Program Information

Councilor, geographer, diplomat, soldier, taskmaster... In great measure, the Jamestown settlement survived by the hand of Captain John Smith. "Jamestown: A Fruitful Soil" provides a historical overview of the people and events of 17th-century Virginia.

Transcript

Councilor, geographer, diplomat, soldier, taskmaster... In great measure, the Jamestown settlement survived by the hand of Captain John Smith.

I’m Steve Clark with Jamestown: A Fruitful Soil, a celebration of Virginia’s Quadricentennial sponsored by Jamestown Settlement, a living history museum in the Williamsburg area of Virginia.

In 1631, John Smith died in England… penniless, but not forgotten. His children would keep his memory alive. Not blood kin, however, since there’s no evidence of marriage or progeny. His children were England’s New World colonies, into which he poured more than just a little of his energy.

One of Smith’s contemporaries described him as “Brasse without, but Gold within.” Before 1607 Smith had been a mercenary in the wars in Europe and Asia. A distinguished and fearless fighter, he was captured by the Turks, sold as a slave, and escaped after many harrowing adventures.

He signed on to the Virginia expedition, and because of his experience was selected for the colony council. After landing in Virginia, he began a series of voyages exploring and mapping the Chesapeake region. Those maps and descriptions remain some of his most important accomplishments.

In his travels he began a productive diplomatic dialogue with the Algonquian Chiefdom under Chief Powhatan securing, in the crucial first two years, food for the colony and breathing space… allowing Jamestown to expand before it provoked Indian resistance.

In 1608 Smith became President of the Colony. He improved fortifications, and he implemented an unpopular but necessary policy requiring idle settlers to work if they wanted to eat. In 1609 a severe burn forced Smith to sail home. Though he never returned to Virginia, he did explore New England in 1614, and vigorously promoted the English colonies through his extensive writings.

To learn more, visit history is fun dot org.

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