Adventures in American Literature [antikvár]

The land was ours before we were the land's.She was our land more than a hundred yearsBefore we were her people. She was oursIn Massachusetts, in Virginia,But we were England's, still colonialsPossessing 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 makea fresh beginning. The land itself was vast and unconquered, promisingriches but yielding its bounty only at great cost. Of the 102 passengers whoarrived on the Mayflower in 1620, nearly half were dead by 1621. Yet theAmerican colonies grew. Men and women continued to emigrate fromEurope, some hoping to gain wealth, some to gain the freedom to lead theirlives in accordance with their consciences. Many heeded the call of mensuch as John Smith, founder of the Jamestown Colony, who described theriches of the new worldthe fertile ground, the plentiful game and fishand asked Englishmen, "Who can desire more content, that hath smallmeans or but only his merit to advance his fortunes, than to tread and plantthat ground he hath purchased by the hazard of his life?"