Why Life Matters: The Pilgrim Settlers
Life: How did the colonists show value for life?
The word “life” means to experience what is around you, both your environment and people. It can also be used as a way to show how someone lived. Life can explain how your body works, how you spend your time, an idea, a feeling, or even a mystery. When thinking of the word life, there are some questions we can ask ourselves. For example: Who is the most important person in your life? What is the most important thing in your life? What three words would you use to describe your life?
Since the beginning of time, people have been drawn to exploring and searching for new ways of life. In the first course, we saw the early explorers traveling westward to discover America. The exploring spirit continued with the early colonists even after establishing the first colonies. Even though the early colonies didn’t have a lot of comforts, they did have more than the frontier. The brave men and women who ventured westward set the stage for America’s future expansion.
The word “life” means to experience reality by interacting with the environment and with others. Giving something back to the world through creativity and self-expression. Changing your attitude when faced with a situation or circumstance that you cannot change is a good approach to life.
The colonists came to early America, where they also discovered Native American life. Importantly, the colonists brought their ideas about life to the New World.
When used as a noun, the word LIFE means two things:
The first meaning of the word Life:
To describe what it means to be alive.
In other words, to live and how to live.
The second meaning of the word Life:
To describe where life exists.
In other words, where things live like a place or environment.
November of 1620.
The colonists were a group who characterized life in these very ways. For example, they made it to the New World, against some tall odds, alive. They encountered the Native Americans – who helped them live. They discovered many living things in early America. And importantly, they brought their ideas to life. The colonists landed in Plymouth in the year 1620, and while many came to America on that first trip, many others had to stay behind in either England or Holland when the Mayflower departed.
1620-1626.
Many more English colonists arrived in Plymouth to join their friends and family who had made the original trip. They were pushing across the Atlantic in search of a new place to establish their ‘way of life.’ Early America was slowly being settled and the English colonization of the region had begun.
1627-1628.
By 1627, the Plymouth Colony was thriving. Historians estimate that around 160 people lived there at the time. The people were relatively comfortable and happy. Food was starting to become plentiful, and families were growing. Life in the colony, and early America, began to take shape.
