John Smith True Relation Summary

It is thought that the Virginia Indians played a role in the location and survival of Jamestown. The English were in Powhatan 's territory, and the island had a natural defense from their enemies making it the safest place to be, even if it was not a geographically ideal location. Powhatan was considered one of the most powerful chiefs claiming to have over a hundred children. Powhatan died in 1618 and his brother, Opechancanough led an attack on the English in 1622 and 1644. Pocahontas would befriend John Smith and marry John Rolfe in 1613 resulting in a temporary peace between the Virginia Indians and the

John Smith surprised many by becoming a significant leader and a ray of sunshine in an otherwise increasingly desperate situation. He strategically involved the Indians in order to increase the chance of survival of the colonists. This strategy caused him to develop personal relationships with Indians; some good, some bad. Although captured and sentenced to death twice by Chief Powatan, he was saved by Powatan's daughter Pocahontas. Many historians however, believe that Pocahontas did not actually save John Smith; they believe he was mistaking an adoption ceremony for his execution. David Price writes that there is no way to describe what happened other than an impending execution. "Nothing is known about seventeenth-century Powhatan adoption ceremonies, nor is any other tribe in North America known to have had an adoption procedure comparable to what was undergone by Smith."(pg.243).Either way, the romance between Smith and Pocahontas emphasized in children's stories is seemingly impossible; Pocahontas would have been eleven years old upon acquaintance with John Smith. Pocahontas

In the movie, Pocahontas and her tribe are shown helping the settlers survive there first winter by bringing them food and supplies while Smith is already established as the leader. Her tribe then proceeds to ambush the settlers through a harsh battle the following spring for not leaving the land and Pocahontas is banned for supporting the settlers. It is an epic scene of action and dramatic fighting that seems to last for days. The battle most likely never happened though, because not one historian accounts for it. In fact in Alan Brinkley’s text, An Unfinished Nation, it is explained that for two years the settlers led “unrelenting assaults against the Powhatan Indians” and in the process captured Pocahontas to hold for ransom (Brinkly 32).

With this policy, the survival rate grew to nearly ninety percent that year. He organized successful trading with the Native American Powhattan. Smith was however captured by him and only spared when Powhattan’s daughter Pocahontas pleaded for his life. This is where the story of Pocahontas comes from. Smith wrote a letter about this encounter to Queen Anne when he heard of her coming to England years later. He wanted to ensure that she would not be treated as someone that could not be trusted. He wanted to show her loyalty to him and to England.

Pocahontas was born in 1595, with the given name of Matoaka and later got the nickname Pocahontas. She has been known as the favorite daughter of the powerful Powhatan Chief but she is also famous in history for contributing greatly toward the survival of the Jamestown colony. When the English colonists settled in Jamestown in 1607, there became tension between the Colonists and the Powhatan Indians. During the 1600s, the leader of the Colonists, Captain John Smith was caught by the Powhatan’s men. It has been said that Pocahontas saved Smith’s life and has had great influence on early relationships between the colonists and Indians. During Pocahontas’s life, she has faced many tragedies but triumphs have also played a role in her time.

After this realization, the natives began attacking European settlements in an attempt to drive them out. Powhatan knew that the Europeans were there to stay and was sure that they were going to be pushed out of their land, so he arranged for his daughter, Pocahontas, to marry John Rolfe. This marriage helped the relations between the two groups for the time being. This false sense of security let the Europeans expand their settlements farther up the James River. This also made the settlers more vulnerable to attacks from the natives. A truce seemed like a great idea, but all it did was force the conflict to build up.

While many cannot picture Smith in any context other than with Pocahontas, he had a very active life before he even met her. As stated by Woolf, prior to even meeting Pocahontas Smith had been “in an army fighting the Ottoman Turks in central Europe, during which he went through several escapes, was seriously wounded, taken into slavery, after which he murdered his slave-master and escaped, along with being shipwrecked twice.”1 All of these exploits happened before Smith ended up in Virginia at the Jamestown colony, and met Pocahontas, the narrative of which most Americans are intimately familiar with or so they think.

What are the differences in Smith 's story? In Smith 's story he wrote briefly about the journey to Jamestown. He wrote about how they only had half-pint of wheat and as much barley boils with water for a man a day. He only has to spend twenty-six weeks on the ship. He then wrote in great detail about his life on land. He wrote about when they got there they had to fend for themselves because the lost all of there help. The Savages (Indians) brought them the food that no one wanted. Then the Indians kidnapped John Smith. They kept him for six or seven weeks. Before the captured him they stalked him (with

Pocahontas was captured by Samuel Argall and during her captivity she became pregnant. The father was a mystery, but she was supposed to be marrying me. We got married on April 5, 1614 and then her baby was born on January 30, 1615. We were blessed with thousands of acres of land from Pocahontas’ father, Chief Powhatan. My wife, our baby, and I traveled to England on the ship, Treasurer, in 1616. Pocahontas was soon addressed by the name, Princess Pocahontas, because she was so widely respected. While in England, we visited Queen Anne and King James I. While in London, Pocahontas met John Smith who she thought was dead. We stayed and toured England for several months, and on our trip back home Pocahontas became very ill and died. I returned back to Virginia while Thomas, our son, stayed in England. I soon married the daughter of a colonist. Her name was Jane Pierce. Soon after we married, we had a daughter and named her Elizabeth. My house was on my tobacco plantation, and it was attacked by stupid Native Indians. I honestly don’t know why they hate me so much. It’s devastating. There, I was left stranded with no help, just lying in the grass. It’s my time to go…

Pocahontas was connected with English colonists through Captain John Smith. He arrived in Virginia on April 1607. John Smith was captured by a group of hunting men led by Powhatan’s relative while exploring

In Virginia, 1624, some of the first North American had settled and began to build the colony of Jamestown. The voyage to the new world, which was supposedly only supposed to take around three months, ended up taking a staggering five months. As a result of this the Jamestown colonists used all of their reserve and emergency food, and landed in Virginia in late Fall, not in early Spring. The colonists died from lack of food and starvation, and had to result to cannibalism until John Smith was kidnapped by Powhatan, the leader of the local Native American tribe. Powhatan was supposedly going to “execute” John Smith until his twelve-year-old daughter, Pocahontas, saved him. Many historians believe that Powhatan did not abduct Smith to kill him but to show him his immense power. While Powhatan may have had positive intentions, John Smith clearly did not get the memo as he often called the native Americans “Savages” in his writings. Turning the other cheek to this hate, Powhatan gave Jamestown supplies and food to show his desire for an alliance between the Native Americans and the colonists.

Latter Smith went back with the colonists and the relationship with the Powhatan was better they exchanged copper, beads, and tools for grains and other goods. Pocahontas frequented John Smith and had a good relationship. Although from time to time they had altercations due to the Englishmen acquiring more land and expanding more and more, the Powhatans refused to continue to provide food for them and the Englishmen in return burned the Powhatan villages. At other times, they would try to agree peace. One time Chief Powhatan threatened to kill John Smith, but Pocahontas warned him and once again she saved his life a second time and Smith was grateful to have her friendship. John Smith had an accident he was badly injured when a store of gunpowder exploded during a fight with the natives and was sent back to England, when Pocahontas went back to visit him they told her that he had

John Smith believed that success in such adventures requires individual initiative and commitment. His journey began working with his dad in his shop up until the age of 16. After his father had passed, he attempted to run it on his own, but that didn’t last long; so he joined the French Army. After a while he started exploring the new world which included Virginia, New England and Summer Isles. Smith had a very prestigious and independent outlook on life and throughout his journey it had brought him misfortune for much of his explorations, but with the misfortune came a bundles of successes. One incident which played a significant role in his journey was being captured by Powhatan; and Pocahontas, herself, helped free him. John Smith was an

He started scouting around and began drawing maps immediately. He met Pocahontas by almost shooting her by a water fall, and later they fell in love. He was captured later in the movie while venturing out alone at night to meet Pocahontas. John Smith was going to be executed on top of a rock at dawn, in front of an army of colonists who planned to rescue him. In reality, John smith was arrested and chained in irons during the voyage over, and he was released a month after arriving to Jamestown, Virginia. After he was set free, he did a lot of exploring and trading with the Indians. John Smith mapped most of the Jamestown area. He was eventually captured while seeking food along the Chickahominy River. John Smith was brought to Chief Powhatan and was sentenced to be executed. This is when he actually met Matoaka, the real name of Pocahontas, and she rescued him from execution. Matoake was the oldest daughter of Chief Powhatan. John Smith became good friends with Matoake, and eventually Chief Powhatan adopted Smith as his son. (Squidoo, Inc., 2012)

John Smith and Pocahontas did, in fact, meet and they did develop a kindly relationship. It is said that his love for her is what helped her negotiate the release of two Indian prisoners that John Smith had caught and he stated that “not only for feature, countenance, and proportion,” she “much exceeded any of the rest of Powhatan's people.” [4] It