 1).

It appears the demand was high such that labor was oversubscribed. Naturally, when supply is too high, demand and supply goes down. That is the reason the masters never cared about the indentured servants, as they knew they would easily sign up others. Frethorne reveals that the masters do not even buy for them clothes despite the harsh weather. One of the fellow servants ends up stealing Frethorne’s cloak so that he could buy something and eat. The servant observes that the masters have turned a blind ear to their suffering.

He observes that their lives were marked pain, groans and tears. The shocking situation that awaited indentured servants was so severe that many of them were fed on close to a day’s meal over the week. Owing to these, many indentured servants like Frethorne longed for their return to England. They wrote letters home in the hope that those at home would take pity on them and pay their fare back. The letter also reveals that there is no hope for life for indentured servants. None of them knows who is going to die next.

They are left in their own plight. Frethorne hangs on a tiny hope that the help he has sent for may come before he dies. Despite all these sufferings, the masters did not care. From the above letter, one can observe that indentured servants were only short of being called slaves. Their lives, as seen, were marked with extreme suffering. Works CitedAmerican History. Gottlieb Mittelberger On the Misfortune Indentured Servants. 2012. Accessed from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1600-1650/gottlieb-mittelberger-on-the-misfortune- indentured-servants.

phpFrethorne, Richard. Letter to his Parents (1623). Accessed from http://courses.cvcc.vccs.edu/history_mcgee/courses/his121/Primary%20Source%20Docu ments/us1d09.htm