Accuracy of Pocahontas Essay Example

bullet, supposedly, intended for Chief Powhatan, Chief Powhatan says, “You are always welcome among our people. ” Smith and Pocahontas, then say their last goodbyes and John Smith was deported back to England. Though Disney gives a very beautiful story of what happened, there are still wonders of who these people really were. John Smith was born in 1580 in Lincolnshire in England. As a child, Smith was a dreamer that wanted to explore the world.

As he got older, he began to run away from home. In 1600, Smith decided to leave his hometown and during his three-year journey, he learned many survival skills. These skills later helped him when he came to Virginia. In late April of 1607, Smith’s voyage to Virginia was completed and the colonist settled in Jamestown. John Smith was one of the first governing councils that were appointed by the Virginia Company of London. Shortly after arrival in Jamestown, Smith and a few others set out to find gold and/or a passage to the Pacific Ocean.

On May 23, Smith and the others ran into some Indians. These Indians agreed to show the colonist around areas in Virginia. This friendly relationship, unfortunately, did not last very long. On May 27, the settlers learned that a tribe of Indians attacked their fort in Jamestown. In December of 1607, Smith went on another voyage. When Indians got word of his voyage, they rushed to find him. When they did, the Indians attacked and took Smith hostage. While Smith was being held captive, he had the opportunity to meet Chief Powhatan.

At first, things were peaceful until one day Chief ordered for Smith to be

killed. At this time, Pocahontas sacrificed her life to save John Smith. Matoaka was born around 1595 and 1596. She was the youngest daughter of Chief Powhatan, leader of the Algonquian Indians. Matoaka had her first encounters with the English when she was eleven or twelve years old. The bring about of her interaction with the settlers happened when the Indians would come and trade with them. According to the settlers, she made a great impression on them.

One wrote: gett the Boyes forth with her into the market place and make them wheels, falling on their hands turning their heeles upwards, whom she would follow, and wheels so her self naked as she was all the fort over…”. With her actions among the settlers and her everyday behaviors, Matoaka received the nickname Pocahontas. Pocahontas means “playful” or “mischievous”. Pocahontas was around the age of twelve when she first had an encounter with John Smith.

When Smith was taken prisoner, in 1607, by some Indians, he was brought to Chief Powhatan. Powhatan, then, ordered his men to kill Smith. When the Indians were about to bring Smith to death, Pocahontas sacrificed her life to save him. She then went on to beg her father to let Smith live and free him. After Pocahontas saved him life, Smith then returned back to England. It was not until the spring of 1613 that Pocahontas had another encounter with the settlers. When a captain named Samuel Argall, was trading he found Pocahontas and took hostage back to Jamestown.

Argall had a plan to use Pocahontas to bring peace between the Indians and settlers. When Pocahontas arrived back in Jamestown, the settlers

treated her nicely. They even taught and converted her to Christianity. When her religion changed, she took on the name Rebecca. Also, while being in Jamestown, Pocahontas met a young widower named John Rolfe. In 1614, Rolfe asked permission to marry Rebecca. Everyone included Chief Powhatan, agreed with the proposal and the two were married on April 5, in a church in Jamestown. The newlywed couple had their first child, in 1615. After which, the two moved to England.

In 1616, Pocahontas had a second encounter with her long-lost friend, John Smith. Though they enjoyed England, it wasn’t long before the couple wanted to go back to Virginia. Unfortunately, Rebecca became ill with smallpox. She, then, died in March of 1617 in Gravesend, England. What causes the most controversy with the way Disney presented the story of Pocahontas is how much they changed the historical facts. It is true that there were interactions between Pocahontas and John Smith, but the changes have become emotionally more compelling than the actual written story.