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History Of Captain John Smith
History Of Captain John Smith
Section 1. Topic Description
Captain John Smith was born in January 1580. He was an Admiral of New England after having been an English soldier. Before his death in 1631 he had become an author and wrote many of his life memoirs that have become a significant part of Virginian and New England historical records. In the state of Virginia, John Smith is regarded as a hero in so many ways. He is specifically recognized for his efforts in the founding of civilization in Jamestown through firm leadership, encouraging the use of timber in constructing buildings, and more specifically planting of a variety of crops that helped many colonial residents of the town avoid starvation. John Smith was Jamestown governing council’s president and as an influential leader he is still regarded as an important figure in the development of Jamestown from its earliest days. It is an undisputed fact that John Smith was a qualified leader in new settlement management. He was also widely experienced in warfare.
He was born an adventurous yeoman and travelled widely in Europe fighting besides other Englishmen and the Dutch against the Spanish. He studied warfare in England before joining up with the Austrian forces in late 1600 to fight against the Turkish “infidels” in Hungary and Transylvania. He claims to have beheaded three Turkish military officers before being captured and sold as a slave. In his autobiography, John Smith describes how he escaped and returned to England some time between 1604 and 1605 passing through countries like Russia, Morocco, and Poland. He later states to have voluntarily joined settlers recruited by Virginia Company and was the youngest among those who led the new colony (Smith, 1986). He was, however, the most travelled and highly experienced in the training relevant to colony leadership in the wild and hostile North American colonies.
Much that is known about his life is recorded in his autobiographical writings which have been verified by modern scholars. His literary works on Virginia and New England have been of great historical merit over time and continue to shed more light about life in the colonial days (Vaughan, 1975).
This paper is an examination of his life primarily through his writings in effort to separate myth from reality and to discover the real John Smith. I will explore the history of his early days, his exploits as recorded in his autobiographical works, and his contributions to the history of Virginia, New England and the United States as a whole through evidence complied from his writing complemented by other secondary sources. Notably, the paper will examine his famous claim of having been once saved from death by Pocahontas, an eleven year old Native American girl who later became a legend in today’s entertainment industry. John Smith’s claim of having been saved by the young girl became a major controversial topic that continues to be disputed in many academic circles today.
The validity of the story of how Pocahontas saved Captain Smith had never been doubted for two and a half centuries. Smith was highly regarded as a hero but there were some scholars who expressed doubts about his romantic adventures. In the year 1860, Charles Deane, a Boston historian stated in a “Discourse of Virginia” article that Smith was never saved by Pocahontas. Deane was among the first scholars to publicly question the validity of Smith’s claim by giving reasons for his disbelief. His argument prompted other scholars with similar ideas to wage a full scale attack on in the January edition of The North American Review in 1867 (Lemay, 1991). However, John Smith’s famous claim survived the criticism through the support of essayists like William Wirt Henry in 1875 but smith was still being considered a liar by many late nineteenth century scholars.
His dedication to the colonies is also an important factor about his life for he is quoted as having stated that the colonies were his “children for they have bin my wife, my hawks, my hounds, my cards, my dice and in total my best content” (Smith, 1986, p. 27). This claim can be said to carry some validity for as much as many have claimed to have descended from the brassy leader of Jamestown in its early days, John Smith neither married nor had any known children. He dedicated his life to the development of England’s New World colonies. He always strived to see that the colonies were a success probably due to the heavy investments in resources and efforts he had put in them.
An important question in this examination of his life would be: Who exactly was John Smith as a person besides being a legend? Born in Willoughby, England, John Smith was an apprentice at an early age. His father died in 1596 and this sad event brought about drastic changes in his life. He quit apprenticeship and became a traveler and an adventurer. His adventures took him to different places in Europe. He fought alongside the Dutch in their war against Spain and later with Austrians against the Turks. He was wounded while fighting against the Turks in Transylvania and when he was captured by the Turks he was sold to slavery. He murdered his captors and found his way back to England (Smith, 1986). His written accounts of these adventurous exploits have been disputed by many scholars and authorities as flamboyant self-promotion but some like Leo Lemay have shown corroborative evidence in the narratives that give credibility to the stories.
John Smith later joined a New World investment venture and volunteered to be recruited in the London Company in 1604 to explore and lead in colonial settlement in North America. He set sail for North America in 1606 with Captain Christopher Newport and arrived in Chesapeake Bay in April 1607. He explored the area and set up the Jamestown colony in the area surrounding the James River. He explored many of the surrounding rivers and is known for having drawn many remarkably accurate maps. He was the colonists contact with the neighboring Algonkian tribe of the Powhatan Confederacy.
His historical records claim that in a conflict with the Algonkian tribe, John Smith was abducted but was later rescued from execution by the chief’s daughter called Pocahontas. His critics claim that Smith simply did not understand an Indian adoption ritual and mistook it for Pocahontas’ rescue efforts. Nevertheless, Smith returned to Jamestown after having been in captivity for a month. His flamboyant ways of life and a prickly personality did not go down well with his fellow colonists. He was later imprisoned and sentenced to death on a conspiracy hatched by some of his opponents but his life was saved by the arrival of Christopher Newport and a boatload of settlers from England.
With the full support of Newport, John Smith took over the leadership of Jamestown where he brought great development through the fortification of the town, military training, and promotion of crop planting. An accident involving the explosion of his gunpowder pouch in 1609 that left him badly injured took him back to England in search of medical attention. His absence and agricultural expertise was dearly missed by Jamestown colonists between the years 1609 and 1610 for this was a period of great starvation due to food shortage (Smith, 1986).
He returned to North America in 1614 where he explored the present day coasts of Maine and Massachusetts and is claimed to have been the one who named this region “New England” before returning back to England. He was not as lucky as before in his subsequent return to North America. He was captured by pirates and spent several months held as their captive. He managed to escape but his attempts to return to the New World were prevented by adverse winds and bad weather for months. He never returned to North America again but devoted the rest of his life to writing his memoirs and historical records of his time. Some of his famous published works include New England and the Summer Isles published in 1625, True Travels, Adventures and Observations of Captaine John Smith published in 1630, A Description of New England published in 1625, and The General Historie of Virginia among others (Vaughan, 1975).
Relevance of the John Smith to the History of America
John Smith is one of the notable figures in the history of North America and its development from the colonial days. His life and adventurous exploits form a basic part of the colonization of America and how this arduous task was accomplished against harsh realities in the form of unconquerable wilderness and hostilities from the natives. He is significantly remembered as the one who gave the name New England to the region around Maine and Massachusetts coasts. He is also responsible for having brought organization and development to the colonial settlement in Jamestown through his leadership. An examination of his early life and contributions to the founding of the early colonial settlements is therefore of great significance and importance in history.
As a valiant soldier and a prominent figure who would not bow to any adversity, John Smith is an inspiration to many people today. His exploits in European wars and his interaction with native Indians through conflicts and peaceful associations depict a leader who understood the value of maintaining relations at times of conflicts and wars. This fact can be attributed to the opposition he faced from his detractors in the Pocahontas issue. This issue is quite important and relevant because Smith’s reputation and integrity seems to have later relied on whether his claim was a truth or falsehood. As an important figure in history and an author of several acclaimed literary works, the Pocahontas affair appeared to be a test to his credibility.
The big question in this affair was whether John Smith, a man considered to be honest in his historical accounts and whose valiant tales about the time he spent in Eastern Europe and in early days’ Virginia have been found to be true and accurate, would lie on a simplistic issue like his life being saved by Pocahontas, the daughter of a Native Indian chief. If Smith has to be convicted of falsehood, it would be imperative to first find the strong motivation behind his attempt to act differently. This would involve searching for evidence that the story never happened or the lack of evidence that it ever did happen. It would also involve searching for reasons to show why for two hundred and fifty years nobody ever doubted the story. When all the aforementioned facts are considered, it emerges that John Smith was telling the truth and in fact he had nothing to gain by lying and would even have considered keeping the truth under wraps. The historical records about Smith’s captivity by Pocahontas’ father who was known as Powhatan are quite clear about this issue. It can therefore be accurately argued that John Smith was an honest, valiant soldier and a pragmatic leader whose contribution significantly led to the success establishment of Jamestown as a colonial settlement.
Studying the life and times of John Smith is also important because he was one the leading developers of the New World. He was a man who never lost faith in the Virginia colony even after he had relocated back to England. His support for the New England colony while in England included using his observations and records to drawing an accurate map for region before his death in 1631. He kept his belief in the colonies as his children to his death. He might have been described by many of his contemporaries as assertive and self-serving but the legacy he left behind along with his writings about his interactions with, and knowledge of, the Powhatan Indians have become invaluable sources of information for current ethnographers and historians. The map he drew on Virginia and surrounding areas continued to be used by Chesapeake Bay settlers for half a century later.
Sources Review
Smith, John. (1986). Complete works of Captain John Smith Philip Barbour (Ed.). Chapel Hill:University of North Carolina Press.
I used this book as my primary source which is a collection of works by John Smith and edited by Philip Barbour, a former journalist and intelligence officer. Barbour does a successful reconstruction of John Smith’s life and times from his exploits in Eastern Europe to his time in Virginia. I found this source quite informative because it used information as it was recorded by Smith himself and therefore a reliable source. It also included concrete information about Smith’s relationship with the Powhatan natives and gives an objective explanation about the Pocahontas issue. In comparable to other sources like Wikipedia I found this source more reliable because it contained first hand information about Smith while Wikipedia was simply a collection of information from many authors.
Vaughan, Alden. (1975). American Genesis: Captain John Smith and the Founding of Virginia.Boston: Little Brown.
In this book, Vaughan describes the reasons that have made Captain John Smith a hero in American history. He shows how Smith became a legendary figure from the myths he created. The book mainly deals with the ways Smith took the Virginia Company’s interests to a higher level in North America through his contributions in leadership and warfare. The author asserts that Smith’s boisterous leadership was very influential in that it helped lure even more adventurers to North America. I used this book as a secondary source because it covered Smith’s descriptions of early Jamestown and his interactions with the Native Indians in great detail. It offered more detailed information about James town than other sources like Wikipedia.
Lemay, J.A. Leo. (1991). The American Dream of Captain John Smith. Charlottesville:University Press of Virginia.
Lemay provides an adoring perception of John Smith as an all time American hero. He goes even further to offer evidence on Smith’s honesty and integrity in the Pocahontas matter. I used this book as a secondary source in examining the validity of Smith’s claim in the Pocahontas issue.
References
Lemay, J.A. Leo. (1991). The American Dream of Captain John Smith. Charlottesville:University Press of Virginia.
Smith, John. (1986). Complete works of Captain John Smith Philip Barbour (Ed.). Chapel Hill:University of North Carolina Press.
Vaughan, Alden. (1975). American Genesis: Captain John Smith and the Founding of Virginia.Boston: Little Brown.
Question 1 Document 1 and 2
History 1301
Students Name
Institution of Affiliation
Date
Question 1: Document 1 and 2
Daniel Webster was a nationalist who defended the federal government’s power to formulate laws that applied to all states in the union. Robert Hayne on the other side, supported states’ rights to protect their liberties through resisting federal laws to which were deemed unconstitutional. Webster declared that freedom and the union went together, claiming that all the origin of the government and of the foundation on which it starts is erected by the people while those who minister it, are responsible to the people and can only modify the constitution just as the people make sure it to be modified.
The Southerners thought that the reduced rate of tariffs was still too high. South Carolina threatened that the tariffs of 1828 and 1830 were not abolished they would withdraw from the union if the federal government tried to correct the tariffs. According to the southerners, the two acts enacted were an authorized by the United States constitution. The tariffs violated the true meaning of democracy, therefore were null and void at the new law. Abiding upon this state, its officers, citizens, and all contracts, promises, and applications made all for the purpose of securing the duties imposed by the act, as well as all the judicial proceedings would be held utterly null and void.
In my view, the most effective primary document is that of the South Carolina. It defends the people and is against the rise of the tariffs on raw materials as well as the manufactured goods and this affects the production and the income of the producers and manufacturers of the United States. According to the southerners, the old tariffs had to be abolished to give room for new tariffs to be enacted through new legislation.
Question 2: Document 3 and 4
In the 1851 political cartoon, they southerners are protesting against the north of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, passed by the Congress on Sep 18, 1850, as part of 1850 compromise between the Northern Free Soilers and the Southern slaveholding interest. In the cartoon, the national government to whom enacted the slave act takes away the slave as they are named fugitive, but the states have its own rules that prohibit and oppose the national law. The states claim that they have a higher law and that they don’t recognize any law from the national government of the United States. The political cartoon also applies to the document one and two as it argues that both the national government and that of the state are different and that the national government law does not with any effect affect the state law.
The 1856 political cartoon document 4 relates to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, passed by the Congress on May 30, 1854. The Act allowed the people within Kansas and Nebraska’s territories to make their own decisions as whether or not to allow slavery within their borders. According to the cartoon, the national government allowed the individual states to make their own decisions on onto whether they could retain slavery or abolish it. The black men were considered to be slaves, and the act of leaving the decision to the individual states would only encourage the white to continue oppressing the blacks. In the picture senator, Stephen Douglas, President Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan and Levies Cars who all are running to be the Democratic Party nominees for president in the 1856 elections are seen forcing a black man against his will an intimidating action, indicating how the whites are racist.
From the picture, the background of making the decisions on whether the states will vote against slavery is made to be seen as democratic, but in the other side, the grounds to which democracy is to be practiced is limited as the black people have no room to express themselves.
Question 3: Document 5 and 6
Dred Scott was one of the many slaves who needed to seek freedom through the American judicial system, to which emanated with the worst ruling ever. The 1857 decision by the US Supreme Court on Dred Scott’s case implies that no ‘Negro’ the term which used to describe people of African blood could never be American citizens. The Supreme Court decision also invalidated the 1820 Missouri compromise which are the anti-slavery in certain US territories.
Frederick Douglas in document #6 asked whether the great principles of natural justice and those of political freedom were incorporated in the declaration of independence are equally represented to the blacks as well. The speech on 4th of July was directed to the American slavery where Douglas condemns the Americans for not being true nation’s founding principles, past and present. Americans must fulfill what the founding fathers advocated for, Douglas tells the audience that the 4th of July was just but a shame, as the slave tends to boast of liberty. Besides, the shouts of equality and liberty are a just hollow mockery.
Dred Scott decision during the case of nullification of the Missouri act, confirms Frederick Douglass arguments that the Africans were just considered useless, worthless and treated as slaves and the call for equality was just an active form of mockery to the African population. According to the decision by Dred Scott, any person of African origin could never be an American citizen by birth or immigration, and that’s the call for the natural justice that is embedded in the declaration of independence does not apply to the Negros.
Question 4: Document 7, 8 and 9
According to William H. Seward, irresponsible conflict refers to the collision of the socio-economic institutions of both North and South America. According to William, in states which have a slave system that prevents the slave masters to indirectly or directly gain all political power and compose a loading aristocracy while in countries where they is a free labor system, prevents universal suffrage atomically obtains adverse state inevitably becoming a democracy or republic sooner or later.
The definition of the Confederacy by Alexander Stephens is based on the idea that; the new American government was founded in contrast to ideas of which its foundations are set. The confederacy cornerstone rests upon the great truth and that the slavery subordination to their masters is the normal and natural condition and as well that the Negro is at no point equal to the white man. The Confederate states, according to Alexander Stephens were formed specifically to safeguard the expanding institution of slavery.
President Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg 1863 claims that the forefathers brought for the American continent, a new nation that was formulated in liberty and to which was dedicated to the proposition of equality of all men. And that now that they were involved in great civil war, they were being tested whether the nation conceived and dedicated to equality could long maintain the equality. It is through this equality that erupted the full scale of civil war due to the peculiar institution regarded as slavery that was present at the creation of the republic.
Question 5
In thinking about the primary documents, the states have the power to nullify federal laws if they disagree with them. The reason behind is because the state government originate from the individual countries and form the national government and the will of the people lies in the states. Also, each of the states has a representative to whom addresses the problems of its people. Just like the case of southern Carolina, the tariffs had been raised to a higher cost making their manufacturers pay more, thus reducing the productivity.
It would have resorted to financial losses contributing to the economic fall to the country, and it is to this situation that the state’s government came to the rescue nullifying the act that was formed by the government. They further warned that any act of the judiciary to rule over cases regarding the act would not be respected and would be treated as null and void. In the event where the nullification would not be successful, then the government would take that opportunity to exploit the manufacturers as well as producers of all products. And this would lead to the collapse of their businesses as well as the gross domestic product of the country which has an overall effect on low income as well as a low standard of living. On the other side the nullification of the Missouri act in Dred’s case showed the American viewed the people of African origin and how they saw them as subjects doomed to slavery and can never attain the American citizenship nor freedom despite the call for equality.
References
1. Excerpt of Daniel Webster’s “Liberty and Union” Speech (January 26, 1830)
2. South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification (November 24, 1832)
3. Political Cartoon “What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander” (1851)
4. Political Cartoon “Forcing Slavery Down the Throat of a Freesoiler” (1856)
5. Excerpt of Majority Decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford (March 6, 1857)
6. Frederick Douglass “The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro” (July 5, 1852)
7. William Henry Seward’s “On the Irrepressible Conflict” (October 25, 1858)
8. Alexander Stephen’s “Cornerstone Speech” (March 21, 1861)
9. Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” (November 19, 1863)
Northern Spotted Owl & Its Impact On The Oregon Timber Industry
Northern Spotted Owl & Its Impact On The Oregon Timber Industry
The Northern spotted owl was in the year 1990, listed to be a species, which is endangered. The population of the spotted owl is decreasing at an extremely high rate, according to the ICUN Red List. In turn, all the spotted owls found within the range of Washington, Oregon and California were listed as being threatened. Futhermore, in the year 1991, a court order prevented any logging activities from taking place anywhere the spotted owl existed. Many people claim that the Oregon timber industry has declined as a result of the enactment of the Endangered Species Act. The habitat where the owl lives in is full of spruces, hemlocks, firs and cedars, which are a spruce of timber (Knickerbocker, 2007). The forest habitat provides the logging industry with billions of dollars, as it is the main source of timber. Unfortunately, heavy logging has occurred in the area, and it has extensively dwindled. According to the Act, there is no one allowed to engage in logging activities anywhere within the vicinity of 1.3 miles, where the spotted owl lives. Moreover, the loggers are meant to ensure that the old growth forests are at least 40% intact. This measure has been faced with serious opposition by the timber industry, as it will make many of the mill workers and logger unemployed. They claim that the protectionist policy is deemed to fail, as a lot of money is needed in order to preserve the forest environment.
The players in the timber industry claim that a lot of harm will occur, and it will be as a result of negligence. It will be extremely difficult to ensure that the spotted owls are saved as the disadvantages accrued are more. Also, many Pacific Northwest communities depend on the old growth forests for logging and the Act seeks to harm them. Most of the lumber mills obtain their timber from the forests, particularly those located at the North western part. The machines used by the saw mills are only suited for cuts obtained from the old growth, which are large in dimension. This means they their machines will be useless as they cannot carry out their functions in other areas. As much as 28000 jobs will be lost, as well as increased rates of suicide, alcoholism, divorce, and delinquency, are likely to occur. The economy will also suffer as there will be a drastic increase in the price of wood products, and consumers are the ones to suffer most. Since the United States trades with countries such as Japan, which has no sufficient timber, their relations will be threatened. The economy of Japan depends excessively on timber obtained from America, and it is bound to suffer as a result of the Endangered Species Act (Burgess, 2001).
It is vital that the future and present generations have a stable supply of timber in the form of paper and wood. The latter is only possible if the loggers are allowed to cut the existing old growth found in the forest according to officials from the timber industry. It is a fact that the trees have to maintain themselves once they reach maturity if the new growth is not cut. This means that the loggers should ensure that the young trees are replaced. In turn, there will be a constant supply of timber all the time to meet the demands, which people have. In any given economy, consumers have to be satisfied by having a constant supply of products. The latter is only possible if the producers are given the right conditions to supply the various products they have (Becker, 2007). Environmentalists are arguing that people should start depending on other sources of wood. This claim has been refuted by the logging industry as it will have adverse effects on them. Furthermore, the claim is unrealistic as there is no other alternative for wood, as society just has to continue using wood.
In my opinion, I believe that the ESA has imposed costs, which might be destructive to the American economy, in the end. Timber plays a vital role in helping improve the country’s GDP, and by restricting loggers from carrying out their duty, problems are bound to occur. The loss of unemployment will then affect the economy as people will not have money to purchase other products. The people who supply the loggers with consumer products will be affected as they will not benefit, since the loggers do not have money to buy products. Also, there are benefits, which occur as a result of preservation. Once the owl’s habitat is destroyed, they will eventually die, and people have an obligation to take care of endangered species (Verhovek, 2007). It is mandatory as well as ethical that the displaced timber workers are provided with educational and vocational training. This will assist them in obtaining a means of livelihood as they cannot continue with their previous logging activities. In turn, the economy of America will be sustained, since the timber workers will find other occupations. Indeed, the Endangered Species Act is one, which has affected the Oregon timber industry, and a conclusive solution needs to be found out to save the workers, as well as the spotted owls.
References
Burgess, Bonnie. (2001).Fate of the Wild: The Endangered Species Act and the Future of Biodiversity. Athens: University of Georgia Press.
Knickerbocker, Brad. (2007). HYPERLINK “http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0627/p02s01-sten.html” “Northern spotted owl’s decline revives old concerns”. Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0627/p02s01-sten.html.
Verhovek, Sam. (2007). HYPERLINK “http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-owls4jun04,1,7172559.story?track=rss&ctrack=2&cset=true” “To protect spotted owl, larger rival is targeted”. Los Angeles Times. HYPERLINK “http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-owls4jun04,1,7172559.story?track=rss&ctrack=2&cset=true” http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-owls4jun04,1,7172559.story?track=rss&ctrack=2&cset=true.
Becker, Gary. (2007). Economic Theory. New York: Transaction Publishers.