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Captain John Smith

Captain John Smith was an English explorer. He is credited with the success of Jamestown. He wrote about many of his adventures, including how Pocahontas threw herself across his body to save him from her father's wrath. However, it is widely believed that many of his stories were dramatized versions of events, and sometimes outright falsehoods.

371 Questions

Why would John Smith add on to his earlier story?

Smith wanted to be famous and known as a great adventurer. He lied, was of dubious character, a scallywag, and had an overblown ego to try to make himself savior of Jamestown. He was so hated that gunpowder was sprinkled on him while he slept and lit. The resulting burns sent him home.

How did John Smith describe Virginia?

John Smith described Virginia as a land of abundance and beauty, filled with lush landscapes, diverse wildlife, and rich resources. He highlighted its potential for agriculture and trade, emphasizing the promise of prosperity for settlers. Smith's accounts often portrayed the region as a paradise, albeit with challenges posed by interactions with Indigenous peoples. His writings helped to generate interest and investment in the colony.

How did John Smith become a slave?

In 1602, he was wounded in a skirmish with the Tatars, then captured and sold as a slave. As Smith himself described it, "we all sold for slaves, like beasts in a market."

Where John Smith was a member of the settlement at?

John Smith was a member of the settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, which was established in 1607 as the first permanent English settlement in North America. He played a crucial role in the colony's early leadership and survival, often engaging in trade with local Indigenous tribes and promoting agriculture. Smith's experiences and writings also helped to document the challenges faced by the settlers during this formative period in American history.

What is The john smith rule?

If you decided not to work you weren't supplied food.

Specifically: "He who works not, eats not."

Is Powhatan's speech to John Smith Fiction?

There are many disputes over whether the claim that Powhatan, Chief of the native Powhatan tribe, made a speech to the early colonial Captain John Smith, who sailed from England to the now Virginia area of America, is historical truth, or fiction. There is such a speech, recorded in 1607, which also within that same record states the person whom the speech was made by, Powhatan, and whom the speech was written to: Smith. Though, in theory, the words of the speech are spoken right from the mouth of Powhatan and written and recorded honestly, many skeptics argue that the actual words spoken by Powhatan could have been manipulated and changed by the person or persons recording the speech, or altered by others after the event. Being a member of the native Powhatan tribe, Powhatan spoke his native tongue, and though he may have become familiar with some English, he was probably not fluent in it in any way, let alone well-spoken in the English language. Certain terminologies and phrases that are "spoken" by the chief actually seem toowell-spoken for a man with his knowledge and skill level of the English language. This implies that Powhatan's words may have been changed or, at the very least, tweaked, to form a more fluent, better sounding documented speech. However, with that said, the seemingly insignificant action of tweaking a few lines for the aesthetic purpose of literacy, may easily lead to less innocent acts of manipulation of Powhatan's words and perhaps a dishonest account of his speech.

In conclusion, Chief Powhatan more than likely did make the speech addressed to Captain Smith in 1607. However, there are likely-hoods that his speech was altered, perhaps to create a more elegant sounding monologue or for a more sinister agenda. History has has a strange way of hiding things, even from the most searching eye. There are some truths that we may never discover, or some discoveries that we may never know to be completely true.

What is the definition of John Smith?

John Smith is a common name often used as a placeholder for an average or typical person, similar to "John Doe." It can also refer to various historical figures, the most notable being an English explorer and leader associated with the early Jamestown settlement in Virginia during the early 17th century. His accounts and leadership played a significant role in the survival of the colony and the interaction with Indigenous peoples.

Is john smith a real person?

If you are talking about back around 1706, with Jamestown, Virginia and with the Mayflower; then yes, John Smith is a real person.

What happened to John Smith the actors daughter?

John Smith, the actor, is often associated with a fictional narrative rather than a real-life individual, so there isn’t a well-known daughter connected to him. If you are referring to a specific John Smith or a different context, please provide more details to clarify your question.

Who did john smith explored for?

Great Britain. Well, actually, he was a settler, not an explorer, but, either way, he was British.

When in 1607 was Virginia founded by John Smith?

VA was not established by Smith. It was established by the Virginia Company when it sent 106 men to search for gold and silver. This was a group of investors that wanted a fast return on their money. Smith arrived in the colony in late 1608 to find 34 of the 106 still alive. He set rules for the colony, began to ration food, and got food from the Native Americans in the area. In 1609 he will need to return to England due to burns from a gun powder accident. He was in the colony less than 2 years and his role in colony has been made larger than it really was due to a book he wrote later about his experience.