Braving the Sea: The Colonization of the New World

Anna
Belfrage

I love the sea. In particular, I like it when it is me and the sea only, like when I’m standing on an isolated cliff-top and before me spreads a vastness of blues and greens, here and there dotted with frothy caps of white.
To gaze out across the sea is to inspire a journey, conjuring up pictures of far-away places. If that is how it feels today, imagine how it must have felt back in the 17th century, when the lands beyond the waters were essentially unknown, when there were no photos of what would lie waiting on the other side.  No wonder people imagined the strangest worlds: places full of savages, of impenetrable forests, of gold – always this gold, this promise of riches unknown, waiting for the man intrepid enough to set off towards new horizons.
Today, it is difficult for us to understand just how distant the American Colonies were from Europe back then. Yes, I know the continents are no more far apart today than in the 17th century, but essentially traveling is about time, and in our world we can go from London to New York in 7 hours – compare that to three to four months in the 17th century!

Read the entire article in the November issue of InD'Tale magazine.

Subscriptions are free!

Just sign up on our home page. Once you do, an e-mail validation notice will be sent directly to you. Just open and click the link and you're in - forever!  Each month the magazine will be delivered directly to your inbox to downlad and read!

If you prefer coming to the website to read the magazine, you can just click on the magazine image on the left hand side of our home page to open and enjoy.