Impressions of a Traveler in U.S. History
First of all, I do not want you to worry about me. I am in Americanow, and I am alive, at least. I am living on a large farm; they call them"plantations" here. There are many people from our village here, and wetalk about all of you at home often, at least, when the overseer (he's theboss) isn't looking, and we are allowed to talk with each other. You willbe happy to know that I live with a good family, and they are watching overme as much as they can. I will tell you what happened to me since you lastsaw me, and what my life is like now. You remember that I left our village to look for food, and that wasthe last you saw of me. Some men where hiding in the bush, and theyattacked me and carried me to the coast, where they had many other of ourpeople herded together like animals. They moved us onto a huge structurethat floated upon the water that they called a "ship." The ship floatedall the way across the water from our home to America, and it was a longand terrible trip. Hundreds of us were thrown into the bottom of the shipwhere there was no light and no fresh air. There was nowhere for our bodywaste, and food came down to us in a bucket, when it came at all.
" The earth is goodhere, and the "master," as he is called, grows a perplexing crop calledcotton, that is backbreaking to hoe and pick, which is why he owns us. Wecan cover great distances, because big animals called "horses" pull thebox, called a "wagon. Since we work from dawn to dusk, itis difficult to cook, clean, mend our clothes, and do the other things wemust do to survive. Then there is much work for us, for we have to cookall the food for the party, serve it to the guests, make sure all the roomsare ready for visitors, and clean up the mess they leave afterwards. Our captors took us from the ship in chains, and placed us on publicdisplay in a large city, where people came and haggled over us as if wewere melons in the street market back home. The masters do not think twice about selling aslave they do not want anymore, or trading for a slave they think will workharder. They seem to be boiling hot in summer and freezing inwinter, which is much colder here than it is there at home. It took us two days to reach ournew home; in a land the people here call "Georgia. This plantation is very self-supporting, and it is quite rarethat the master makes a trip into town and takes me along. We work day and night, and in return, we are given food toeat and a begrudging roof over our heads to keep out the rain and sun. Their skin is pure white, and they go to great lengths to keep itthat way. Theyseem to live very well, and it is hard not be envious sometimes of all thethings they have, and all the things that we do not. I would miss my friends, but I do notbelieve that men and women are meant to work for another like cattle, and Iwould like to leave this place and make a new life for myself.
Common topics in this essay:
Dear Mama,
People America,
God Sundays,
Frederick Douglass,
tight fitting clothing,
food eat,
mama worry,
dawn dusk,
hot summer,
slaves house,
master's children,
life mama,
tight fitting,
fitting clothing,
gain freedom,
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Acceptance Essays
