Settling Virginia According to John Smith’s Narrative

1. Settling Virginia According to John Smith’s Narrative

2. In Your Notes… • Once you have read the following three subsections of Smith’s experience and discussed with you group what happened to him, please complete any areas of your notes that you may have left empty… • The other two sections will be your group’s responsibility to complete as I have modeled.

3. Section I: The Struggle for Jamestown *In December 1606, the Virginia Company sent three ships to Virginia with 144 colonists, only 105 actually disembarked at Jamestown five months later *The was due to the nature of the colony: as a business enterprise, the colonists were employees of the Virginia Company, not landowners. *The Company, seeking to satisfy its investors, had selected colonists who wanted to search for gold and a passage to Asia; growing crops was not on their list of priorities. *Ruling Council: Edward Wingfield, Bartholomew Gosnold, John Ratcliffe, George Kendall and John Smith (who is deposed? Who dies?) *Answer this: How does Smith judge the Ruling Council? (see pg. 96) *Note the simplicity of food options (and the possibility of starvation amongst Smith and his crew 10 days in because nobody is a known farmer); winter brings in all types of birds and some of the local foods, so they do not completely starve (Section II) Key Quotes: *key quote(s): “our lodgings castles in the air” (94)---no shelters *When hardships arise, so does Smith’s focus on “God, the Patron of all good endeavors…” (95)

4. Section II: A Surprise Attack • **Smith discusses several of his shortcomings as a leader, as seen by the Ruling Council (which he argues are unjustified): • Failing to find the head of the ChickahominyRiver “taxed by the Council to be too slow..” • He leaves George Cassen at a canoe “in a broad bay out of danger of shot” so he and his men can explore for the Chickahominy, and Cassen is killed; Smith says he was not aware of the dangers! • To promote himself and the adventure, Smith also says that he was “beset with 200 savages,” which he and a few men attempted to fight off, including a savage guide, which he tied to his arm and used for a human shield • 4) Recap of George Cassen’s death—suddenly there are 300 bowmen (what happened to 200 savages??) and now Robinson and Emry are also dead because they were sleeping by the canoe! • ** This is three men killed while Smith is their leader! • 5) Smith also discusses what happens to their gov’t under Wingfield and Kendall: they want to start a MUTINY against Smith, but he discovers and stops it! What happens to Kendall?? He is killed by Smith.

5. Section III: At Powhatan’s Court • *Smith is taken to Werowocomoco, where Powhatan’s tribelives; Smith describes him as “an Emperor…covered with a great robe made of raccoon skins…on either hand sat a wench of sixteen to eighteen years” (98) • *feasting ensues, and then there is a council meeting to decide Smith’s fate: two rocks are brought, as well as a large club, to smash his head in • *POCAHONTAS (what is Smith’s relationship with her??), Powhatan’s “dearest daughter” (10yrs old!) saved him from death by taking Smith’s head in her arms and covering him • *Powhatan decides to spare John and tells him he must exchange hatchets, bells, beads and copper; they are now friends and he must go to Jamestown and send back two great guns & a grindstone • *In compromise, Powhatan will • Give Smith and his men the land of Capahowsaic • Call Smith his son, Nantaquoud • ***Consider what this demonstrates about Smith’s ability to make peace!

6. Section III: At Powhatan’s Court, con’t. *Smith goes back to Jamestown to retrieve supplies with 12 of Powhatan’s guides *Notice the call on God: “Almighty God, by his divine providence, had mollified the hearts of those stern barbarians with compassion” (99) *Smith says that Jamestown was almost going to experience a 3rd mutiny, but “Smith forced now the third time to stay or sink” (99): Mr. Problem Solver!! *Smith faces a dilemma, because the Ruling Council wanted to execute Smith for the lives of Robinson, Emry and Cassen…read the next line---he got lawyers, and sent those men to England to be prisoners themselves…hmm. *Pocahontas leads her people into Jamestown to provide food for Smith and the colonists and all seems to end well “Thus you may see what difficulties still crossed any good endeavor; and the good success Of the business being thus oft brought to the very period of destruction; yet you see by what strange means God hath delivered it” (99)

7. Persuasive Techniques Employed By Smith (Do NOT Copy, Just Read) Appeal to Emotion: • “…our President would never have been admitted [to heaven] for engrossing to his private [use] oatmeal, sack, oil…” (94). Appeal to Tradition: • “…God, the patron of all good endeavors…changed the hearts of the savages…” (96). Appeal to Logic: • “…all men of good judgment will conclude it were better their baseness should be manifest…than the business bear the scorn…of their excused disorders” (96). Understatement: • “…he was shot in his thigh a little, and had many arrows that stuck in his clothes but no great hurt…” (98).

8. REMINDER: PRE-COLONIAL/SMITH QUIZ FRIDAY *Wherever we leave off analyzing and charting key details of Smith’s experience today, your homework is to fill in the rest. *Friday’s quiz will also include the Pre-Colonial Outline you took from the PowerPoint today. However, your Smith Words-to-Own will NOT appear on Friday’s Quiz---they are for next Friday.  *Please come to tutoring to discuss any areas you are concerned about with relation to Smith’s experience!