Adventures in American Literature [antikvár]

The land was ours before we were the land's. She was our land more than a hundred years Before we were her people. She was ours In Massachusetts, in Virginia, But we were England's, still colonials Possessing what we still were unpossessed by, Possessed by what we now no more possessed. . . . Robert Frost, from 'The Gift Outright" * In the seventeenth century, the New World seemed a land of promise, an opportunity not only for individuals but for humanity as a whole to make a fresh beginning. The land itself was vast and unconquered, promising riches but yielding its bounty only at great cost. Of the 102 passengers who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620, nearly half were dead by 1621. Yet the American colonies grew. Men and women continued to emigrate from Europe, some hoping to gain wealth, some to gain the freedom to lead their lives in accordance with their consciences. Many heeded the call of men such as John Smith, founder of the Jamestown Colony, who described the riches of the new world—the fertile ground, the plentiful game and fish— and asked Englishmen, "Who can desire more content, that hath small means or but only his merit to advance his fortunes, than to tread and plant that ground he hath purchased by the hazard of his life?"