 
Program Background: " 'American Fever' swept through Europe in the 1870's and 1880's like an epidemic. The carriers were many; agents of steamship lines and American railroads; publicity men hired by Western states and territories; and finally, former residents of Europe's ancient and tarnished lands who's America's letters to the old country spoke of a land of promise, where a man could eat three times a day and tip his hat to on one." The Great American West, Reader's Digest Association Inc. Immigration to the United States was once on the rise. The opening of the plains land, the completion on the transcontinental railroad, the invention of barbed wire and the Unites States leading the boom of the Industrial Revolution were all factors in the tremendous growth America felt in the 1870's. California was once again the "place to be" from San Francisco's cosmopolitan life style to San Diego's recently recognized prime climate. California also experienced it's largest gold strike since the Gold Rush and news of it quickly spread, adding to the fuel that fired the explosion of immigration to the Western States. The Euterpe had traditionally been a merchant ship involved in the India trade from 1863 to 1871. In 1871, the Euterpe was purchases by Savill Shaw and she began her new life as an emigrant ship from England to New Zealand, carrying cargo along the way. New Zealand became a British colony in 1840 and encouraged population growth by offering relatively cheap passage. However, the transplanting of Victorian English society to these isolated islands where the Maori, (the indigenous people of Polynesian descent) was already established caused difficulties for both societies. A decade of warfare between the settlers and the Maori, primarily over the issue of land, began on the North Island in the early 1860's. For these reasons, many emigrants chose to return to England or bypass New Zealand and immigrate to the United States if the opportunity arose. By 1874 with the rise of the competing steam ships and the fact that emigration to New Zealand had waned considerably, the owners of the Euterpe were forced to turn more to cargo to make up the lost of profits. After the passengers were dropped off in New Zealand, the Euterpe often headed to Australia to pick up wool, pig, iron and coal, (the precious fuel for the Industrial Revolution). It was coal that brought the Euterpe to California. Here the highest profits could be realized in San Francisco. The Voyage of Hope program is based upon the Euterpe voyages of the 1870's. This scenario not only highlights the incredible history of the Star of India, but allows us to explore the unique events in out country's history that drove men and women to give up everything familiar to them and to risk their lives in search of their hopes and dreams in a new world. Each haracter that the students encounter has been developed to present a different outlook or perspective of life at sea - from the educated captain to the superstitious cook, the militant first mate to the common seamen. In turn, each of the students will develop their own perspective of the voyage, which will be influenced by his/her personal experiences aboard. The following activities and resources have been put together so that your group can take the greatest adventure of the overnight voyage. "An intending sailor should above all things good health, and be stout hearted. Men, for the next year this ship will be your entire world and you will find it to be a small one indeed. On board it does not matter from where you can from or who you are. You men are equal to each other. it would be wise to pull together and get along. A man who comes to work on board should be prepared to do anything at first that comes to his hand; and he should try to adapt himself to the ways of the new situation in which he had placed his lot. You will have many things to unlearn and also learn. You must put aside your old ways and be willing to accept the new ones, if you can truly accomplish this you may indeed succeed here." Euterpe, Letters and logs of a British Emigrant Ship
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