Letter from Sally Smith to her Mother, July 1, 1671

The Letter written by Sally Smith to her mother on July 1^st, 1671 have described the situation of the Virginia colony in detail. Sally in her letter has described all the issues which she was facing as a servant in the colony of Virginia. Through the letter the historical background of Virginia colony can be understood and why it was established back in 1607. Sally has explained the behavior of her masters. According to sally her master was vicious and unjust. Her mistress is jealous of her because her mistress is old, but she is young.  In short the letter has described various social factors in detail such as gender, race, and class.

Sally’s letter provides a brief overview of the colony of Virginia and its historical background. The colony of Virginia was established in the year 1607.It was the first English colony in America. The colony was developed by Virginia Company. According to sally's letter it is evident that Tobacco was grown in abundance in Virginia colony. The historical texts also show that Tobacco was a major export of Virginia colony. The tobacco export has impact on the settlement pattern and the society. It can be said that sally’s letter has explained the situation of Virginia colony in detail (Britton, 2010).

At the beginning of the letter, Sally asked her mother about her health and why she did not give reply to her letter. Sally said she was quite worried about her because she did not give any reply to her letter. Sally was worried because she thought that something wrong might have happened with her mother that is why she did not reply to her. After knowing the wellbeing of her mother she starts describing the situation which she was facing in Virginia colony as a slave. Sally said that the work in Virginia never comes to an end (Britton, 2010).

Sally describes various issues that she faced in Virginia. Sally stated in her letter that she is not well. She has wake up early in the morning and prepares breakfast for all the servants. She said that the behavior of her master Mr. Gravey is not good with her. His master is very vicious and dishonest. His mistress does not give her clothes because she is jealous of sally. Sally said in her letter that Virginia is not a place for poor people just like the city of London. Sally was very disturbed by the attitude & behavior of her masters (THE AMERICAN YAWP :A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook, 2019).

Sally has discussed issues like class, gender, and race. According to sally Virginia colony is for those who are rich which means that she is talking about the people of upper class. Sally belongs to lower class that is why she does not belong to Upper-class Virginia colony. According to sally his master owns all men-servants expect her. Therefore it was a major issue for sally to adjust with all the men servants. Apart from gender issues, the face problem from her mistress as well who does not give any clothes to her because of jealousness (THE AMERICAN YAWP :A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook, 2019).

The problems which the sally described has huge significance because it described how the servants were being treated in the Virginia Colony. Through this letter it can be known how different slaves were treated in the past when no laws were established regarding servants. The letter described how the rights of servants were being ignored in the past. It is clear that in the past the servants do not have any facilities, and their basic human rights were unfulfilled. For understanding the history of slavery in United States this letter can provide a quick overview (Britton, 2010).

Sally become an indentured servant in Virginia colony because Virginia might unable to get good life in London City. As Virginia has stated in the letter that London is not a place for poor people it is clearly indicating that Sally was not happy in London city. That is why she decided to move to the colony of Virginia to earn some money. However the situation of Virginia was not as much different from London. Sally knows that there few more years left in her service. When she becomes 24 she will no longer be an indentured servant because the contract will come to an end (Britton, 2010).

There are very similarities between the letter of Sally Smith and the letter of Richard Frethorne. Just like Sally, Richard Frethorne has also mentioned various issues that he was facing in Virginia. Frethrone has discussed different issues like lack of clothing, lack of food and attack of natives of the settlement. It can be said that the sally and Frethorne were facing somewhat similar situations in Virginia because they were both slaves, and the behavior of their masters was not appropriate with them. It can be said that both of them were not getting their basic human rights (THE AMERICAN YAWP :A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook, 2019).

If all the above discussion is summarized then it is evident that Sally has discussed issues like class, gender, and race. According to sally Virginia colony is for those who are rich which means that she is talking about the people of upper class. Sally belongs to lower class that is why she does not belong to Upper-class Virginia colony. According to sally his master owns all men-servants expect her. Therefore it was a major issue for sally to adjust with all the men servants. Apart from gender issues, the face problem from her mistress as well who does not give any clothes to her because of jealousness.

References of Primary Source Analysis

Britton, T. L. (2010). Virginia Colony. ABDO Publishing Company.

THE AMERICAN YAWP :A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook. (2019). Stanford University Press.