The New World Terrence Malik, 2005 Jamestown, John Smith and Pocahontas

The New World The New World is a film about the beginning of the English settlement in Virginia. The settlement would eventually become Jamestown, which would be the capital of the Virginia colony until 1699.

Background History The English began trying to settle the Americas in 1585 when they came here, and started the Roanoke Colony. Sir Walter Raleigh was given the rights to build a settlement here by Queen Elizabeth I, and was supposed to build a base for the English settlements and privateers.

Background History The French had actually gotten here first and set up a colony by today’s Charleston in 1562. They moved down to Florida and set up at Ft Caroline in 1564 The Spanish moved in and built a fort at St Augustine in 1565, killing basically all of the French.

Background History With all of this in mind, Elizabeth needed a base to stop the Spanish and French, as well as a place for her “privateers” to stop and re-supply. In 1585 a group of 115 people settled in North Carolina. They had some altercations with the local people, the Aquascogoc, and were short on supplies, so the governor, John White, went back to England to get more men and supplies.

Roanoke A war broke out between Spanish and English and White didn’t get back here until 1590. By then, the 115 were gone.

Further efforts The English were unwilling to give up, and sent a new group in 1606. This time they aimed further north, because they had suspicions the Spanish might have killed the people at Roanoke. 100 people went to Jamestown.

Jamestown

Jamestown They had a lot of problems- there were Powhatan nearby in Werowocomoco that they did not have a good relationship with, the water was brackish, and there was a drought so they had a very hard time growing or finding food.

John Smith John Smith took the colony’s leadership in 1608 and told the colonists that everyone had to work-”no work, no eat” and traded with the Powhatan for food. He was able to make things better for the settlers but then he was burnt in a gunpowder explosion and had to go back to England in 1609.

The Starving Times After Smith’s departure, the settlers were led by George Percy who had no ability to make peace with the Powhatans. The winter was harsh for the Europeans, and they went from 500 people at the beginning of the winter in 1609 to 60in spring of 1610. Food ran out and the settlers were forced to eat their animals, dogs, cats and horses, and then rats and mice, and then shoe leather, and then worse.

The Third Supply Thomas Gates arrived in the spring of 1610 and relieved Percy of his duties. The settlement was in such bad shape they almost abandoned it entirely. A new ship arrived and convinced them to stay. Gates strengthened and extended the British settlements in America. He was replaced in 1611 by Thomas West.

John Rolfe John Rolfe arrived after Gates on the next ship that had been stuck in Bermuda. He helped make the colony profitable with tobacco. He also married Pocahontas.

Pocahontas Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, the head chief of the local tribes. She was born in about 1596 and met John Smith when she was about 10 for the first time. Her real name was Matoax, and Pocahontas was a nickname. The Powhatan people were superstitious about letting their enemies know their real names, and she didn’t tell anyone her real name until she was Christened and took a Christian name.

Pocahontas She first met John Smith when he was captured by her brothers, who intended to kill him. She intervened and saved his life (some people think this was a story that Smith made up) Regardless, we do know that she helped Smith and the settlers quite a bit.

Pocahontas When Smith was injured the other men told her he was dead. She stopped visiting the camp until she was kidnapped by Captain Samuel Argall and held until her father made a truce. It is after this that she becomes a Christian, changes her name to Rebecca and marries John Rolfe.