A Day In The Life Of A Common Folk In 17th Century England

London, 11^th of April 1666

This blog post represents how I might have spent a day in the life as a common folk in 17^th century London.
________________

The hanging of Richard Quill was a sight to see.  Seeing his gruesome head detached from his body was quite a joy and many of my friends would say the same. The performance tomorrow, down at the theatre, is going to have to be a masterpiece to top today’s entertainment. But I am fairly confident it will be a fine play because the aspiring young actor from Liverpool is traveling to perform for us.

What was not a joy today, was finding out that I have syphilis. To be honest I’ve slept with 7 girls the past week, but I didn’t think that I’d get such a harmful disease from just 7. The doctor said that my treatments would involve mercury! Isn’t mercury lethal? I could die from the treatments, let alone syphilis. And to make matters worse, my treatments start on the same day of the big feast that I was invited to. Before I told them it wouldn’t have been a problem if they wanted me to bring a chicken, but now I don’t know what to say to them! I do know that some people are bringing lobsters, tarts, pigeons, rabbit as well as lamb and wine, so I don’t think it would be a huge deal if I didn't go but maybe I’ll drop it off before the docs.

Before I call it a night, let me mention that I noticed my first gray hairs today, so a wig looks promising in my future. Last year I turned to mouse skin to replace my eyebrows and that seemed to work well so I hope a wig will do the job as well. One made Charles II look as if he was the most handsome man alive, and all the ladies were after him, maybe it will do the same for me. Oh, am I tired! Well let me disrobe and take off my three-piece suit, knee breeches, waistcoat and jacket. To all a goodnight!

                                                                                                                                -Edward

 Picard, Lisa.  “Sex, Lice, and Chamber Pots in Pepys’ London.”  17 February 2011.  British Broadcasting Company.  http://tinyurl.com/LondonDayintheLife.

“Entertainment, A Hanging”, Cartoon, BBC,   http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/pepys_gallery_04.shtml

A Wonderful Book Loaded With Facts

Ms. Gleason assigned the class to read two paragraphs from Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. The reading of these two chapters were to be used towards a literature circle discussion where everyone in a group would complete an assigned task to add to the discussion.

Some of the topics Mayflower touched upon were the hardships the Pilgrims faced (such as disease, death), the relationship with the Native Americans they had, as well as a multitude of others. Mr. Philbrick's writing was very engaging in such a way that ones eye may never come of the page unless to address an emergency. He does a very nice job of distinguishing the important facts (characters, setting, problems). The only thing about the Mayflower that people could question was why he didn't write more!

Mr. Philbrick had much credibility to his name when it comes to historical writing. Aside from degrees from both Brown and Duke University, he has won many awards for his work. His writing style may be geared towards college students and adults but a high school honors student will be more than likely to grasp the main ideas. A high school student may find it boring or lagging at times but as a whole they should be able to learn and be amazed at what they don't know.

As previously said, majority of high school honors students should be able to pull information off the pages but I believe this book is geared for an  older audience. Don't get me wrong! This book is filled with truthful and accurate information that can be beneficial to a literature discussion in a high school classroom, similar to the one we had. But make sure if assigning this to read, a discussion takes place afterwards. Many students will better understand what the read by talking about it.

Overall Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick is an engaging book with so much information stored within so few pages. Make sure you know what level of a reader you are before picking up this book. You'll be glad if you do find your hand flipping through the pages though.

Rating- 3 1/2 stars

Native American Tribes In North America circa 1500 (Map+Description)

The following map depicts Native American tribes in North America circa 1500. All major Native American tribes across the country are labeled as well as the top crop/subsistence that is abundant to the area.There are many tribes clustered in the modern day New Mexico and Arizona area. If one visited those states today they could see the native culture and way of life in numerous aspects. A name of a tribe could be a reason behind the naming of US states(ex. Dakota and Illinois). The Great Lakes could also be named after a Native American tribe(ex. Erie). The map is an excellent way to see Native American tribes and what resources were bountiful circa 1500 in North America. 

Less Of A Video More Of An Action

One may not realize this but slavery still exists today! There are over 27 million people currently living in slavery in 2013, and it is our duty to call attention to it. Assigned by Ms. Gleason, a group of 3-4 students was given a topic relating to modern day slavery and was told to create a PSA for that topic. My group was assigned "The Context of Modern Day Slavery: Big Picture Why it Happens". We had a couple of days to gather information and pictures to include in the PSA. Then we assembled the PSA as well as the pictography and bibliography. The project was very informative and build team work skills.Check out my group's PSA above!

And check out other PSA's by fellow students of mine at www.endingmoderndayslaveryatrmhs.wikispaces.com

Merchant Humphrey Morice and His Story Interacting With Slaves

   Humphrey Morice was involved in the highest level of global trade, finance capital, and the economy of the British Empire. He was a member of the ruling class and  one of the free traders who led the attack against the chartered monopoly of the Royal African Company in the early years of the eighteenth century. Also, Morice was London’s leading slave trader in the eighteen century. One of the small fleet of slave ships owned by Morice was named Katherine, after his wife and daughters. He also put together a list of “Defects to be carefully avoided” when selecting a slave. These defects varied from sickness to loss of fingers, toes or teeth. Something interesting that Morice did was that he demanded that both sailors and slaves should both be treated well.

   On the Katherine, many died for various reasons. Some jumped overboard and drowned. While others died with a fever and other symptoms. The reading also mentions a woman who perished of “Palsey and lost the use of Limbs.” I know that the treatment of slaves was widely debated; and to think that people were still dieing with so called "good" treatment speaks loudly.

    I learned that some slave traders actually cared for the slaves like Morice did. He wanted them to be treated fairly which was surprising. I also found out that some slaves were branded with a letter. Was this to know who came from a certain ship or place? Or was it to show who held power over certain slaves?