John Smith (explorer)

"Captain John Smith" redirects here. For other people named John Smith, see John Smith.

John Smith
An illustration of Smith in 1624
Bornc. 1579
Willoughby, Lincolnshire, Kingdom of England
Died21 June 1631 (aged 51)
London, Kingdom of England
Resting placeSt Sepulchre-without-Newgate, London
Known forHelping to establish and govern the Jamestown colony
Exploration of Chesapeake Bay
Exploration and naming of New England
English literature
Notable workA Description of New England, Generall Historie of Virginia
Signature

John Smith (baptized 6 January 1580 – 21 June 1631) was an English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, admiral of New England, and author. Following his return to England from a life as a soldier of fortune and as a slave,[1] he played an important role in the establishment of the colony at Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America, in the early 17th century. He was a leader of the Virginia Colony between September 1608 and August 1609, and he led an exploration along the rivers of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay, during which he became the first English explorer to map the Chesapeake Bay area. Later, he explored and mapped the coast of New England. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Báthory, Prince of Transylvania, and his friend Mózes Székely.

Jamestown was established on May 14, 1607.[2] Smith trained the first settlers to work at farming and fishing, thus saving the colony from early devastation. He publicly stated, "He that will not work, shall not eat", alluding to 2 Thessalonians 3:10.[3] Harsh weather, a lack of food and water, the surrounding swampy wilderness, and attacks from Native Americans almost destroyed the colony. With Smith's leadership, however, Jamestown survived and eventually flourished. Smith was forced to return to England after being injured by an accidental explosion of gunpowder in a canoe.

Smith's books and maps were important in encouraging and supporting English colonization of the New World. Having named the region of New England, he stated: "Here every man may be master and owner of his owne labour and land. ...If he have nothing but his hands, he may...by industries quickly grow rich."[4] Smith died in London in 1631.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NationalEndowmentfortheHumanities was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Staff (2021). "History of Jamestown". HistoricJamestowne.org. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  3. ^ Snell 1974, Ch. 4
  4. ^ David Cressy (1987). Coming Over: Migration and Communication Between England and New England in the Seventeenth Century. p. 99. Cambridge University Press [ISBN missing]