=37. The First Permanent English Settlement.= Raleigh had made it
impossible for Englishmen to forget America. They sent out ships every
year to trade with the Indians. In 1606 a great company was formed of
London merchants and other rich men to plant a colony in Virginia.
[Illustration: THE SITE OF JAMESTOWN
_After a drawing made early in the nineteenth century by an English
traveler, Catherine C. Hopley_]
[Sidenote: =Raleigh's wish comes true=]
King James gave them a charter, ministers preached sermons about
Virginia, and poets sang her praises. At Christmas time one of
Raleigh's old sea captains, Newport, sailed with a colony of more than
one hundred settlers. They went by way of the West Indies, and the
Spaniards, although watching, did not dare to attack them.
[Illustration: JOHN SMITH
_From an engraving made by Simon van Pass, in 1614, on the margin of
Smith's map of "New England" in "A Description of New England." This
shows him at the age of thirty-seven_]
[Sidenote: =Jamestown settled, 1607=]
In the spring, when Virginia is in her gayest dress, the ships sailed
up Chesapeake Bay into the James River, and landed on a peninsula. Here
they began to plant Jamestown, named in honor of their king, the first
permanent English settlement in the New World.
[Sidenote: =Settlers still hunt for gold=]
They first built a fort to protect them from any attacks of Indians
and Spaniards. But most of the settlers wanted to get rich quick, go
back to England, and spend the rest of their days in ease. Therefore,
instead of building comfortable houses and raising something to eat,
they spent their time in searching for gold.
The result was that most of them fell sick and food grew scarce.
Within a few months more than half of the settlers were dead, and the
others were discouraged and homesick. Would this colony fail, too, as
Raleigh's colony had?
=38. John Smith.= There was one man, however, in the colony who could
make Jamestown a success. He bore the plain name of John Smith. But he
was no common man. John Smith had already had as wonderful adventures
as the knights of old.
[Sidenote: =John Smith, a soldier=]
While yet a young man he went to the land of dikes and windmills to
help the brave Hollanders fight against the Spaniards. But he grew
tired of seeing Christians fighting one another, and resolved to go
and fight the Turks. On his way he was robbed in France and left half
dead in a great forest, but was rescued and made his way to the sea.
Then he sailed with a colony of pilgrims going to the Holy Land. After
many adventures John Smith found himself in eastern Europe. He was made
captain of a troop of cavalry and was soon fighting the Turks. In three
hand-to-hand combats, Captain Smith slew his enemies, cut off their
heads, and presented them to his commander.
[Sidenote: =Smith wins a queer coat of arms=]
The Christian army looked on Smith as a hero, and the ruler of the land
gave him a shield with three Turks' heads painted on it as a coat of
arms. The Turks afterwards captured Smith and made a slave of him. His
master's cruelty was so great that Smith slew him, mounted his horse,
and rode away to Russia. He finally returned to England in time to
talk with Captain Newport about America. Just such a man was needed in
founding Jamestown.
[Sidenote: =Fails to gain his position but works instead of sulking=]
The king had made Smith an officer of the new colony, but the other
officers would not permit him to take part in governing Virginia. John
Smith was not a man to sulk and idle his time away, but resolved to do
something useful, by visiting the Indians and gathering food for the
colony.
[Sidenote: =Taken prisoner by the Indians=]
While on an expedition up the Chickahominy, Smith's party was attacked
by two hundred Indians. Smith seized his Indian guide, tied him in
front for a shield, and with his gun was able to hold the Indians at
bay until he fell into a swamp and had to surrender.
He immediately showed the red men his ivory pocket compass. They saw
the little needle tremble on its pivot, but could not touch it. He
wrote a letter to Jamestown. An Indian took it and returned with the
articles asked for in the letter. This was still more mysterious than
the compass.
[Illustration: SMITH SHOWING HIS POCKET COMPASS TO THE INDIANS]
[Sidenote: =Smith learns how Indians live=]
The Indians marched him from one village to another to show off their
prisoner. This gave Smith a chance to learn a great deal about the
Indians. Some of them lived in houses made of the bark and branches of
trees; others had rude huts to shelter them. Now and then a wigwam was
seen large enough to hold several families.
The Indian warriors painted their bodies to make themselves look
fierce. They carried bows and arrows and clubs as weapons, for they
had no guns at that time. The men did the hunting and fighting, but
in other things they were lazy. The Indian women not only cared for
the children, did the cooking, and made the clothes, but also gathered
wood, tilled the soil, and built the wigwams. The Indian wife was the
warrior's drudge.
[Sidenote: =An Indian council tries Smith=]
Smith saw a more wonderful sight still, when he was led to the village
where lived Powhatan. The old chief had prepared a real surprise for
this Englishman. Powhatan, tall, gaunt, and grim, was wrapped in a robe
of raccoon skins. He sat upon a bench before the wigwam fire. His
wives sat at his side. Along the walls stood a row of women with faces
and shoulders painted bright red, and with chains of white shells about
their necks. In front of the women stood Powhatan's fierce warriors.
This council of Indians was to decide the fate of Smith.
[Illustration: AN INDIAN WARRIOR]
[Sidenote: =Smith's rescue by Pocahontas=]
Two big stones were rolled in front of Powhatan, and a number of
powerful warriors sprang upon Smith, dragged him to the stones, and
forced his head upon one of them. As the warriors stood, clubs in hand,
ready to slay Smith, Pocahontas, the beautiful twelve-year-old daughter
of Powhatan, rushed forward, threw her arms around the prisoner, and
begged for his life.
Pocahontas had her way. Powhatan adopted Smith as a son and set him to
making toys for the little maid. This was strange work for the man who
had fought the Spaniards and slain the Turks, and who was to save a
colony. This story is doubted by some people, but is believed by many
good historians.
[Sidenote: =Pocahontas proves a friend in need=]
After a time Smith returned to Jamestown only to find the settlers
facing starvation, and the officers planning to escape to England
in the colony's only vessels. He promptly arrested the leaders and
restored order. In a few days a band of Indians, led by Pocahontas,
entered the fort. They were loaded down with baskets of corn.
The fear of starvation was now gone, because every few days the little
maiden came with food for the settlers. Ever afterwards they called her
"the dear blessed Pocahontas." She was the good angel of the colony.
[Sidenote: =Powhatan refuses to give any more corn=]
When winter came on, Smith resolved to secure another supply of corn.
But Powhatan had noticed the increase of settlers and the building
of more houses. He feared that his people might be driven from their
hunting grounds. Smith knew that Powhatan's women had raised plenty of
corn, so immediately sailed up the river to the old chief's village.
[Sidenote: =Pocahontas shows her friendship=]
Powhatan bluntly told Smith he could have no corn unless he would give
a good English sword for each basketful. Smith promptly refused, and
compelled the Indians to carry the corn on board his boat. That very
night, at the risk of her life, Pocahontas stole through the woods to
tell Smith of her father's plot to kill his men. They kept close watch
all night, and next morning sailed safely away.
But Smith needed still more corn, and stopped at another Indian town.
Suddenly he found himself and his men surrounded by several hundred
Indian warriors. A moment's delay, and all would have been over. Smith
rushed into the chief's wigwam, seized him by the scalp-lock, dragged
him out before his astonished warriors, pointed a pistol at his breast,
and demanded corn. He got it; and the English sailed back to Jamestown
with three hundred bushels of corn on board.
[Sidenote: =Smith induces the settlers to go to work=]
[Sidenote: =Industry brings contentment=]
When spring came Smith resolved that the settlers must go to work. He
called them together and made a speech declaring that "he that will not
work shall not eat. You shall not only gather for yourself, but for
those that are sick. They shall not starve." The people in the colony
not only planted more grain, but repaired the fort and built more and
better houses. Thus they grew happier and more contented with their
home in the Virginia woods.
[Sidenote: =Smith returns to England=]
Unfortunately for the colony, Smith was wounded so badly by an
explosion of gunpowder that he had to return to England for medical
treatment. The settlers again fell into idleness after he left, and
many of them died. Still the colony had gained such a foothold that it
was strong enough to live.
Some years later, Smith sailed to America again, explored the coast
from Penobscot Bay to Cape Cod, drew a map of it, and named the region
New England. This was his last visit to America.
=39. Pocahontas.= After John Smith left, Pocahontas did not visit the
English any more. One time she was seized by an Englishman, put on
board a vessel, and carried weeping to Jamestown.
Before long an English settler, John Rolfe, fell in love with her and
she with him. What should they do? Did not this beautiful maiden of
eighteen years have a strange religion? But she was anxious to learn
about the white man's religion, so the minister at Jamestown baptized
her and gave her the Christian name of Rebecca.
[Illustration: JAMESTOWN BAPTISMAL FONT
_From this font, now in Bruton Parish Church, Va., it is said
Pocahontas was baptized_]
The wedding took place in the little wooden church. No doubt it was
made bright with the wild flowers of Virginia and that all the settlers
crowded to see the strange event. Powhatan gave his consent, but would
not come to the wedding himself. But we may be sure that the sisters
and brothers and the Indian friends of Pocahontas were there.
[Sidenote: =Pocahontas marries John Rolfe=]
[Illustration: THE MARRIAGE OF ROLFE AND POCAHONTAS
_After the painting by Henry Brueckner_]
[Sidenote: =Settlers and Indians become good friends=]
It was a happy day in Jamestown, for all the people, white and red,
loved Pocahontas. The marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe was taken
to mean the uniting of the Indians and settlers by ties of peace and
friendship. For several years white men and red men lived as good
neighbors. Rolfe took Pocahontas to England, where she was received
"as the daughter of a king." The fine people, lords and ladies, called
on her; and the king and queen received her at court as if she were a
princess of the royal blood.
[Sidenote: =Lady Rebecca treated like a princess=]
How different the rich clothes, the carriages, and the high feasting
from her simple life in the woods of Virginia! Here, too, she met her
old friend, John Smith. He called her "Lady Rebecca," as did everybody.
But the memory of other days and other scenes came before her mind. She
covered her face with her hands for a moment, and then said he must
call her "child," and that she would call him "father." Smith must have
thought of the days when she brought corn to Jamestown to feed his
starving people.
[Sidenote: =Pocahontas dies in England=]
When about to sail for her native land, Pocahontas became ill and died
(1617). Her son, Thomas Rolfe, was educated in England by his father's
brother, but later he returned to the land of his mother. He became the
ancestor of many noted Virginians; among these the best known was the
famous orator and statesman, John Randolph of Roanoke.
[Illustration: POCAHONTAS
_After the engraved portrait by Simon van Pass, known as the Bootan
Hall portrait and now at Scalthorpe Hall, Norfolk_]
So ended the life of one who had indeed been a good and true friend
of the people of Virginia. Her name, Pocahontas, meant "Bright Stream
between Two Hills."
LORD BALTIMORE, IN A PART OF VIRGINIA, FOUNDS MARYLAND AS A HOME FOR
PERSECUTED CATHOLICS (1634) AND WELCOMES PROTESTANTS
[Sidenote: =Religious disputes drove people to America=]
=40. A Colony of Catholics and Protestants.= When the people of England
began to change their religion, some became Puritans, others members of
the English Church, and still others Catholics. Great disputes arose
among the religious sects. There was much persecution. To escape this,
many English people fled to the New World. The Puritans settled in New
England, and the Cavalier members of the English Church found new
homes in Virginia.
George Calvert desired to find a home for his people, the Catholics.
He had studied at Oxford University, and had been secretary to one of
Queen Elizabeth's great statesmen. When James I became king, he made
Calvert Baron of Baltimore.
[Sidenote: =Charles I gives Baltimore a part of Virginia=]
His successor, Charles I, was also Baltimore's friend, and when the
latter asked the king for permission to found a colony of Catholics in
America, Charles gave him the whole of what is now Maryland. He also
declared that the colony should bear the name of Maryland in honor of
his queen, Henrietta Maria.
[Sidenote: =All permitted to worship as they pleased=]
Lord Baltimore immediately began to gather a colony of emigrants. He
welcomed Protestants as well as Catholics, for it was decided that in
the colony of Maryland all Christians were to have the same rights.
Very few nations in the world at that time permitted people to worship
as they pleased.
Lord Baltimore died before the expedition was ready, and according to
the custom of England, Cecil Calvert, his eldest son, fell heir to his
estate and titles. The new Lord Baltimore sent more than three hundred
persons in two ships, the _Ark_ and the _Dove_. The long voyage had a
happy ending; the immigrants reached the mouth of the Potomac in the
springtime, when Maryland is at the height of its beauty (1634).
[Sidenote: =The Indians are friendly=]
Governor Calvert, in the _Dove_, sailed up the Potomac. He decided to
locate his little village, which was to be called St. Mary's, on land
occupied by the Indians. He paid for the land on which the wigwams and
cornfields stood, and the Indians invited the settlers to live with
them until their log cabins could be built. This good feeling lasted a
long time, and these settlers escaped the savage wars from which many
of the colonists suffered in the early days.
[Sidenote: =Annapolis founded=]
Many Puritans came into Maryland and settled a town afterwards named
Annapolis. A number of interesting events took place there in the early
days. Later the city became the home of the famous training school for
the American navy, the United States Naval Academy.
[Illustration: GOVERNOR CALVERT LOCATING THE VILLAGE OF ST. MARY'S]
Once Baltimore's authority was taken away because there were some
disputes with a Virginian high in authority. The Puritans joined him
and overthrew Baltimore's rule. Later, however, his authority was
restored and religious freedom reëstablished.
[Sidenote: =Baltimore settled=]
Baltimore, named after the founder of the colony, and afterward the
most important town of Maryland, was settled in 1720.