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Primary Source Sets
Powhatan People and the English at Jamestown
An excerpt from A True Relation by Captain John Smith, 1608.

An excerpt from A True Relation by Captain John Smith, 1608.

This book includes John Smith’s first account of being captured and released by Powhatan. The English used in this account is typical of the early seventeenth century, and uses spellings different from those used today. As you read, try taking the ‘e’ off the end of a word to see if it makes more sense without it.

Citation Information
Smith, John, excerpt from “A True Relation by Captain John Smith, 1608,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/f07a58ffe4d9248221c9430d1a2768db.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society via Recollection Wisconsin.

Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

  • the author's point of view
  • the author's purpose
  • historical context
  • audience

Item 9 of 10 in the Primary Source Set Powhatan People and the English at Jamestown

Previous ItemNext Item
A “New Map of Virginia” (with images of Powhatan), 1633 or 1636.
The town of Pomeiock, reproduced by Spencer Nichols from a 1585 watercolor by John White.
Secoton, an American Indian community in North Carolina, engraved by Theodor de Bry in 1590, based on John White’s watercolor of 1585.
Theodor de Bry’s engraving of John White’s illustration of the first Englishmen arriving in Virginia in 1585.
A 1617 illustration of John Smith, the first leader of Jamestown.
An illustration of Pocahontas created in England in 1618.
Excerpts from a pamphlet published in 1609 in favor of English settlement in Virginia.
A nineteenth-century artist imagines what the early days of Jamestown might have looked like.
An excerpt from A True Relation by Captain John Smith, 1608.
An excerpt from John Smith’s second account of being captured and released by Powhatan, published in 1624.

These sets were created and reviewed by teachers. Explore resources and ideas for Using DPLA's Primary Source Sets in your classroom.

To give feedback, contact us at info@dp.la. You can also view resources for National History Day.

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