Outlander, his heroes and their religions
By Françoise Rochet and Gratianne Garcia
1 - Outlander, his heroes and their religions
Throughout our readings, we meet our heroes in their environment, their culture, their faith.
It is this last point that we will try to address without proselytizing, without bias.
Just facts to understand. We will content ourselves with analyzing these facts for the first 3 volumes and we will stay mainly in Europe.
- 2- The discovery of America
They brought us parrots, cotton bales, javelins and much more, which they exchanged for glass beads and bells. They willingly traded everything they owned. They were well built, with harmonious bodies and graceful faces […] They do not carry weapons […] Their javelins are made of reeds. They would make good servants. With fifty men, we could enslave them all and make them do whatever we want. "
Christopher Colombus
- 3 - New France - Nova Scotia
We continue our discovery of this New World where the Fraser clan hopes to find peace, serenity and tolerance… ..
We are going to make a small foray into Canada because we cannot ignore the arrival of Westerners on these cold lands… These few acres of snow, as Voltaire said, where French, Indians and English will clash until the conclusion of the Seven Years' War which will sign the definitive hegemony of England over North America.
- 4 - The Indian Nations of North Carolina
Before diving into this New World in North America, now is the time to reflect on the history and plight of Indians.
We have therefore chosen to tell you about two of these Indian peoples, the Tuascaroras and the Cherokees.
They will cross paths with Jamie Fraser, which is why we will focus on this Indian nation.
- 5 - Highlander and Indians, a common destiny
After traveling through the history of the Cherokee people in North Carolina, we found much in common with the Highlanders. We have therefore decided to devote a dossier to these similarities.
Here then is the tragic fate of these two peoples. They have faced life with a courage that commands the admiration of all.
-6- The foundation of the 13 colonies
Here we are in North America.
The British took possession of a vast territory on the Atlantic coast, stretching from New England to Georgia.
The Thirteen English Colonies will develop there. In this chapter we will see who these brave migrants were and their travel conditions.
-7- The New England
One ship, the Mayflower; a date, 1620; a feast, Thanksgiving; a text, the Mayflower Compact; one place, Cape Cod; a utopia, "the city on the hill"; heroes, the Pilgrim Father ...
Here are all the ingredients for the mythical birth of the United States.
-8- Middle Colonies - New-York
This is the colony that gave birth to the most famous and iconic city in the United States, New York. Its history is not ordinary and from its origin, it was the symbol of freedom and tolerance. The Statue of Liberty, erected in the 19th century, is a tribute to all the migrants who shaped this territory
-9- Middle Colonies - Pennsylvania
Within the Midlle Colonie, the wonderful city of Philadelphia was the inhabitant of the Quakers, the religious society of the Friends. Welcoming all forms of political and religious thought, she opposed Boston's narrow-mindedness. Such a degree of religious pluralism was rare in the eighteenth century and it was this climate of tolerance that encouraged the economy and trade.
-10- The southern states
Since the beginning of our discovery of these thirteen English colonies in America, we have decided to visit them from North to South and to go down the Atlantic coast. We are finally in the South where we will explore Virginia and then the two neighboring states, Georgia and Maryland.
-11- The Carolinas
And here we are in South Carolina and North Carolina! Beautiful country that seduced Jamie Fraser. You will understand why the Frasers chose to settle there because the land was rich, abundant and the State was looking for courageous men to make these South American countries fruitful.
-12- A Story of Smallpox - Smallpox inoculation
Smallpox is recurrent in Outlander.
This disease is not without importance in Jamie's life: his brother died.
Claire's misadventures with the Count of Saint Germain begin because of her! Roger faces the fear of an epidemic while crossing bonnet's boat....