What would my life have been like if I had lived in the New World during Anne Bradstreet’s time?
I chose to research this question because I am interested in learning about what women lived like during this time in the New World. What was their role in society, and what was expected of them? Did they do anything for fun? How were they supposed to dress? I have always enjoyed writing in a diary. So I have decided to write a diary like blog of how my day in the life of a Puritan woman would have been.
Sunday September 1, 1630
Today is the second month since we sailed from England on the Arabella, which was one of the first ships to bring we Puritans to the New World. It has been a hard few months filled with disease and death. Many chose to go back to England, but we have decided to stay (http://www.annebradstreet.com/anne_bradstreet_bio_001.htm). Like most women in the colony, I am only educated in basic reading and writing skills. I was trained to become a mother and housewife ( http://www.cgc.maricopa.edu/academic-affairs/library/communityhistory/Old%20Community%20History/Women%20Activists/index-2.2.shtml.html).
Today we will attend church, the church established by Pastor John Winthrop. Being late is not acceptable, and I had to have on the appropriate church clothing. The women must wear a long black dress that covers from head to toe and a white-head dress. While the men wear all black and have to have their hair short. This is just what we wear on the Sabbath and is a lot different from our wardrobe during the week (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_did_Puritans_dress).
The sermon today is about town problems and concerns. Usually we have a sermon about male supremacy, because Massachusetts Bay Colony is a man's world (http://www.ushistory.org/us/3d.asp). The church is being patrolled by a man who holds a long pole. On one end is a collection of feathers to tickle the chins of old men who fall asleep. On the other is a hard wooden knob to alert children who giggle or sleep. Children in the church who rebel against their parents are punished by death (http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/New-England-Colonies.topicArticleId-25073,articleId-25010.html).
Women in the community are considered inferior to men. So I have no say in politics, legal issues, government, or anything else. I am mainly excited about the festival at the end of the week. People will sing and tell stories. Children will be allowed to play games with their parents' permission ( http://www.ushistory.org/us/3d.asp). Life in the New World is much different than England, but I do not regret taking part in the “Great Migration” to my new home. We did not originally want to separate from the church and just try to purify it. Eventually harassment by the Church of England, Charles I, and an economic recession led us to decide to settle in the New World (http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/New-England-Colonies.topicArticleId-25073,articleId-25010.html). Many people think we are crazy to travel across the ocean to a new world and risk death. Maybe we are crazy, but I would do it all again just to have the freedom of religion.
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