Document 2.1 JOHN SMITH, The Commodities in Virginia (c. 1612)
Document 2.2 Powhatan’s Viewpoint, as Reported by John Smith (1608)
Document 2.3 JOHN WINTHROP, A Model of Christian Charity (1630)
Document 2.4 RICHARD FRETHORNE, Letter Home from Virginia (1623)
Document 2.5 Letter Home from Massachusetts Bay (1631)
INTERPRET THE EVIDENCE
How does John Smith describe Virginia (Document 2.1)? According to Smith, what does Virginia have to offer settlers? Why do you think he wrote this document? What does he mean by “a businesse (most acceptable to God) to bring such poore Infidels to the knowledge of God and his holy Gospell”?
What are Powhatan’s (Document 2.2) complaints of John Smith and the English colonists? Does he support peace or war with the colonists? Considering that John Smith recorded the conversation, what might call into question its accuracy?
Why, according to John Winthrop, were the Puritans traveling to the New World (Document 2.3)? What obligations did the colonists have to one another? What did he mean when he said they would live as “a city upon a hill”?
How does Richard Frethorne describe his experience in Virginia (Document 2.4)? Whom does he refer to as “the Enimy”?
What problems did the settler in Watertown encounter (Document 2.5)? What was his opinion on the future of the settlement? How did he describe the Indians? How does his letter compare to Frethorne’s letter? Why are these kinds of letters valuable to historians?
PUT IT IN CONTEXT
Based on what you have read, how did the colonies of Virginia and Massachusetts Bay differ? In what ways were they similar?
Thinking through Sources forExploring American Histories, Volume 1Printed Page 12