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John Smith (January 9, 1580 - June 1631). John Smith. English adventurer and soldier One of 105 settlers who sailed from England on December 19, 1606, and landed in Virginia on April 26, 1607. Became one of the 7 leaders of new colony
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John Smith • English adventurer and soldier • One of 105 settlers who sailed from England on December 19, 1606, and landed in Virginia on April 26, 1607. • Became one of the 7 leaders of new colony • Led expeditions exploring Chesapeake Bay and the New England coast.
John Smith • The settlers established Jamestown (VA) on May 24, 1607 • became the first permanent English settlement in North America • Smith was the colony's leader and also led hunting and exploration expeditions around the area.
John Smith • On a trip later that year, Smith was taken captive by the Chief of the Powhatan Indians and was condemned to death. • According to Smith, Pocahontas, daughter of the Indian chief, saved his life.
John Smith • By the end of the first year, most of the settlers had died of starvation or disease. • Imposed order by forcing everyone to work • In 1608, Smith led a small expedition exploring the Chesapeake Bay area (as far north as Baltimore). • On their return trip, they also went up the Potomac River (up to Washington, D.C.).
John Smith • Smith almost died while returning to Jamestown; he caught a stingray that stung him and almost killed him. • After returning to Jamestown, he set out again to explore more of Chesapeake Bay, mapping much of the area.
John Smith • More settlers arrived at the Jamestown colony in August 1609. • Smith was injured in a gunpowder explosion in September 1609 • left for England in October 1609 • Smith sailed to America again in 1614, traveling to what he called New England, the area from Maine and Massachusetts. • He returned to England with furs.
John Smith & Pocahontas • The first version of the story of Smith’s captivity did not feature Pocahontas. • She was probably about 13 years old at the time Smith was captured. • A True Relation of Virginia (1608) • The more well known account appeared in The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles • some 15 years after the actual event
John Smith & Pocahontas • Scholars speculate that Smith may have added Pocahontas to his narrative to capitalize on her fame. • She had married John Rolfe, an Englishman • Later travelled to England in 1616, where she was a court favorite
John Smith & Pocahontas • There is a recognizable pattern of many later accounts of white male Europeans or Americans who are saved from death by the intervention of Native American women.
John Smith & Pocahontas • Dearborne: • “Pocahontas…a favorite heroine of American culture, has achieved that status only through representations. The only means by which her story can be told is by piecing together the accounts of others, by studying interpretations of her image in literature, history, and cultural iconography.” http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/screenplay/vi784335129/
the real Pocahontas • Actual name: • Matoaka http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/screenplay/vi1642725657/