John Smith: After He Left the Colony

After John Smith was forced to return to England due serious injury from a gunpowder accident, he was eager to return to America. In 1614 he did return and mapped an area he called New England, from Penobscot Bay to Cape Cod. When he tried to return the following year he was captured by pirates and was lucky to escape with his life. Then in 1617 he tried to go back again but his ships never left the ports. He never went back to America. He always advocated English settlement in America however. He wrote many books on his travels to America. Two of these such books were "A Description of New England" and the "A General History of Virginia."  His books convinced many people to move to America. His books also were very self-promoting and some of his stories may have been exaggerated. I think that John Smith was a very clever man. After he moved back to England he pretty much made himself famous. I think that that is incredible! Through his stories he made himself seem great. One of his tactics to make himself look good was talking in third person. In "A General History of Virginia" he used this tactic, so that instead of seeming self-absorbed, people saw him as a hero. People saw him as a great leader, and he is well known still today. But the fact that he made a living off telling his adventures is awesome. Although he self promoted a lot in his stories, he also gave a lot of credit to others and most historians see his tales as factual and accurate. All he was a smart man who knew how to tell a story.