Smith's General History Captain John

¶ … Smith's General History Captain John Smith's "Narratives of Early Virginia" in his General History are much more -- and in some ways much less -- than a simple history of Jamestown and the issues that the early European settlers faced. They also reveal much about the time period and attitudes that existed among the people there, and a great deal about the author and the circumstances surrounding the writing and publication of this work.

Though all texts can reveal certain aspects of their authors' beliefs and attitudes, as well as providing contextual insight into the historical period in which they were created, this is especially true of this history. It is hugely influenced by its author's personality and intent, as well as by the time period in which it was created. The first thing that immediately strikes the reader is the tone of the author's narrative.

Captain Smith's history is anything but objective; he freely and even abundantly expresses his opinion -- or at least the opinion he wants to project -- on the events, struggles, and most importantly the achievements of himself and some of the other settlers. This selection from his General History begins with a description of the arrival of a new group of settlers and the way they quickly set up a town seemingly without any difficulties, and named the town after the Prince in England (Smith, 304).

The process was doubtless more difficult than Smith implies. This passage continues to include the mention of a battle between this group of settlers and the Native Americans of the area: "in regard of the injurie done us by them of Apamatuck, Sir Thomas Dale, without the loss of any, except some few Salvages, took it and their Corne" (Smith, 305). This quote demonstrates many things about the author.

First, he oversimplifies what was surely not quite so easy a victory, making it appear as though dealing with the Native Americans was simply a matter of proving European dominance. This ties into the racism that Smith portrays almost naturally as a member of Jacobean society -- to have considered the Native Americans as equal to the white settlers would have appeared incredibly strange in those times.

This attitude on Smith's part is made more explicitly clear when he says that Sir Thomas Dale lost no one except for some "Salvages." The fact that even the Native Americans who were helping the settlers in their military endeavors against other native tribes were not considered noteworthy among fatalities is clear evidence of Smith's ethnocentrism. Captain John Smith also had several motives for stretching the truth, or at least for telling a very selective version of it.

He was working for a corporation that was attempting to make a profit in the New World, and in this light Smith's General History can be read as a sort of public relations piece; this history is not quite an advertisement for the life of only moderately scary adventure available in the New World, but definitely slanted more towards pushing the positive aspects of early colonial life while greatly minimizing the negative aspects. There is also, of course, the issue of personal aggrandizement, which Smith definitely engages in.

To this end, the author is trying in this General History to say that the New World and the Virginia colony -- especially the settlement at Jamestown -- is not only a viable but in many ways an ideal way of expanding European settlement.

Much of this section of the narrative deals with Captain Smith and the other settler's relationship with the Native American tribes and chiefs that existed in the area, and though Smith does not shy away from detailing the conflicts that the two very different groups of people encountered, his telling usually seems to make the settlers appear noble and victorious, even in agreements that made peace. His narrative also demands a modicum of respect for the Native Americans, however, despite his fairly obvious believe in English supremacy.

When recounting one particularly tense scene that could have ended in a bloody battle, Smith notes the bravery and stoicism of the Native Americans: "no shew feare they made at all, nor offered to resist our landing, but walking boldly up and down amongst us, demanded to conferre with our Captaine" (Smith, 309). Without presenting the Native American's as equals, Smith still depicts them as a force that must be dealt with in a manner that appreciates both their power and their dignity, to a degree.

This trend in the General History continues to grow as this section continues. The respect that Captain Smith has for the Native Americans, especially a few key individuals, is shown most clearly in the passages he writes concerning Pocahontas.

For instance, in a letter Captain Smith sent to Queen Anne he gives Pocahontas heavy praise as a woman, a Native American, and simply as a human being, referring to her "compassionate pitiful heart" which gave Smith "much cause to respect her," and he even details how her father was attempting to hunt Smith and his men down at one point, but that they were able "with her best advice to escape his furie" (Smith, 326-7).

Smith makes it very clear that the Native Americans and the land of the New World can be both dangerous and helpful. At the same time, he is incredibly optimistic about the chances of the men he is surrounded by and the future of other settlers. While not completely eliminating mentions of the dangers and trials that the settlers must face, the tone of Smith's writing and the narrative that comprises the General History makes life in the New World seem easier than it likely was.

This text was written sometime later in John Smith's life as he was looking back at the events of 1611 and subsequent years. The historical context of its writing was immensely important in the writing and publication of the text; it has already been noted that the Virginia Company for whom Smith was working was a corporation of men seeking to profit from their ventures in the New World, and this certainly had an influence on the work.

In addition, domination of the seas and of the New World was of great importance during this time period, as the American continents were seen as the last unsettled frontier, and the various Europena powers all wanted to appear better than the others at exploring these previously unknown lands and establishing colonies there. The social and philosophical implications of the discoveries of new lands and new peoples were still being dealt with, and on scales much larger than had ever been experienced before.

Furthering these effects was the fact that the civilizations that the European settlers encountered were radically different and less obviously structured, which allowed for their dismissal as savages much more easily than many Asiatic tribes previously encountered by European explorers and settlers. Cultural differences have always allowed for such dismissal, but the effect was arguably even more pronounced in the Americas during this period. Certainly, the near-decimation of Native American tribes that is observable even today has not occurred in other parts of the world with the same severity.

In many ways, Smith's General History reflects the ethnocentrism that was so rampant during the time in which he was writing. Strangely, it also reflects the shifting attitude that began to emerge.