History of the First American Colonies
History of the First American Colonies
The early colonists of America faced many hardships that were documented by two prominent men, John Smith and William Bradford. These historical accounts were Smith’s “The General History of Virginia” and Bradford’s “Of Plymouth Plantation.” Smith describes his experiences of establishing the Jamestown Colony around 1607. Bradford’s account of his settlement in 1620 describes the lives of the people as they traveled to and settled in Massachusetts. As the reader becomes more familiar with these two historical accounts, it is evident that there are many similarities and differences. In “The General History of Virginia,” John Smith discusses his many adventures.
First, he describes their arrival upon the Virginia shore. This section exemplifies how their hardships continued even after their arrival. Smith also writes about their lack of food, extreme heat, and how hard they had to work to make shelter. “With this lodging and diet, our extreme toil in bearing and planting palisades, so strained and bruised us, and our continual labor in the extremity of the heat has so weakened us, as were cause sufficient to have made us as miserable in our native country or any other place.” He explains how the limited amount of supplies was due to the fact that the voyage lasted longer than expected and they lost the opportunity of the planting season.
He also reports how he delegated the jobs of building the commonwealth while leaving the greatest task for himself so others would not complain. Furthermore, he describes his experiences with the Indians. At first Smith wanted to trade with the Indians, so he could get supplies for his men. Then he realized the danger of dealing with the Indians when his men were killed and he was captured. He used his intelligence to prevent his early death by giving the king a compass. The king stopped John’s death and they eventually became friends. “Then Powhatan more like a devil than man, with some two hundred more as black as himself, came unto him and told him now they were friends...” Even though Smith did not talk of God often he did make it clear that he believed that God was protecting them. This is evident in the following quote; “God, the patron of all good endeavors, in that desperate extremity so changed the hearts of the savages...” While all of these experiences were difficult to face,...