Colonial Unit
John Smith & The General History
John Smith: bio notes
• English soldier and
adventurer
• Sailed in late 1606 for
America
• Southern colonist
• First man to successfully
promote the permanent
settlement of America
• Founded Jamestown,
VA – the first English
colony
• Gave New England its
name
• Captured by Indians in
VA (leader = Powhatan)
• Rescued by Powhatan’s
daughter, Pocahontas,
and made Powhatan’s
“son”
• Wrote The General
History (1624)
Bio, cont…
• Smith’s writing
encouraged people to
settle in America
• Appealed to the sense of
personal and national
glory
• Appealed to the hope of
economic advancement
• Writing aimed to clear
up myths about America
(specifically w/ The
General History)
• learned that you need
patience, a sense of
glory, an experienced
commander, and hard
work to make America
thrive
The General History:
the basics
• Set in VA
• Written in third person to appear more
objective (as if he is telling someone else’s story
as opposed to his own)
• Writing is very verbose (wordy) and descriptive
PAY ATTENTION AS YOU READ!!!
“What Happened Till the First Supply”
• Within 10 days of landing, the men are weak,
sick, exhausted, and hungry (50 people died in
the 1st 4 months)
• While the ships are there the men have ample
food and supplies
• When the ship leaves the common kettle
dwindles and the president keeps the “good
stuff” for himself
• President = Wingfield
• Wingfield was removed from power because he
acted selfishly (hoarded food and tried to
escape with one of the small ships)
• He was replaced with Ratcliffe
• At this point all of the food is gone, the ships
have left shore, and the Indians are lurking
• Smith attributes the Indians’ change of heart
to God’s blessing.
• The Indians fed the colonists instead of killing
them.
“…when God, the patron of all good endeavors,
in that desperate extremity so changed the
hearts of the savages that they brought such
plenty of their fruits, and provisions, as no man
wanted” (17).
The ill-advised journey…
• Smith considered this journey to America illadvised because it
–
–
–
–
was unfamiliar territory
was not necessary to their well-being
wasted time (very long journey)
was not well provided for
• Captain Smith (John Smith, the author), sets
out to explore the Chickahominy River and is
taken prisoner by Indians
• Powhatan, Indian chief, is characterized as
brave, strong, intimidating, wise, respected,
wealthy and generous
• Irony = though Indians previously had a change
of heart, they were not sufficiently impressed
with Smith to spare his life (they tied him to a
tree in preparation to kill him)
• Once they bring him back to Powhatan,
Pocahontas (Powhatan’s daughter) ultimately
saves Smith’s life
• Smith gives Powhatan two guns and a
grindstone
• Powhatan bestows Smith two things: the
country of Capahowosick and the respect of
making Smith his “son”
Upon Smith’s return
• Colony is in chaos
• Ratcliffe is preparing to flee (like Wingfield did
before him)
• Colonists tried to put Smith to death for the
deaths of Robinson and Emry (see page 18)
The Puritan Philosophy
Basic Timeline
1630: The Great
Migration to New
England (Puritans)
1690
1745
The Great Awakening
1636: Harvard
College founded
1692: The Salem
Witch Trials
1620: Mayflower lands
(W. Bradford) with 100
pilgrims
The Puritan Age
Puritanism: a definition
• As a religion it stems from Roman Catholic
Catholics
Church of England
(Anglican)
Puritan (to purify)
• As a way of life it is based on God and his
teachings
•Puritans lived in a THEOCRACY
– Church
=
» Elders
» Ministers
=
» Bible teachings
State
government/law
Puritan Views:
• View of God
–
–
–
–
All-powerful
All-knowing
Revengeful
Just/fair
• View of Man
– Sinful
– Unworthy of salvation
•View of Nature
- Used by God as a way to
punish or reward man
Puritan Tenets (beliefs):
1. The Bible is the inerrant (without errors)
word of God and an outline for living
2. Special people (good Puritans) have been
chosen by God to carry out certain actions
3. Your eternal destiny is decided before you are
born. How you live life hints to this destiny.
4. In all aspects of life, be pragmatic (practical)
and avoid frivolous (unnecessary) activities.
5. “Work is necessary and good for you.”
Puritan reasons for writing:
• Puritan literature is both PRAGMATIC and
THEOCRATIC
• Reasons for writing are
–
–
–
–
–
Loneliness
To describe the new land
For support from Europe
To explain action (esp. W. Bradford)
For religious purposes (esp. J. Edwards)
Jonathan Edwards
&
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God”
Jonathan Edwards: bio
• Born in East Windsor, Connecticut
• Puritan minister
• Believes that everything in God’s universe exists for
some purpose (stated @ age 11)
• Went to Yale College @ 13
• Early 20s he married Sarah Pierrepont, a woman as
absorbed in God as he
• Was an important part of the Great Awakening
(1735 – 1742)
Bio, cont.
• The Great Awakening was the
attempted revival of Puritanism
• “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God” was a powerful sermon that
moved many people  it “aroused
a listening frenzy”
• 1750 – Edwards was dismissed as
preacher of his Northampton
church because of his insistence on
grace as the essence of religious life
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
• Edward’s sermon begins with a thesis – God is allpowerful and keeps you from harm
• He attempts to persuade his congregation through
fear
• Humans, his congregation, take their good health as a
sign that they will be kept from hell
• In reality, if it were not for God, all would fall straight
to Hell
• “…wickedness is as heavy as lead”
– A simile comparing wickedness to a tangible (touchable)
item
– Lead drops just as people weighted with sin would
• Man’s attempt to keep out of Hell is ineffective
– Edwards compare it to a spider’s web stopping a
falling rock – impossible
• Imagery – black clouds of God’s wrath, full of
storm and thunder (meant to instill fear)
• God keeps the storm from rushing
upon you
• The wrath of God is like great waters dammed;
His power, over time, builds
• God may temporarily withhold his vengeance,
but your guilt builds greater and greater
• God is the only one that keeps you from death
• YOU=spider, loathsome insect, hateful
venomous serpent
• If you are not born again (achieve grace) then
you are in danger of receiving God’s wrath
• Not all people have the opportunity to repent
for their sins; those that do are lucky
• Edwards end with hope for his congregation to
receive salvation