Jamestown Chapter 1 Summary

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The most interesting part of the chapter was the non-Walt Disney version of events during the founding of Jamestown colony. John Smith is responsible for most of the information available about him, and he was not modest in describing his adventures, or entirely truthful. Pocahontas was first described as being a young girl when she rescued Smith from execution. Smith’s later telling of the story aged her a little more. She was still too young to have had a romantic relationship with Smith. It is even possible that he made up the events, since Pocahontas wasn’t even mentioned in his accounts of until she was famous. Also, the execution may not have been real but a mock event as part of a ceremony. Powhaten might have been making Smith a subordinate. Pocahontas converted to Christianity, took the name Rebecca, married an Englishman, John Rolfe, and was held up as an example of success in civilizing the natives, at least until her untimely death. …show more content…

The incident with Powhaten wasn’t his first close encounter with an executioner, he was almost hanged on the voyage. Even though Smith was full of himself, he was valuable to the establishment of Jamestown colony. Smith unexpectedly became leader of the colony, but he was the strong leader the colony needed. He had high expectations for everyone. In England, only the lower class men were expected to do manual labor, skilled craftsman considered it below them, and the upper class didn’t consider work something they should have to do. Smith changed that at Jamestown. He declared, he who would not work, must not eat, all the men were expected to participate in necessary farm work because without their own food source they were always at the mercy of the

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