Captain John Smith : An English Explorer, Soldier, And Self Proclaimed

Smith’s and Bradford’s Journey Captain John Smith and Governor William Bradford were both influential men during the seventeenth century. They were both American writers that came to America to write about the New World. Their writings of the two writers describe the advantages and disadvantages of coming to the New World. Although these two men have similarities, they also have differences between them.

The source of these letters is from John Smith, The General Historic of Virginia in London 1624. Written in the standpoints of English leader John Smith and North American Indian leader Powhatan, these letters were intended for the English settlers, Powhatan's Indians tribe, and the King of England. John Smith desired to share with his country the impactful yet unbeneficial loose knit agreement that they two leaders attempted to orchestrate. By using this form of effective writing, the author created a way for Smith to expound on the trials and hardships of the peculiar and unknown world. On the other hand, Powhatan shared his perspective on the rash and unforeseen arrival of these pale-faced settlers. Notably, the author's main purpose for writing these letters from both leader's points of view was to show the differences between the experiences both culturally and socially in the aspects of the strange world and those who inhabited it. Both John Smith and Powhatan saw

Smith was badly burned in 1606 from a gunpowder explosion and forced to return back to England. In 1614 he returned with an expedition to map the New England coastline. He would never return to Virginia again after this. He would from then on only promote colonizing the New England area. His efforts to promote colonizing were blocked by weather, pirates and lack of funding. He then resorted to writing about colonization. In his writing he elaborated about how wonderful it was in the new world. He would say that the fish practically jump into your boat when you go fishing and things such as that. He made the new world seem better than it really was so people would want to travel here and settle in it. His plan worked because year after year more and more people flocked to the New England hoping to colonize and not have to worry about running out

During the early exploring of the American continent in the 1500s and 1600s, the New World seemed to be untouched land only inhabited by native, primitive people. It was believed to be the literal Garden Eden, a world without human sins, and the perfect balance between humans and nature. However, when the English first started to settle along the East coast, the reality of this New World appeared to not be as perfect and utopic as they thought: Attacks and conflicts between the natives and settlers, the lack of civilization, and dangerous winter conditions surfaced. Nevertheless, for many settlers, the new land was promising and gave those a chance who were unable to live a happy life in Europe.

There were a few people that had a great influence on the early settlements in the New World. Two such men were William Bradford and John Smith. Their similarities and differences are evident in the way these men impacted the two colonies. John Smith and William Bradford were both writers, Christians, and early leaders; however, William Bradford preformed his duties with much stronger morals, spirituality, and humility.

The first one-fourth of the seventeenth century transmigration was mostly to the Virginia colony and specifically to Jamestown, the first everlasting settlement in America. Although most of Jamestown’s historical documentation came from an eyewitness account of the colony’s development from Captain John Smith, his understanding of the events occurring around him could be misinterpretations of normal Native American culture and the North American environment. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that English citizens who risked the harsh voyage to the Americas were looking for

According to John Winthrop, author of Document A, New England was full of Christian families who came to set an example by following specific Godly goals that they created and gain religious freedom (Doc A,B) ; the Chesapeake consisted of a group of men coming from England, to escape primogeniture customs, seeking to gain wealth by finding gold. Risking everything to gain wealth,

The east coast of North America was conolized by Englishmen of similar race, however by the time of 1700 they had flourished into two contrasting societies. One of the main motives for this difference was that New England and Chesapeake were founded for different purpose and under different climate. New England was founded mostly for religious reasons. Puritans that were persecuted in England wanted a “New England” and to escape the religious struggle they faced.

Christopher Columbus and John Smith will always be remembered for their ego in their leadership. For many residence of Virginia, John Smith is considered as a hero. However, recorded documents provide varying evidence on his leadership and life in general. On the other hand, Christopher Columbus is seen as an explorer who encountered the Americans and was able to achieve immorality to satisfy his egos. He took advantage of every opportunity and is considered to be a leader who did not accept no as an answer which enable him to succeed and even come back to influence after a great misfortune. It is however clear that the success of Smith and Columbus as leaders of exploration can be attributed to their egos. Their writings were full of imaginations and fiction and are considered by some historians to be liars about the newly discovered world.

John Winthrop, first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony: “Touching these savages, there is a thing I cannot omit to remark to you, it is that it appears visibly that God wishes that they yield their place to new peoples.” (Crosby, Alfred W.) The Age of Exploration, (and Exploitation) brought an era of racism, nationalism, and ideals of superiority to the New World. Initially a beneficial concept, promoting trade and discovery quickly took a turn for the worst following Columbus’ arrival to Hispañola. The arrival of Europeans brought the ideas of conquest and greed, rather than cultural diffusion and peace between the newly discovered Empires and the Old World. Conquistadors killed and ravaged everything in their path to find gold and glory, having no opinion of the natives, and leading to ideals showcased in the quotes of the first Governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop. The Age of Exploration ultimately had a more negative impact on the New World because of the invasion of European plantlife, the spread of disease, and the development of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Summary: This book describes how European settlers colonized America and founded the first colony of the New World, Jamestown. The book explores the life of the settlers in Jamestown and the

Christopher Columbus and John Smith are both similar in the fact that they made their kin very proud and became famous of their accounts of unexplored territory. Though their ideas of what to do with what they encountered was different, they both were very brave men. They were different in a way though. Columbus believed that there was a great value in terms of wealth to the natural resources he saw on the islands and he used a different rhetoric to explain it. John Smith saw economic growth possibilities in the fertile New England area that had a vast amount of natural resources, he also valued different commodities than Columbus.

In the excerpt 2.2 John Smith is addressing a letter to King Charles regarding the progress of the Jamestown settlement in Virginia. Smith compares the progress of Jamestown to that of the Spanish and Portuguese and he explains to the king why Jamestown won’t be as profitable as previously settled land. He believes they won’t be able to have the same outcome in Jamestown

Jamestown, the birthplace of America was the first permanent english settlement in North America. In April 1606, King James I established Jamestown and on May 13, 1607, colonists began to arrive at Jamestown. When establishing Jamestown as a colony, the Virginia Company was in search of economic opportunities. The citizens wanted to escape poverty and prosecution. They wanted to be able to believe in what they wanted. The first month in Jamestown was a struggle for all passengers. The moment the passengers came ashore, they immediately began on settlement. Serious problems soon emerged when about 15,000-25,000 Indians were already living in the Chesapeake Bay when the colony was founded. The Indians were part of the Powhatan Confederacy which was ruled by Powhatan, a powerful leader. At this time, the English settlers were looking for gold that no one was farming. In this situation, Captain John Smith became the colony’s leader and established a “no work, no food” policy. Smith had been instrumental in trading with the Powhatan Indians for food but their relationship was tense in all aspects. After he was injured by a burning gunpowder in 1608 and left for England, the “starving time” began. This was a period of warfare between the colonists and Indians and the depth of many English men

The role of writing during the initial establishment and administration of these overseas colonies involved influencing policy makers at home, justifying actions taken without their explicit permission, or bearing witness to the direct and unintended consequences of European conquest of the Americas. The development of the printing press fifty years before Columbus’s first voyage allowed many of his descriptions of the New World to spur the national ambitions and personal imaginations of the Spanish, ensuring new expeditions and future colonies. The long lag time between sending and receiving directions from Europe meant many written records exist as “briefs,” in which better informed explorers attempted to adjust colonial policy written largely in reaction to events abroad or to justify opportunistic actions taken without the crown’s