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The General History of Virginia Introduction Packet John Smith Biography John Smith was a British soldier who was a founder of the American colony of Jamestown in the early 1600s. Adventurer, poet, mapmaker and egotist are just a few of the labels that apply to Smith, who earned a reputation as one of England’s most famous explorers by helping lead the first successful English colony in America. Stories of his adventures, often embellished by his own pen, fascinated readers of his day and continue to provide details about the early exploration of the Americas. Smith and a group of colonists landed in Virginia in 1607 and founded Jamestown. As president of the colony from 1608 to 1609, Smith helped to obtain food, enforce discipline and deal with the local Native Americans. Their main purpose was to generate profit in the form of mineral wealth and goods. Although Smith returned to England in 1609, he made two more voyages to America and, in 1614 explored what he called New England. Using his skills as a mapmaker to chart his course, Smith mapped out the coast from Penobscot Bay, Maine, to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. On a second voyage to further carve out new and charted lands, Smith found himself in dangerous company of pirates who held him against his will. Although Smith managed to escape, he returned to England without any money. In 1617, he made one final colonizing effort, but his ship was held back by wind gusts that lasted three months. After that, he never had a chance to set sail. Smith published several works in the course of his life, including The General History of Virginia, New England and the Summer Isles (1624) Jamestown Colony The Virginia Company of London sent an expedition to establish a settlement in the Virginia Colony in December 1606. Word was that the Spanish had found “mountains of gold” in this new land, so these voyagers were intent on finding riches as well as a sea route to Asia. After an unusually long journey of more than four months, the 104 men and boys arrived at their chosen settlement spot in Virginia. There were no women on the first ships. On May 14, 1607, the colonists chose Jamestown Island for their settlement largely because the Virginia Company advised them to select a location that could be easily defended from attacks by other European states. The settlers came ashore and quickly set about constructing their initial fort. Within a month, the James Fort covered an acre on Jamestown Island. It soon became apparent why the Virginia Indians did not occupy the site: Jamestown Island is a swampy area, and its isolation from the mainland meant that there was limited hunting available. The settlers quickly hunted and killed off all the large and smaller game animals that were found on the tiny peninsula. In addition, the low, marshy area was infested with airborne pests, including mosquitoes which carried malaria, and the water of the tidal James River was not a good source of water. Over 135 settlers died from malaria, and drinking the salinated and contaminated water caused many to suffer from saltwater poisoning, fevers and diarrea. “The starving time” occurred during the winter of 1609–10. The colonists, the first group of whom had originally arrived at Jamestown on May 14, 1607, had never planned to grow all of their own food. Instead, their plans also depended upon trade with the local Virginia Indians to supply them with enough food between the arrival of periodic supply ships from England, upon which they also relied. This period of extreme hardship for the colonists began in 1609 with a drought which caused their already limited farming activities to produce even fewer crops than usual. The impending hardship was further compounded by the loss of their most skillful leader in dealing with the Powhatan Confederacy in trading for food: Captain John Smith. He became injured in August 1609 in a gunpowder accident, and was forced to return to England for medical attention in October 1609. After Smith left, Chief Powhatan severely curtailed trading with the colonists for food. In 1610, John Rolfe arrived in Jamestown and began a successful crop of tobacco which he was soon able to export it into Europe, establishing the Jamestown region as a successful crop producing land. The tobacco demand grew and attracted many more colonists to the new settlement. American Indians Estimates vary, but it is likely that 50,000 or more people called the Chesapeake region home before the English arrived. Their ancestors had lived here for at least 10,000 years—so the ways of life of the native people were highly adapted to the geographic environment. Their economic, cultural, social, political, and spiritual systems were well established and sophisticated. Living in Communities The Indians of the Chesapeake Bay lived in towns situated along the rivers and waterways where they could get fresh drinking water. Towns ranged in size from about 50 to more than 200 inhabitants and contained homes, storehouses, gathering places, ceremonial and religious structures, and garden plots. Wooden fences, known as palisades, surrounded some communities to protect them from military action and wild animals. Diverse Languages and Cultures There were many different tribes and cultures of Chesapeake Bay Indians. Before contact, there were at least three different language families (Algonquian, Siouan, and Iroquoian) and multiple dialects and cultural identities. Cultures No two Indian tribes had exactly the same culture. However, some of the interesting features common among Chesapeake Indian tribes in the early 1600s included: Matrilineal societies: Most of the indigenous peoples of the Chesapeake identified their lineage through their mothers, not their fathers. Names: Many people had several names, including a secret personal name, a name used when they were a child, and a name taken when they were older. Other names could be earned to reflect achievements or nicknames. Spirituality: Most native peoples were intensely spiritual. They believed in a Creator and saw all parts of the natural world, including themselves, as interconnected. Many were known to make prayers and offerings daily. Clothing: People wore clothes made of animal hides. Generally, men wore breechcloths and women wore aprons. If they were going into the forest, they wore leggings and moccasins. In cold weather, they draped animal skins around their shoulders. Tattoos, paint, and differing hairstyles expressed identity among different tribes. Powhatan Tribes The dominant American Indian group in the Chesapeake region were Algonquian speakers known collectively as the Powhatan tribes. Their paramount chief, Powhatan, had inherited leadership of a number of tribes, including the Powhatan, Pamunkey, Mattaponi, Arrohateck, Appomatuck, and Youghtanund. He gained leadership of additional tribes, either by conquest or threat of conquest. The tribes of this paramount chiefdom provided military support and paid tribute of food, animal pelts, copper, or other gifts. Of all the encounters between Captain John Smith and Indians of the Chesapeake, none was more important than his contact with Powhatan. After being captured by Powhatan in 1607, Captain John Smith negotiated an alliance that helped the colony survive its first year. However, his subsequent dealings with other tribes led to the collapse of this alliance. By the time Captain John Smith left Virginia, there was open conflict between Powhatan and the English. Source - http://smith.npschesapeakebay.net/native-americans