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Primary Document Analysis
Gottlieb Mittelberger was a German author who wrote narrations of his travel experiences. He was also an indentured servant who traveled from Germany to Pennsylvania and is his memoir “The Passage of Indentured Servants” written in 1750 he gives a firsthand historical account of the misery and exploitation of the German immigrants during the US colonial era (Grubb 566). The context of the words used in the story such as “… like herrings so to say” or “Whence it comes to the ships ride…” gives the reader hints on the historical themes of that time. The story was written in the mid 17th century since this era is when there was a huge influx of different people going to America. This document was written to inform the Germans of what transpires during the passage to America particularly the hardships and exploitations experienced by the immigrants during that era. Olaudah Equiano famously known as Gustavus Vassa was a writer and abolitionist from what is today known as southeastern Nigeria according to his memoir “The Middle Passage” 1788. In his book, he narrates his experience of being kidnapped into slavery at a young age. It was a period of European slave traders where they brought Africans to sell them to farm owners in their countries across the Atlantic Ocean to Barbados in the West Indies. Lastly is J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur who is a significant emblem in the background of American literature for his 1782 writing, “Letters from an American Farmer.

” Now, his narration called, “What is an American?” is frequently referred to by American history and literature scholars for its description of the identity of America.
GOTTLIEB MITTELBERGER, THE PASSAGE OF INDENTURED SERVANTS (1750)
Q1: The journey from Old England to Philadelphia was at most 12 weeks, and all those who were on board these ships faced all kind of misery from vomiting, stench, fumes, sea-sickness, fever, headache, and dysentery, all of which came from old and harshly salted foodstuff, and bad and foul water. As witnessed by the author, children from the age of 1-7 years rarely survived the voyage, and once they died, they were thrown into the sea. In addition to all the sufferings and tribulations, warm food was only provided three times a week. It was in extremely little rations, and most of the time it was unclean, and most people did not eat it.
Q2: Upon reaching land the hardships of the sea intensified because no one is allowed to leave the ship apart from the ones who are able to give good security and pay for their passage. The rest who could not pay for their passage remained on board till they are acquired, and are freed from the ships by their buyers.
Q3: Indentured servants offer a significant supply of labor in the colonial era. They vowed to work for a certain number of years in exchange for a passageway to a new life and the new world. For adults, depending on their age and strengths they bind themselves in writing to serve their masters for years 3-6 to repay their debt. The young ones from 10-15 years, must work till they are 21 years old. Secondly for those parents with kids they sold and traded them so that they can be allowed to leave the ship free and unrestrained.
OLAUDAH EQUIANO, THE MIDDLE PASSAGE (1788)
Q1: The author describes his captors as being different from anyone he had ever laid eyes on. Their hair and complexion, as well as the language they spoke, were different from his. He assumed the reason behind his capture was so that the white men could eat him.
Q2: The author was a little revived at the prospect of working and thought that his situation was not that desperate after all.
Q3: Based on his captor’s behavior of acting in a savage manner not only shown towards the blacks but also to some of the whites, the author concluded that their civilization was cruel and brutal and expected to be treated in the same way.
J. HECTOR ST. JOHN CRÈVECOEUR, “WHAT IS AN AMERICAN?” (1782)
Q1: The author imagines that when Englishmen first visit America, they are excited and intrigued to see the engineering of their native nation shown in a new way, and hints of their works the origins of all the sciences, art and inventiveness which thrived in Europe. They believe America is the way it is because of their nation’s influence and with that they have a sense of national pride when they come to America.
Q2: The author describes the way of life and societal associations of Americans as essential to sustaining prosperity in the new land. The affluent and the deprived are not so far detached from one another as they are in Europe.
Q3: America is depicted as the land of opportunity particularly for the poor because they are protected by the law and they also obtain generous rewards for their work. Such rewards if accrued can secure the lands and make them free men.
Q4: The reason is that in America the rewards of their engineering are keenly tracked with equivalent steps in the progression of their labor and labor is established on the foundation of self-interest and nature.
The extent of slave trade and slavery has been understood on a global scale. It has significantly contributed to the framing of the European and American economies. The authors talk about their different experiences in this period and even though their circumstances were different they all experienced slavery firsthand. I feel like the writings of these authors have contributed so much to the cohesion that is experienced today.
Work Cited
Grubb, Farley. “Morbidity and mortality on the North Atlantic passage: Eighteenth-century German immigration.” The Journal of interdisciplinary history 17.3 (1987): 565-585.