Pocahontas Dbq Essay

In 1608, John Smith was brought before Chief Powhatan to be executed. Pocahontas, then 12, runs up and covers John, effectively saving his fate. This is the typical story of how the John Smith-Pocahontas story goes, but did Pocahontas actually save John Smith? Looking at all available evidence, the answer is no. First of all reasons, in 1613, “Pocahontas is captured and brought to Jamestown.” (Timeline). This scenario is an oddity, as why would Jamestown colonists capture Pocahontas, after she saved John Smith. John Smith was an important figure in the Jamestown story, so if Pocahontas saved John Smith’s life, why would the people of Jamestown want to capture Pocahontas? Why would Jamestown capture the one who saved their leader’s life? This

In Paul Lewis’s interpretation of these events, “ In 1617, Pocahontas became a big media event in London… While all this was going on, John Smith published a new version of True Relation, adding footnotes that say that Pocahontas threw herself on Smith to save him. Smith even takes credit for introducing Pocahontas to the English language and the Bible.” (Document A: Paul Lewis, Historian). The publication time of the version of True Relation was perfectly aligned to be when Pocahontas was in England and famous. The reason John would publish this version of heightened drama and the story of Pocahontas saving his life is because he wanted to be noticed. John Smith wanted to get a piece of the action Pocahontas was experiencing. Because John Smith wanted to be involved, the publication date is planned and already decided because John wanted the action. Also, John Smith claims that he introduced Pocahontas to English culture, which is his doing, trying to portray himself as Pocahontas’s teacher. That way, he can be known in the world as Pocahontas’s mentor. No man who would be chronicling a story of events would claim something that has no connection to what happened in the events he was