JOHN SMITH
By Sarah Royal
Captain.
Captain John
Smith.
Captain John Smith: 1580-1631
LIFE BEFORE JAMESTOWN
•
Born in 1580 in Willoughby,
Lincolnshire, England to George and
Alice Smith.
•
As a boy, Smith attended local grammar
schools but never furthered his
education by going to college.
•
At age 16, Smith left home and became
a soldier – fighting in Europe and the
Middle East.
•
In 1602, Smith was wounded in battle,
captured, and sold to a Turk.
•
He returned to England in the winter of
1604.
•
His military exploits impressed
prominent men in England and he was
put on one of three ships to start the
colony in Virginia.
LIFE IN THE NEW
WORLD
•
On December 20, 1606 Smith’s ship set
sail for Virginia and finally reached in
June of 1607.
•
Smith became one of the seven council
leaders of Jamestown.
•
Due to the harsh winter, lack of fresh
water, diseases, and local Indians the
settlers had issues surviving in the new
colony.
•
Smith was appointed leader of
Jamestown in 1608 and implemented the
“He who does not work, will not eat”
policy that enabled Jamestown to thrive.
•
In October of 1609, Smith was
accidentally injured by a gunpowder
burn and had to return to England for
treatment. He never to return to
Virginia.
SMITH’S CAPTURE BY
POWHATAN
•
In December of 1607, Powhatan’s
men captured and imprisoned Smith
while he was exploring the
Chickahominy River.
•
In one account, Smith claimed that
Powhatan threatened to kill him but
then decided not only to spare him
but also to trade with the English.
•
Smith also claimed that Powhatan’s
daughter intervened to save him in
later accounts.
•
Smith was captured for six or seven
weeks before being released and
returning to Jamestown.
POCAHONTAS:
HONEST OR SLANDER?
•
According to scholars, the tale
of Pocahontas originally came
from Florida 80 years earlier.
•
Other disproving factors
include:
•
No mention of Pocahontas
in Smith’s original journals.
•
Her story was only
published after her death in
1617.
•
Pocahontas was only 11 at the
time she supposedly saved
Smith.
•
Smith could have
misinterpreted his impending
death and it could have been a
harmless induction ceremony
into Powhatan’s tribe.
LIFE AFTER JAMESTOWN
•
With Smith’s departure from Jamestown in
1609, he spent time in London promoting
settlement there.
•
Although he never returned to Virginia, he
did explore the coasts of modern-day Maine
and Massachusetts in 1614 and 1615. He
published maps and descriptions of New
England (which he named), and actively
promoted settlement there.
•
He spent the rest of his life writing accounts
of his exploits until he died in 1631 at the
age of 51.
•
He never married and there is no record of
him fathering any children.
PROFESSIONAL
INFORMATION
•
Captain John Smith was an
adventurer, soldier, explorer,
and author.
•
His works form an important
bridge between Virginia and
New England.
•
His regions of influences
spread from Jamestown,
New England, and England.
•
His books and maps were
considered extremely
important in encouraging
and supporting English
colonization of the New
World.
SMITH’S WORKS
•
Smith was well known for his maps and his guides for the
New World.
•
Themes:
• Indians as savages
• Hunger
• God’s providence
•
Smith’s style is to refer to himself in third person.
“Committed the managing of all things abroad to Captain
Smith: who by his own example, good works, and fair
promises, set some to mow…” (Norton 85).
•
He often embellishes his story to make himself look better.
BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE GENERAL
HISTORY OF VIRGINIA, NEW ENGLAND,
AND THE SUMMER ISLES:
•
Smith tells of his arrival to Jamestown and the difficulties the
settlers faced.
•
The settlers grew mad at Smith “for not discovering the head of
Chickahominy river” (86).
•
While searching further up the river, Smith and his 4 men were
ambushed by 200 savages. Smith was taken prisoner and the
rest were slaughtered.
•
The Indians went from camp to camp before bringing him before
Powhatan, which Smith refers to as “more like a devil than a
man” (91).
•
Powhatan released Smith and he returned to Jamestown to find
it disorganized. “Now in Jamestown they were all in
combustion, the strongest preparing once more to run away…
(92).
QUIZ!
•
What year was John Smith born?
•
•
How old was Smith when he left home?
•
•
Injury from a gunpowder burn
What were the three themes of his writing?
•
•
“He who does not work, does not eat.”
Why did he leave Jamestown?
•
•
16
What was the policy Smith created in Jamestown?
•
•
1580
Hunger, God’s providence, and savages
What’s the difference between Disney John Smith and real John
Smith?
WORKS CITED
•
Baym, Nina. "John Smith." The Norton Anthology of
American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. A. New York: Norton, 1999.
81-92. Print.
•
http://apva.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=25
•
http://smith.npschesapeakebay.net/nativeamericans/indians-smith/smith-powhatan-pocahontas
•
http://www.nps.gov/jame/historyculture/life-of-john-smith.htm