United States History Student Edition

BIOGRAPHY POCAHONTAS ( C . 1596–1617)

Pocahontas was of the Pamunkey tribe, which was part of the Powhatan confederacy. Pocahontas , meaning “playful one,” was not her given name but a nickname. She was 10 or 11 years old when the Jamestown settlers arrived in 1607. Pocahontas was instrumental in building peace between the English colonists and the Native Americans in North America, although John Smith's story of being saved by the girl is most likely not true. Still, her help was vital to Jamestown’s success. By the end of 1608, Powhatan decided his people could no longer spare food for the English. Pocahontas stopped visiting Jamestown, and the colony fell into the “starving time.” In 1613, colonists kidnapped Pocahontas, who was about 17. They held her for ransom for more than a year. During this time, she and John Rolfe, an English settler, were married and she converted to Christianity. Not long after the wedding, the Virginia Company had Rolfe take Pocahontas to England so she could be used to advertise the colony. The accompanying image shows her during this period, wearing English clothes. Pocahontas died, likely of a lung illness, before she could return to Virginia.

Inferring Why do you think the English took Pocahontas captive?

Seeking Religious Freedom in New England GUIDING QUESTION Why did the Puritans settle in North America? The Jamestown settlers went to America in search of wealth. The next wave of English colonists arrived in search of religious freedom. England had been a Protestant country since the 1530s, when the king, Henry VIII, broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and formed the Anglican Church, or Church of England. Not everyone in England was happy with the new church, and many people dissented (dih•SEHNT•uhd), disagreeing with Anglican beliefs or practices. Some English people remained Catholic. Others were Protestants who wanted to reform the Anglican Church. Still others wanted to break away from it altogether. Some Protestants who wanted to reform the Anglican Church were called Puritans. Those who sought to set up their own churches were known as Separatists. Puritans and Separatists alike dissent to disagree persecute to harass; to bully; to punish

were persecuted (PUHR•sih•kyoot•uhd), or mistreated, because of their beliefs. Some Separatists fled to the Netherlands. There they found freedom to practice their religion, but they had difficulty finding work. They also worried that their children were losing their religious values and their English way of life. The Mayflower Compact In 1620, a group of Separatists decided to move to America. They became known as the Pilgrims. A pilgrim is someone who undertakes a religious journey. The Pilgrims were able to get grants of land from the Virginia Company and permission to practice their religion freely. They boarded a ship called the Mayflower and left to begin new lives. The Mayflower drifted off course on its journey across the Atlantic. The first land the Pilgrims sighted was Cape Cod, well north of their target. It was November, and winter was approaching. The colonists decided to drop anchor in Cape Cod Bay. They went ashore in December at a place they named Plymouth.

pilgrim person who goes on a religious journey

Ian Dagnall/Alamy Stock Photo

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The English Colonies Are Settled and Grow