Voices of Hardship: Early America

Throughout the first century of the United States, from its founding in 1776 to the mid-1800s, ordinary people faced extraordinary challenges. Their stories, often overlooked in the grand narratives of political change and westward expansion, reveal the true human cost of building a nation. Read the following excerpts and consider the experiences of those who lived through these trying times.

Excerpt 1: The Revolutionary War Soldier

From the diary of Private Joseph Plumb Martin, a Continental Army soldier, describing the winter at Valley Forge, 1777-1778.

"The party that came from our regiment to relieve us, came without any provisions, with their frozen feet, and were obliged to return… Many a good fellow, I have known, who has had his feet so badly frozen as to be obliged to have them amputated. This was not all. We were frequently for days without any provisions at all, and then when we did get any, it was often very poor… Our horses fared no better. Many died of cold and starvation. It was a common occurrence to see a soldier sit down upon a rock and cry at the thought of his sufferings, and the bleak future before him."

Reflect: Imagine being Joseph. What physical and emotional hardships did he endure? How might constant hunger and freezing cold affect a person's spirit?

Excerpt 2: The Enslaved Person

From the narrative of Harriet Jacobs, who escaped slavery in the early 1800s, describing the constant threat and psychological toll.

"No pen can describe the anxious years I spent in that little dismal hole. I was an object of sympathy even to the slaveholders, some of whom said it was an outrage. But they did not feel called upon to interfere. My brother William and I were carried by the master on a Christmas tour, and at the end of it we were put up at auction. I was sold to a kind mistress. William was sold to a cruel master. We never saw each other again. Often, I thought it would be a mercy if I were dead."

Reflect: Harriet faced not only physical bondage but profound emotional pain. What specific hardships and fears are evident in her words? How does the loss of family impact her sense of self and hope?

Excerpt 3: The Early American Pioneer Woman

From the memoirs of a pioneer woman describing life on the frontier in the early to mid-1800s.

"Our first winter was a dreadful one. The snow lay deep on the ground, and the wind blew through the cracks of our log cabin. My husband was often away hunting, leaving me alone with the children. We were often sick, and there was no doctor for miles. We spun and wove our own cloth, made our own soap, and ground our own corn. We had little to eat but cornmeal and whatever game my husband could bring home. Sometimes I would cry from sheer loneliness and exhaustion, wondering if we had made a terrible mistake coming to this wild land."

Reflect: Consider the daily life of this pioneer woman. What were the practical difficulties she faced? Beyond physical toil, what emotional hardships might she have experienced due to isolation and constant struggle?

Empathy in Early America: Discussion Guide

Use these questions to facilitate a class discussion after students have completed the Voices of Hardship: Early America Reading. Encourage students to share their personal reactions and make connections between the historical experiences and universal human emotions.

Opening the Discussion

1. What was one specific detail from the readings that surprised or stuck with you the most? Why?
2. Before reading these accounts, what were your general impressions of daily life during the first 100 years of the United States? How have these readings shifted or deepened those impressions?

Exploring Hardship and Emotion

3. Let's revisit the Revolutionary War soldier, Joseph Plumb Martin. Besides the obvious physical suffering, what emotional toll do you think the conditions at Valley Forge would have taken? How did he cope, or not cope, according to his account?
4. Harriet Jacobs's narrative speaks to immense psychological pain. What is particularly heartbreaking about her experience? How does the constant threat of family separation and loss of autonomy affect a person's spirit and identity?
   
   
   
5. The pioneer woman faced isolation and relentless labor. If you were in her shoes, what do you think would have been the hardest part of her daily life? What kind of inner strength would she have needed to persevere?
6. Are there any common threads or shared human experiences of hardship that you notice across these three very different accounts?

Connecting to Empathy

7. How does reading these personal stories, rather than just learning facts about events like the Revolutionary War or westward expansion, help us understand history differently?
   
   
   
8. Why is it important for us, as students of history, to try and empathize with people from the past, even if their lives were vastly different from our own?
9. Can understanding historical hardships help us better understand challenges people face today? If so, how?

Reflecting on Resilience: An Empathy Worksheet

Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________

After engaging with the stories in the Voices of Hardship: Early America Reading and participating in our class discussion, take some time to reflect on what you've learned and how these historical experiences connect to the idea of empathy and resilience.

Part 1: Individual Reflections on Hardship

1. From the accounts you read (the soldier, the enslaved person, the pioneer woman), which individual's story resonated with you the most? Explain why their specific hardships or emotional journey made an impact on you.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. Choose one specific challenge faced by one of the individuals. How do you think this challenge might have changed them as a person over time? What might they have learned, or what might they have lost?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. Think about the word