Colonial America Which Early Jamestown

¶ … Colonial America

Which early Jamestown figure makes the best role model for modern America: John Smith, Pocahontas, or Powhatan? Please briefly answer the question with a solid (approx. 150 words) yet short paragraph. Make sure you provide some examples from any readings, movies, etc. that support your reasoning.

Captain John Smith (1580-1631) was an English explorer, soldier, and eventually an author who is best remembered as helping to establish the first permanent English settlement at, what became known as, Jamestown, Virginia. He was one of the leaders of Jamestown between 1608-1609 and is also famous in myth because of his association with the daughter of a Chief of the Powhatan Confederacy, Pocahontas. In most recent popular culture, Smith was one of the main characters in the Disney film Pocahontas and the sequel (1995), voiced by Mel Gibson. Smith, played by Colin Farrell, is also central to the 2005 film the New World.

Despite previous historical attempts to debunk the veracity of Smith's encounters with the Powhatan and specifically Pocahontas, most contemporary historians believe most of it was rooted in fact. Certainly, based on the writing style of the time, Smith's accounts may have been exaggerated, but his bravery, tenacity, and dedication to ensuring those under his charge were well cared for marks him as a leader to emulate. Despite the colonialist bent, after all the English were the "invaders" at the time, it appears that Smith was "not only fair, he was surprisingly kind and humanitarian. He treated the Indians as he treated whites…tortured [none], executed none, and saved Indians when others wanted to slay them" (Lemay, 1991, 116). In fact, as a leader, Smith never forgot about class struggle, and he believed that the Indians were not inferior, just at a different stage of civilization. This earned him the title of werowance, a chieftain among the whites (Ibid.).

Sources:

Lema, J. (1991). The American Dream of Captain John Smith. University Press of Virginia.

"Pocahontas," (1995). Disney Archives. Cited in: http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/characters/pocahontas/pocahontas.html

Q: Why is the favorite American settlement story about the Plymouth Pilgrims, and not the New England Puritans or the Jamestown settlers? Please briefly answer the question with a solid (approx. 150 words) yet short paragraph. Make sure you provide some examples from any readings, movies, etc. that support your reasoning.

A: Plymouth Rock is the traditional site that the Mayflower Pilgrims landed in 1620. The symbol has become so engrained in American history that in the biographical film Malcolm X, the civil rights advocated even refers to the rock, "We didn't land on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock landed on us" (Rule, 1992). The symbol has been prominent in American history for centuries: "This Rock has become an object of veneration in the United States…a few outcasts pressed for an instant, and the stone becomes famous…" (De Tocqueville, 1850, 1).