Kathleen Brown establishes that all the information regarding Pocahontas’s life is from second-hand sources and that even the primary source of Captain John Smith is unreliable.
My decision for choosing this article is simply logical, I’ve studied Pocahontas in the past and have a firm understanding of her importance as a cultural bridge between the English and the Indians. This article is the best choice simply because Pocahontas is an example of how two cultures can coexist and even aid in each other during times of distress.
Pocahontas was born into the most powerful Eastern Woodland Indian tribe of the Powhatan. Pocahontas life changed forever when three English ships arrived near the Chesapeake Bay in April 1607. After some complications between the people of Jamestown and the Powhatan tribe, Pocahontas was sent by her father to begin a peaceful communication …show more content…
Pocahontas “served as an emissary for her people” (Brown 72) so that both cultures may coexist. In December of 1607 Jamestown’s leader John Smith was captured by a close relative of Powhatan and was about to be executed, however, in the last moments of this execution, Pocahontas came to the aid of John Smith by putting her head on top of his to save his life. Many historians, however, are doubtful of this incident happening and suspect that John Smith was part of a Rebirthing ritual and not truly in any harm. During the first Anglo-Powhatan war, Pocahontas was tricked into boarding Captain Samuel’s ship and was kidnapped. During her kidnapped sentence, she was converted to Christianity and was baptized under the name Rebecca. She later married an Englishman by the name John Rolfe and gave birth to Thomas