Pocahontas For more than two centuries since the death of the Indian princess Pocahontas, legends and stories of romance have been imbedded into our minds, but her dramatic life was more important to the creation of a segment of American history than legend.
Around the year of 1595, Pocahontas was born to chief Powhatan, the powerful chief of a federation of Algonquian Indian tribes who lived in the tidewater region of Virginia (Sahlman). She was but one of the many children of Powhatan, who ruled more than 25 tribes. Her real name was Matoaka, a name used only within the tribe (Sahlman). Her tribe, the Powhatans, believed that harm would come to them if outsiders learned of their tribal name (Jamestown). Therefore, she went by
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Pocahontas converted to Christianity and took the name Rebecca (Microsoft, Pocahontas). She then married Rolfe in April of 1614 and from that time forward was known as Rebecca Rolfe (Microsoft, Pocahontas).
It is uncertain as to why Pocahontas was wed to John Rolfe. The Powhatan Nation of today profess that she agreed to marry Rolfe, who took a “special interest” in the young hostage, as a condition of her release (Sahlman). Other sources claim that the two fell madly in love and then married. Some disagree because it was rumored that Pocahontas was to be married to an Indian named Kocoum and therefore, could not marry again. Also, she would only have been 17 at the time and would not have had any interest in the 28 year-old Rolfe.
The union of Rolfe and Pocahontas did have some benefits, however. It brought peace between the natives and settlers that would last for eight years (Jamestown). A general peace and spirit of goodwill between the two groups resulted from this marriage.
Shortly after Rolfe and Pocahontas married, they had a son whom they named Thomas (Sahlman). He was the only child born to them and would later become an important member of the Jamestown society.
Sir Thomas Dale, the leader of a new settlement in Virginia, made an important voyage to England to seek financial support for the Virginia Company (Sahlman). To insure publicity, he
The day I believed was the beginning of a new opportunity in becoming the man I’ve always wanted to become was really the begging of failure, starvation, and depression. I decided to leave England because of my economic problems I was facing due to the population boost, their was a lot more people and fewer jobs to go around. Even though I was still working to make a profit for the Virginia Company of London I had hope of raising a family here. Our Caption Christopher Newport had us explore the coast of Virginia before landing in Jamestown. On May 13, after two weeks of exploration, the ships arrived at a site on the James River selected for its deep water anchorage and good defensive position. The passengers came ashore the next day, and work
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
She was also no longer known by her "basket name", Araminta. Now she would be called Harriet. Yet she always insisted that the Lord addressed her by the name "Araminta."
However, before the ships reached the mouth of the James River they crossed paths with three supply ships from England. Along with much needed supplies for the fort, these three ships also carried a new leader for the colony, Thomas West who later became known as Lord Delaware. Governor West brought a new way of thinking with him and a strong determination that the colony must not be abandoned but that Jamestown represented a future for English expansion. Despite Governor West’s arrival, some people still sailed back to England. One of these people, John Rolfe, brought with him a new strain of tobacco and new marketing ideas. In the end, John Rolfe ended up affecting Jamestown as much as Governor West’s arrival had. (jamestown virginia)
In May, the establishment of Jamestown was founded. The men relied on the Indians for food. The settlement suffered from the “starving period” without Powhatan’s help. The settlers held Pocahontas, Powhatan’s daughter, hostage to gain the upper hand in 1613. While they held her captive, she agreed to convert to Christianity and marry John Rolfe. (Norton)
In her early life, Matoaka was a Powhatan Indian. She was born around 1595. 12 years later, John Smith arrived on the shore of present day Virginia. He would help create Jamestown. This settlement was very close to the Powhatan tribe. In 1616, John Smith wrote a letter to Queen Anne stating
The Jamestown landing was on May 14th, 1607 and was the beginning of the first English settlement in America. The Virginia Company of London financed this journey to Virginia to extract profits from gold, silver and many other riches expected to be found. Additionally, they hoped to create a trade route to the Pacific. Of the many men that were selected to make this journey, there was a John Smith, who was a former soldier and an arrogant impatient natured man. Smith would eventually meet a young Indian princess named Pocahontas. He and Pocahontas would later become known as the two people who saved Jamestown.
Pocahontas, the favorite daughter of Chief Powhattan, acted as the intermediary for Jamestown. Pocahontas was kidnapped and held for a ransom of captured English prisoners and weapons (“Jamestown and the Indians: The First Decade.”). When the tribe refused to pay the ransom, she agreed to marry John Rolfe and take the name Rebecca in order to gain her freedom (“Pocahontas.”). She played the role of diplomat and translator during negotiations with the Powhattan to obtain a truce that lasted until 1622 (“Pocahontas.”). As a way to promote their endeavors in the New World, The Virginia Company celebrated Pocahontas when she accompanied her husband to England (“Pocahontas.”). The role Pocahontas played helped the English gain an advantage in interactions with the Natives, but failed to diminish long term hostilities. In contrast, Massasoit acted as a voluntary intermediary with Plymouth. In 1620, Massasoit, wearing heavy red face paint and a beaded necklace, approached Plymouth accompanied by 60 of his men with goad of trading food for small trinkets (“Massasoit.”). On several occasions, Massasoit and his tribe saved Plymouth when the warned of impending attacks by other tribes, (“Massasoit.”). He even welcomed a starving religious renegade, Roger Williams, into his own house (“Massasoit.”). He acted
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.
Sacagawea was born in 1788 in Lemhi County, Idaho and was part of the Shoshone tribe for which her father was the chief. Her childhood was ruined when her tribe was attacked by the Hidatsa tribe when she was 11 years old. She was captured as a slave and taken to what is not North Dakota. She spent a miserable few years with the hostile tribe before being sold to a French-Canadian trapper and fur trader named Toussaint Charbonneau. They lived among the Hidatsa and Mandan Indians in North Dakota. She was still a young teenager when he forced her to marry him and she became his second wife. One day, the Corps of Discovery were traveling through the Hidasta-Mandan village when they experienced inclement weather.
When John Rolfe moved to Virginia he met the daughter of Powhatan who was kidnapped by Jamestown settlers, but it never happened. Pocahontas later learned how to
The book “Pocahontas: Medicine woman, spy, entrepreneur, diplomat” was written to explain how Pocahontas was important in American history; and to explain the roles she played in our history. Paula Gunn Allen purpose of writing this book was to explain Pocahontas Life, she also states that although there are many stories about Pocahontas it is difficult to know if they are facts or not. Allen also states that her goal writing this book was to bring to life Pocahontas culture and how she played many roles in society. Pocahontas united two worlds The Powhatan with the English;
John Smith's tales of the Indian princess, Pocahontas, have, over time, encouraged the evolution of a great American myth. According to this myth, which is common knowledge to most Americans, Pocahontas saved Smith from being killed by her father and his warriors and then fell in love with John Smith. Some versions of the myth popular among Americans include the marriage of Smith and Pocahontas. Although no one can be sure of exactly what happened almost four-hundred years ago, most historians agree that the myth is incorrect. Pocahontas did not save John Smith's life from "savages" and never showed any affection for him. The events of her life differ greatly from the myth Americans have created.
A quote from the website called (¨Pocahontas Leadership and Legacy¨), it is said that, ¨She had preferred to live with the English and kept her new found faith breaking barriers on religious freedoms.¨ This is a legacy of Pocahontas because her name meant ¨playful one¨ or ¨naughty child¨ and she always wanted adventure and exploration. As said in the website called (¨Pocahontas Leadership and Legacy¨), it says, ¨She, in her efforts broke down walls of religious freedoms, and interracial inequality all while changing the demographic of stereotypes early settlers had on native Americans. Which led to enriching our country financially, ethically, and socially directly affecting the prosperity of our county as we know it.¨ This is a legacy of Pocahontas because she wanted people to stop the fights and arguments to have peace. (¨Encyclopedia Virginia/Pocahontas¨) says, ¨¨In fact, she did not become a celebrity until the 1820s, when southerners sought a colonial heroine to compete with the story of the Pilgrims in Massachusetts and so establish Virginia (more accurately) as the earlier of the two English colonies.¨ This is a legacy because it shows that at one point, people didn't know about Pocahontas and that it took awhile to find out about her. These are some of the legacies of
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