How Did John Smith Influence The Settlement Of Jamestown

The establishment of the first permanent English settlement in the New World was not easy for one man. Captain John Smith, a man known for his bravery and hard times. Smith played a key role in the survival of the Jamestown settlement which led to the establishment of the United States of America. Smith was a soldier, author, cartographer, sailor, and explorer (NPS). Captain John Smith was born in 1580 in Lincolnshire, England (John Smith). At age thirteen Smith ran away to become a sailor (NPS). Smith left home again in 1596 when he was sixteen to become a soldier, he traveled to France to fight against the Spanish (Szalay). In 1600 when Smith got word that the Holy Roman Empire and Muslim Ottoman Empire were at war he set out to join the Holy Roman Empire army (NPS). In 1604 Smith returned to England and became involved with the Virginia Company of London, whose destiny was to colonize Virginia (Szalay). In December 1606 Smith and 104 settlers left England on three ships that set sail to colonize Virginia (NPS). On May 13, 1607 the three ships landed and established a colony called Jamestown (NPS). The settlers of Jamestown faced many

He explored the chesapeake region's geography and sent information about the region back to England (John Smith). Smith learned to trade and make peace with the natives for the colonies survival (Szalay). Smith was important to keep the settlers in good health with the connections he had for food with the Powhatan Indian tribe. John also created highly accurate maps of the Chesapeake area and northern coast (Szalay). Creating the maps was one of the most important tasks John completed, the maps were then used by future explorers (Szalay). The books Smith wrote when he returned to England contained information about Jamestown and the New England territory (John Smith). The books could be accessed by anyone for the common knowledge Smith's