Dear Editor,Upon reading “Home will always be where the heart is,” in the Nov. 23 editon of the East Tennessean, I realized one of the author’s points held some deeper meaning.
As the author discussed his home as somewhere he can “just go to get away from it all,” I realized that this concept applies not only to people now but also applied to people in American history.
In 17th century England, our present day concept of “home” was foreign to many people.
Many Protestant Englishmen suffered under the religious oppression of the Church of England.
They were forced to practice their religions in private or else they would be considered a threat to the church and to the English monarchy.
No matter where they turned, there was no place for them to “escape from it all.”
If home is somewhere one feels comfortable and at peace, then the Protestants of England did not have a true home.
The Protestants, who would become known as the Pilgrims, began a search for a place they could call home.
Their search ended upon their arrival to America in the early 1600s.
The Pilgrims’ first establishment in the new world, Jamestown, was a major step in their quest for religious freedom.
Without the regulations of the Church of England, the Pilgrims were now free to worship as they pleased without fear of persecution. America instantly became home.
It is interesting to observe how the concept of “home” has remained constant throughout history.
Simply put, home is an escape.
Whether you’re escaping religious persecutions from the Church of England or the pressures of classes and final exams, home provides a place of refuge from the burdens of life.
It seems home has been and always will be right where the heart is.
-Gene Marie Record
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