John Smith A Description of New England

American culture i

John Smith's "A Description of New England" (1616)

A NEW WORLD FULL OF MARVELS

1492

Diego Cólon

Christopher Columbus

"... regaled other Natives with tales of the things which he had seen in Castile and the marvels of Spain ... the great cities and fortresses and churches ... the people and horses and animals ... the great nobility and wealth of the sovereigns and great lords ... the kinds of food ... the festivals and tournaments [and] bull-fighting."

Andrés Bernáldez (1450-1513)

Natives' lifestyle change dramatically

"Europe was present in the textiles on the colonists' bodies, in the tools in their hands, and in the institutions of the church and state (slavery being the most obvious example)".

Newes from America, 1638

John Underhill

"The manner of English men's fight is too furious, and slay too many men."

Indian Wars

Native Americans + Settlers

John Smith (1580-1631)

• Jamestown, 1607
• "the heroic model"
• large companies of investors
• The Virginia Company

the Northern Part (nowadays Massachusetts) fell to the members of the town of Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth. The Colony of Plymouth was founded in 1620.

the Southern Part (nowadays the State of Virginia) was under the care of the members from London - Jamestown was founded in 1607.

Powhatan Pocahontas John Smith

Chesapeake Bay Indians

begging for Smith's life

adoption ceremony

The general history of virginia

"Smith little dreaming of that accident, being got to the marshes at the river's head 20 miles in the desert, had his 2 men slain (as is supposed) sleeping by the canoe, whilst himself by fowling sought them victual, who finding he was beset with 200 savages, two of them he slew, still defending himself with the aid of a savage his guide, whom he bound to his arm with his garters, and used him as a bucker [as a shield], yet he was shot in his thigh a little, and had many arrows that stuck in his clothes but no great hurt, till at last they took him prisoner".

A description of new england 1616

"Who can desire more content, that hath small means; or but only his merit to advance his fortune, than to tread, and plant that ground he hath purchased by the hazard of his life? If he have but the taste of virtue and magnanimity, what to such a mind can be more pleasant, than planting and building a foundation for his posterity, got from the rude earth, by God's blessing and his own industry, without prejudice to any?"

Indenture Servitude

A description of new england 1616

1. Small Means
2. Action Verbs
3. "discovering things unknown"
4. "seek to convert those poor savages to know Christ"

The Desires vs. The Qualities

A description of new england

"For, I am not so simple to think, that ever any other motive then wealth, will ever erect there a commonwealth; or draw company from their ease and humors at home, to stay in New England to effect and purposes"

"For laborers, if those that sow hemp, rape, turnips, parsnips, carrots, cabbage, and such like; give 20, 30, 40, 50 shillings yearly for an acre of ground, and meat, drink, and wages to use it, and yet grow rich, when better, or at least as good ground, may be had, and cost nothing but labor, it seems strange to me, any such should ther row poor".

A description of new england

US National Anthem

"And lest any should think the toil might be insupportable, though these things may be had by labor, and diligence: I assure myself there are who delight extremely in vain pleasure, that take much more pains in England, to enjoy it, than I should do here to gain wealth sufficient: and yet I think they should not have half such sweet content: for, our pleasure here is still gains; in England charges and loss. Here nature and liberty affords us that freely, which in England we want, or it costeth us dearly".