Document Interpretation 2: Letter to His Parents (1623) by Richard Frethorne

This document is a letter written by a young man named Richard Frethorne for his
parents in England. This young gentleman was a servant who traveled to America,
experienced a virus epidemic, and the individuals there did not get any medicinal aid
since they were underprivileged. Richard Frethorne did not have anything and he
dispatched this letter back to England to beg his parents to liberate him.
1. Does the servants call to be back in England say anything about what the
conditions they were promised as a laborer and what they received?
Indentured servants were young individuals that consisted of both men and
women from Germany and Britain that were obliged by a formal agreement to work for a
set amount of years for prosperous British settlers in North America. In repay for their
labor, they obtained passageway to the new American settlements. When their indenture
was accomplished they would be allowed to work on their own. However Frethorne,
similar to countless indentured servants at the period, obtained fabricated vows and
frequently toiled and survived in circumstances just as unfortunate as slaves. Several
labored till decease and were certainly not offered the liberty they were pledged. Though
Frethorne's writing is a tad arduous to understand, the vibrant imagery he presents is
indication of the deprived circumstances he and the current indentured servants near him
tackled. Its not clear what Frethorne's age is in this document but even if he is a young
gentleman or a youngster, his appeals to his parents are that of a distressed man longing
for his parents to salvage him. In my opinion, I could not help but envision myself in his
fraught condition being deprived of having my parents nearby to ease me. The situation
alters the theme of oppression and indentured servants from being just an archival matter
to a intimate and poignant misfortune. Frethorne and the additional indentured servants
confronted illnesses and famine. They obtained no relaxation or medication when they
were ill with disease. Frethorne and the indentured servants were obliged to work lengthy
periods that began early as dawn and finished late in the evening. By the end the day a
trifling serving of water, beef and a single loaf of bread was to be shared between 4 men,
which meant each person would only get a mouthful. Frethorne had nothing but scraps as
clothing, shoes, leggings, and a cap. The shawl he formerly had was embezzled by
another indentured servant, which was exchanged for butter and beef. However
Frethornes grievances are great instances of the brutal circumstances he and the other
indentured servants undergone. What stood out to me the most in his letter was the fact
that these individuals were prepared to exchange each and every limb for liberty in
England which again displays how distressed these lowly situations made the indentured
servants. Frethorne pleads to his parents to acquire his freedom so that he can go back
home before it is too late. Minus the aid of his mother and father, he is certain that his
only destiny is to die as an indentured servant.
2. Does the ill treatment of indentured servants reveal anything about how the
elite viewed this source of labor?
In this weeks module John Greens video describes an individual as a slave when

an individual, is the lawfully owned property of another individual and is required to

abide by them (Chapter 3 Introduction). In sum, an indentured servant is a slave since
they are in liability and is lawfully owned by their masters. They are compelled to abide
by their masters till their agreement is accomplished. The circumstance that the
indentured servants were required to endure is strong proof of the elite degrading them
and indicating to them that they are something far less than human. In replace of being
regarded like employees and laborers that were reimbursing a loan with their labor, these
indentured servants were perceived as nothing other than property.