Who was the real Pocahontas?

Most of us have heard about this legendary Native American Princess from history and maybe a few of us have seen Disney's version of her story. Often, legendary stories are mixed with half-truths and great story-telling. The study of history asks us to look more closely at some of the information we CAN verify. This can be done through primary sources. Primary sources are defined by Wikipedia as " an artifact, a document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, a recording, or any other source of information that was created at the time under study. It serves as an original source of information about the topic." (emphasis mine). I like to go to the source as often as possible when I'm reading about a historical event, lest I confuse the Disney princess with the actual historical figure. Sometimes the writing is more archaic, or old-fashioned. There might be strange spellings or words you aren't familiar with. That's okay. You will understand more than you realize and we will break down the trickier parts in class.

This week we will look at several primary documents. This one fills us in on what really happened between John Smith and Pocahontas. Check it out and think about the similarities and differences from the event you might have heard previously.

John Smith's Letter to Queen Anne

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Harper's Academy U.S. History and American Literature

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