AR+Diary+Lisa+P.

DIARY ENTRY #1 Name: George Jentam Age: 40 Gender: Male Occupation: Governor Social Class: Upper Financial situation: Wealthy Appearance: chubby, white hair slightly bald, glasses, tall, big belly. Location: Virginia Colony Habitual locations: Eating at home Daily routine: Wake up, get dressed, eat, write letters to governors of other states and the British Parliament, eat, walk around the colony, eat, go home, eat, sleep. Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits: Lazy and rather slow at getting things done. Likes to pick his nose when no one’s looking. But is surprisingly keen at times when it comes to important matters. Past/individual-family history: Has a conservative and feminine wife with two children. Parents are both dead. Family: No other family than wife and children in Virginia. Social relations with your own and other classes (people you deal with or know about in other classes, AND your opinions and feelings about them): Pretty easy-going so he tends to get along with a lot of his fellow governors. But due to his lazy personality people are sometimes frustrated by him. Nevertheless, they like the abrupt astute points he makes about certain issues. He feels indifferent to all the governors, for he does not consider them his company (friends). They’re just people he needs to get along with in order to be a governor. Religion: Christian Education: Education all the way up to college from London. Portrait:\  DIARY ENTRY #2 So, I woke up this morning to the smell of lovely bacon and honey toast bread that my wife had made for me and my children. As I was drinking my milk, I received a letter from the Parliament. The letter informed me about taxing the colonists because of the **heavy national debt** from the war against France. Of course, I hadn’t really thought much about it. If the Parliament wishes to do it, I’m all for it, I don’t have any objections. Although, as I walked around town, and read letters of complaint from governors of other states, I realized the unease that the colonists felt at this point. Apparently, they believe that the colonists are **not represented in the Parliament, so they should not be taxed**. Also, they think that the **civil government is of God, and thus the Parliament does not have the power to impose taxes**. Hmm... I wonder what Minister Manet has to say about this?? Why are these colonists so angry? I just don’t understand. Obviously, they came off of British routes, and although they consider themselves **freemen**, don’t they still have any feeling of brotherhood for their initial country of origin? I certainly do. This whole situation just ruined my appetite for lunch. Just paying taxes does not **deprive anyone of their freedom**. It just doesn’t make sense. It’s simply tax, and we’re just trying to help each other out when in need, no? Of course, once taxed, one may not refuse to pay, but the tax in itself is not intended to force someone to pay. It just it what it is. Tax to help Britain repair its economy, nothing more. What in the world are these people thinking, the colonists, I mean. Is paying taxes thus showing loyalty as well as brotherhood to their mother country so hard to do? Besides, colonists ARE represented in the Parliament... Just like any other normal citizen of Great Britain.

DIARY ENTRY #3 media type="file" key="US History.mp3" (A letter I have received from Soo)

Dear George,

How have you been? How are affairs down in Virginia? I heard you are not very against the tax issue - were not eight years ago, and still not. I have been considerably well, although the retaliations in other colonies regarding the acts continued to disorient me. There were some grunts in New York, too, but no major incidents. Governance is never always easy - but my wife and my son are all well. Please send my regards to your lovely family also. Well, I have found my finest piece of paper to inform you of the most shocking pamphlet I have encountered so far in my life. It is called "Common Sense" by this fellow Thomas Paine, and it is currently creating the greatest turmoil in my state. So many people are talking and arguing about it - I have heard that it has sold over 120,000 copies, a phenomenal number unprecedented by any other work of a contemporary American. I believe this is because of his shocking contact, as well as his persuasive writing technique - in summary, Paine talks about how his majesty the King is worthless - it shudders me to even write the blasphemy - and that America is better off declaring independence and identifying itself as a separate entity from Great Britain. This pamphlet was so scandalous in that, before its publication, many were opposing against the taxing of the British Parliament, but no one was voicing against the King himself. Now that this radical opinion is out in the open - with so many commoners that are reading it nowadays, with the convenient invention of the printer - many are shocked and some persuaded into thinking the same. Although I have believed that parliament was not acting just when it was passing the Intolerable Acts to jeopardize us colonists, I cannot possibly agree that the King himself is useless - after all, I am his appointed royal governor. This urge to declare independence is surely the most gravest concern to us governors, since if the declaration were to take place, we would certainly lose our jobs, maybe be expatriated, and even be hanged, in the worst case possible. I am sure all the other royal governors would agree with my point that the governors need to stick together to defend their positions as the governor - we cannot simply let the commoners overrule us and dishonor his majesty the King. Please reply to this as soon as possible. This is an emergent issue, and it should be treated as such. Please forward this message to any royal governors that you are acquainted with - as that naive fellow Benjamin Frankly rightly (though I hate to admit) said, it's Join or Die.

Truly Yours,

Carlisle Vassar, the Royal Governor of New York

Febuary 12th, 1774

DIARY ENTRY #4 Dear Carlisle, My friend! It is so good to hear from you in such a long time. My wife and children are doing well, and they would like me to deliver their greetings to you. On the other hand, I am not doing so well, as you know, due to the wicked and rather irrational publication that Paine made. As you mentioned, people talk about it all the time, and it’s very disturbing. I have read //Common Sense//, actually, just out of curiosity and I believe that it is absolute blasphemy. Anyhow, glad to hear that you are sound and healthy, please say hi to your lovely son and wife for me. Back to business, as I’ve said before, I have thoroughly examined //Common Sense//, for it was arousing such chaos among some of the colonists of Virginia. What is Paine thinking? I am terribly worried about what kind of consequences this pamphlet will bring. I must admit that he is a fine writer, and he has a powerful way of making his arguments sound valid. Nevertheless, he speaks the words of the devil. Americans, are of English origin, why are they so very eager to declare independence? Declaring independence, I must say will put you and I, and all other respective governors of the rest of the states in a detrimental state. I am not ready to give up my position as a governor, nor am I ready to put my family in danger. Paine, so I have heard, is apparently criticized by many Englishmen, for his unnecessary motivation to bring about disorder. This man is, without doubt, thirsty for an outburst, a revolution, and he is putting certainly us, our mother country, and even the Americans at risk. Trying to **betray** England! Ha! I am greatly concerned, just as you are if not more, about this issue and wish for all governors to talk through it.

Sincerely,

George Jentam The Royal Governor of Virginia

March 4th, 1774

(A letter I received from Soo, again)

Entry #5

Dear George,

I first apologize for my lateness of reply since your replying in March 4th, 1774. But I trust that you know the tumultuous turn of events since that time, and why I couldn't help but concentrate on other things than keeping in touch with my closest friends, for which I enjoy the most of my leisure... To be frank, I am not in such a good shape now either, but I have caught time to share my feelings about these events with you. First, I am sorry to inform you that my son is currently missing. It has been most devastating. He was unfortunate enough to sneak out of the house when my wife and I weren't paying much attention, and... Well, he was very angry that he couldn't enter the war - a preposterous notion, given that I was the royal governor who was supposed to be faithful to the king - that I think he attempted to sneak out on me to join the army. But he is so very young, too young to participate in a war such as this... And so things have gotten bad with me and my wife, since she chooses to blame me for this incident. I know she is my wife, but she is becoming intolerable these days. The Declaration of Independence, for obvious reasons, has removed me from my job as a governor. I am still holding onto my land, but I suspect that it won't be very far until the angry commoners take it away from me - but as of now the British army is still remaining strong, and it doesn't seem to me that events have turned to be worse for them since the beginning of the war, so I remain hopeful. My only concern is the ally of colonists, the French, and possibly more allies - like the Spanish, who are trying very hard to overcome the British power in the European region. Britain is unconquerable when battled one on one, but with allies against them - I cannot be sure. But On September 15, General Howe on lower Manhattan, quickly taking control of New York City. When a battle was fought again at White Plains later that month, Washington retreated once more and Howe was able to capture Fort Washington and take about 2000 prisoners captive. Thus they started what they call a "prison ships" system, in which, I hear, a terrible amount of Americans are dying in oblivion. With such situation in hand, I cannot help but worry about my own son. Anyway, I do see that times are now difficult for the colonists. Not only is the majority of men out to war, but British and colonial troops are turning out to be a pest in many of the regions they are residing in - many of them forcefully take food and supplies from innocent farmers and housewives, and so many nonparticipants of the war are turning against it these days. They yearn for peace that they have been lacking for such a long period of time, like me, and I suspect, like you. I do hope the British win for my (and your) sake, but I cannot anticipate the results if they do. Are we going to stay as governors? Are we going to be punished for our inability to keep the colonists in control? If the colonists win, what would happen then? Are we going to be hanged, or are we to be simply taken away our belongings? I wish for the best for both of us. Please reply to notify me of your situation as soon as possible - I am anxious for your sake.

All yours,

Carlisle Vassar September 12, 1777

Dear Carlisle,

My lord! I see that you’ve had an even worse course of events than I have. I am very sorry that your son has committed such a deed, and I do not worry, I do understand that you have had other far more important things to worry about than answering my letter. I would like to tell you that my family and I are doing well, despite my loss of the governor position, for we stick together, and we have not lost our land just yet, so we are able to make a living. I must say that your son is one audacious young man. I am surprised that there is such patriotism in this “united” land of colonies. Despite my genuinely positive astonishment in seeing such bravery in your son, I, too, worry about current battle conditions. I have been told that the colonists sabotage each other, and thus essentially, they aren’t fighting only Great Britain, but rather, themselves. A foolish thing, I must say, that these colonists really don’t have a clue about what they’re doing to themselves. As an ex-royal governor myself, I do reside on Great Britain’s side, and I still haven’t rid myself of the feeling of betrayal in the colonists. Of course, this sense of betrayal has grown bigger after the insolent colonists have diminished me of my governor position. I believe I am on the verge of being robbed and killed, for some rebels around town are fairly vicious. I have been receiving some from my friends back in Great Britain, that the Parliament is thinking of abandoning us, the royal governors. I believe that they don’t have faith in us, for we dwell in the colonies, and for obvious but false reasons, they do not trust the information we pass on. They most likely assume us to be on the colonists’ side in this war, even though we aren’t. Once again, my dear friend, I am gravely worried about your son and I do wish him and your family all the best of luck. If it isn’t any trouble, I wish to hear from you soon.

Best, George Jentam

August 5, 1777