According to the Christian calendar, the year was 1607. A ship full of Englishmen came
to Virginia to find gold, to find a shortcut to the other ocean, and to turn Native
Americans into Christians. Pocahontas, her father Powhatan, and their people felt that the
Englishmen led by Captain Newport were intruders.
One brave Englishman named John Smith was exploring the land near where Powhatan’s
tribe lived. He was captured when he fell into a swamp while fighting the Native
Americans. Pocahontas saved him from being killed in a Native American ceremony, so he
became her adopted brother. John Smith was very firm in his dealings with the Native
Americans except for Pocahontas. John gave her gifts almost every time he saw her. He had
several disagreements with Powhatan and with the other English settlers. Captain Newport
would give the Native Americans almost anything they wanted in trading. On the other hand,
John Smith would not give them weapons.
Finally, John Smith got tired of dealing with the Native Americans and with the other
Englishmen such as Mr. Ratcliff and Captain Archer. He left Jamestown and returned to
England. While he was gone the settlers had a year known as Starving Time. Many people
died and there were many battles between the Native Americans and Englishmen. Pocahontas
longed for peace, but the killing continued.
The people of Jamestown did not see Pocahontas for about four years. An Englishman,
Samuel Argall , found out Pocahontas was nearby, so he made a plan to kidnap her. He got a
Native American woman, the wife of Japizaw, to try to lure Pocahontas to an English ship
for a copper kettle. Pocahontas did not want to go on the ship. She was forced to go to
Jamestown and the to Rock Hall.
While she was there, she dressed like the English women and studied Christianity.
She met a widower named John Rolfe and the two married on April 5, 1614. In April of
1616, they sailed
to England. There she saw her adopted brother, John Smith. He was now a countryman.
Pocahontas was afraid to go back to Jamestown, but she was bothered by her double life.
She was a Native American who lived like an English woman. On her way back to America,
Pocahontas died at the age of twenty-one. Although her life was short, she was very
important to the history of our country. Pocahontas was a strong woman who believed that
Native Americans and the English could live together in peace.
The story of Pocahontas was told in a Disney movie, but much what happened in the movie
was not true. To find out the true story about the life of Pocahontas, you should read
this book. It was hard to get into at first, but overall, I enjoyed it. This book was just
right about my reading level. It would be interesting to someone who likes to read about
Native Americans or history. I would recommend this book to others because Pocahontas is a
good role model and an important person in the history of our country.