John Smith Research Paper

1617 Words7 Pages
Captain John Smith and Pocahontas: Facts and Legends John Smith and Pocahontas are names that people automatically pair together without considering their contributions as individuals. Only after investigating Captain Smith’s past does it become apparent that he was “one of the major historians of his day” (Vaughn, 175). He wrote journals narrating his explorations as well as guides for future explorers of the New World, which contributes greatly to documenting early American history. Many of his accounts are not verifiable because he was the only witness, which left his reputation suspect and open to criticism and misbelief. There have been many fictionalized stories about Pocahontas including versions of John Smith’s encounters with…show more content…
Myths and legends of John Smith and Pocahontas were created to instill American patriotism and honor to our country, which helps to establish a sense of pride towards early America. Smith did not have any intentions of providing any falsehoods or extreme exaggerations. He provided narratives of his personal accounts from his perspective and experiences. Every person has a different perspective. There has been no proof that Smith intentionally provided any false information in his writings. All accounts have been verified through other historical documentation or is unable to be verified since the witnesses are no longer alive. The myths and legends were made up by historians or future story tellers, not Smith. Smith provided a truthful account of his experiences/explorations, while legends and myths were made up by…show more content…
This female is Pocahontas who was the daughter of the most powerful Chief in the Powhatan tribe. She was approximately eleven years old and was the golden child to her father. There have been numerous versions and speculation of the validity of Smith’s narrative regarding this incident. Interestingly, Smith never mentioned Pocahontas or her dramatic attempt to save his life in his first journal True Relations. In the place where this incident would be mentioned, Smith includes a passage about Powhatan’s charity towards him. Philip Barbour who is the editor for The Complete works of Captain John Smith mentions the probability that the editor for True Relations, John Healey, may have deleted the passage in order for it to remain neutral towards Native relations. The Relation was based on a private correspondence that was not intended for publication. It was created into a pamphlet for the Virginia Company in order to advertise the new world in a positive light. Telling a story about the natives nearly executing one of their own honorable men would not be advantageous for attracting more people to make the heralding trip to America. It was not until 6(?) years later when he wrote The Generall Historie did he include a detailed account of his encounter with Powhatan. Smith describes the occurrence as a frightful scene with two strong

More about John Smith Research Paper

Open Document