humanities, MI3C
Name: Henry Toll
Date: 10/2/16
7th Grade Humanities
Making 13 Colonies, Chapter 5 Response
Letter to London Company
After reading Chapter 5, imagine you are John Smith. Write a letter to the London Company reporting on your progress as the new leader of the Jamestown colony. What early obstacles have you faced? What successes have you had? What problems have the London Company presented you with? Please be sure to include your relationship with other English colonists, your relationship with the Indians, and Pocahontas. What do you think it will take to succeed in the new world? Use textual evidence throughout.
Get creative and show what you know from the reading. Also, please use the first person voice. This assignment is due on Tuesday, October 4th.
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Dear London Company
I, John Smith, speaking for the new colony of Jamestown have experienced many difficulties caused by climate, disease, laziness, and disobedience. The colony has had bad experiences with a difficult climate and disease because we are located in a swampy land with brackish water and there are mosquitos everywhere that carry terrible diseases like malaria. Our colony is situated on a peninsula and our fort is right next to the water. Our fort is built of wood from trees that grow at the start of the peninsula. Our fort location provides a good cushion for attacks by the Spanish, and the water is deep enough to pull our boats right up onto the shore, but that is all our land position is good for. Besides, we have not been attacked by the Spanish yet. On page 27 “King James had worked out a kind of deal with the Spaniards. It went like this: We English will stop raiding your ships if you Spaniards will promise not to attack our settlers.” Even though we have this treaty with the Spanish, as you know, those Spainish can not be trusted!
Our colony is in danger of dying out because the men you sent here are lazy gentlemen that don’t want to work. Because they are rich people they really do not have any experience nor desire to work. I would love for you to send any other people – especially people who are hard-working and have been trained in practical skills. I am in danger, which is dangerous to the colony because our people don’t trust me and they think themselves above me. They even wanted to send me back to England in chains, but luckily my name was in the box that decides our leaders. Along with trained workers, we also very much need more ships to survive in this new world. Trained workers and more ships are all crucial for the survival of the Jamestown colony.
One thing that has helped our colony is that I have made friends with the Powhatans Indians through respectful interactions with them. I have also made their friendship through the beautiful young Powhatan Princess, Pocahontas. Pocahontas showed her loyalty to me when she saved me by making her father Powhatan spare me from death by putting her head on my head as recorded on page 30 “ Pocahontas, who was Powhatan’s favorite daughter, came to his rescue. She put her head on Smith’s, and Powhatan let him live.” In saving me, Pocahontas brought peace between our colony and the Indians for now. Pocahontas has also helped our colony survive by bringing us food and teaching us how to hunt and farm in this new world. I am in love with Pocahontas.
Your faithful servant,
John Smith/Henry Toll
P.S., Next time you start a Colony absolutely bring trained workers and choose a very good place to build your settlement.