Will Albano
Mr. Ehrie
APUSH, Period 6
August 18, 2018
The Unredeemed Captive
Picking a book to read can often be difficult and time consuming, especially when researching material that is new to the reader. However, when reading the description of “The Unredeemed Captive” by John Demos, the story immediately stuck out and was tough for me to say no to. Eunice and the Williams Family stunning and horrifying story would give any reader a new perspective on how rough and brutal 18th century literature can be.
Imagine a Puritan family being captured, while living at home in Massachusetts, by a group of Native Americans and Frenchmen who are destroying the town and killing innocent people. While that is unheard of in today's society, it was all too common back in the 18th century. During late winter 1704, Eunice Williams and her family were forced to join the March to Canada with the Native American Mohawks and Frenchmen. It was on this long trek that Eunice’s mother tragically died and many believed the march and raid was organized by the French Governor. The raid resulted in the deaths of many people and caused havoc in the town Deerfield, MA. After the long grueling march, Eunice’s father and the rest of her siblings were released but Eunice was forced to stay.
At the time of her family’s release, Eunice did not know that she would spend the rest of her life with this group called The Mohawks and she was subsequently adopted by a family who had lost a daughter to a deadly disease. In spite of many attempts by her family to bring Eunice home, Eunice married a Catholic Mohawk and converted to Catholicism. As soon as Eunice became an adult, her family realized it was too late to bring her home and her Puritan family was devastated by Eunice’s new life. Eunice's story shows the unique qualities of long ago American life and history by showing how religion, disease and Europeans/Native Americans affected culture in the 1700’s.
In the 1700’s, religion played a huge role in people’s decision making, such as the location where one would live and what rules one would follow. In Eunice's unique story, within the span of a few years, she went from being a Puritan to becoming a Catholic. That’s a significant everyday life change. When Eunice settled into life in Canada with the Mohawks, she really never looked back. Eunice became one with the Catholic religion and started living a life of Catholic beliefs and rules. In the book, the influence of religion in one's life is significant. After Eunice was adopted she started becoming more and more accustomed to the Catholic religion. She gained an understanding of Catholicism and based her life around its beliefs. Eunice even married a Catholic man from a Native American tribe and in the span of a few years, she completely changed her way of life. Because of her new found Catholic religion and becoming a faithful Christian, she never returned home again as she wanted nothing to do with her past life as a Massachusetts’s Puritan.
Unlike today's world where medicine and vaccines can cure almost everything, a few centuries ago catching a cold could be fatal. In the 18th century, medicine was almost nonexistent and a winter spent at home were often long and potentially life threatening. Preparing for winter by gathering wood and food was grueling labor. In the case of Eunice and her family, making the long march all the way from Massachusetts to Canada without cars or planes, the trek proved lethal. Eunice’s mother and many more fell victim to the rough conditions and diseases. Death was not uncommon to see back 1700’s as hundreds of people died everyday due to various diseases. Even Eunice’s adoptive parents lost a daughter to the deadly disease of Smallpox.
Europeans and Native Americans also had major influence in American life back in the 18th century. Native Americans and Europeans were always on the hunt for new land, resources and power. An example from the book is when Eunice's family’s town in Massachusetts was raided by Native Americans. They were responsible for killing thousands of people including including over 100 people in Eunice’s town as well as burning and destroying most houses in her village. Back in the 1700’s and even earlier, Europeans and Native Americans often allied together in wars as well as worked together to combine power used to capture land and obtain resources.
“The Unredeemed Captive” by John Demos portrays the unique qualities of American life back in the 18th century by showing how religion, disease and Europeans and Native Americans affected daily life. Eunice's story of being attacked and taken away from her hometown by the Mohawks resulted in a life change for Eunice and devastated the Williams family. The result of the attack and march to Canada ended up being a new home and life for Eunice as she converted to the Catholic religion and married a Catholic Mohawk. Ultimately these life changes and events shape who we are today as Americans.