However, the life she found with her Native American captives was much more appealing to her. There were less religious restrictions, and as a woman, she had much more freedom in Iroquois culture. She was not doomed to become a submissive wife within the framework of Puritan colonialism, but instead she found her freedom through her adoptive Native American family. With this in mind, one object in particular would help represent her struggle at a very early stage in American history. In the time capsule, I would place a recent 2009 article describing the voting demographics of women in the most recent presidential election. Eunice chose a life of relative freedom, sticking up for herself and basically paving a path of feminist rights in the earliest stages of American history. Thus, she would be proud to see how far this nation has come from its Puritan roots, giving women a much more active role within modern society. An article describing the voting power of women in this country would definitely be a good addition to the time capsule to represent Eunice's choices in her life and how she chose a path of more freedom rather than returning to the norm to sit idly by in a life of submission.
Lastly, another item would relate to Eunice's story as a child captive in such an uncertain time period. As a product of Puritanism, she was shunned when it was discovered that she had converted to Catholicism under the influence of the French and her Iroquois...
It is clear that this path represents an easier and more truthful path to redemption, rather than the stiff and condemning ways seen within the context of Puritanism. Although the choice itself was a great source of
anxiety for the young Eunice once she slowly began to unravel the truth of her past. Rather than simply returning to a Puritan way of life, she chose to follow her own freedom of
religion and remain under Catholic dogma. Thus her story represents the early struggle for
religious freedom in a much different context than how we normally view the struggle. Most
history books show Puritans as advocating religious freedom, but it is clear within this novel, it was not really a choice, but a decision made for you by your community. Thus to help symbolize Eunice's bravery in sticking to her own choices in the midst of a highly unique and personalized decision, a copy of the Bill of Rights with its amendment opening up the freedom of religion in the United States would be a good addition. It would represent a solution to her choice by allowing Eunice to choose on her own, rather than have her religious faith allocated to her by the other members of society.
Works Cited
Demos, John Putnam. The Unredeemed Captive: a Family Story from Early
America. Vintage Books. 1995.
Martin, James K. Ordinary Courage: The Revolutionary War Adventures of Private Joseph Plumb Martin. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 1999.
