JOHN SMITH

BACKGROUND INFO

John Smith (January 1580 – June 1631) born in Willoughby, Lincolnshire, England. He rose through the ranks of an English soldier and eventually became an Admiral. It was here that he began exploring and helped settle the American colonies.

Why did he do it?In 1606, Smith

began working with the Virginia Company of London. They had planned to colonize Virginia for profit. King James granted them a charter and they set sail in three ships. These ships were the Discovery, the Susan Constant, and Godspeed.

Route Upon arriving in Virginia, Smith and his company explored and mapped the Chesapeake Bay. In addition, they traveled down the major tributaries. These are now known as the James, Rappahannock, and Potomac Rivers.

Finance

King James provided the Virginia Company with a charter to pay for the expedition. Smith took with him a small fleet of three ships. The crew also put names in a hat for who they thought should be elected to the council. They did not read the names until they arrived at the New World. It was no surprise that John Smith was elected to this council.

SIGNIFICANCE

Smith was the first English sailor to explore, map, and colonize the Virginia Colony. Smith enforced a harsh discipline among the men which eventually lead to the settlement being able to grow in prosper. “He who does not work, will not eat” was one of these discliplines. When he returned to London he helped to promote settlement of the New World, especially Virginia.

Reference Page

• Deans, Bob. "Captain John Smith." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 03 May 2013

• "John Smith: A Literary Pioneer." Documenting the American South. The University Library,The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 3 May 2013.

• "Voyages of Exploration." Voyages of Exploration. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2013.