A Beginner's History. William H. Mace
of "patroon" or "patron," on the condition that they plant colonies at their own expense. Each patroon was to govern the people on his own land.
CHILD'S CHAIR AND CRADLE
Furniture used by the patroons
The patroons and their way of living
The greatest of the patroons was Van Rensselaer, whose plantation in the region of Fort Orange included one thousand square miles. The farmers and servants on these plantations looked upon the patroon as being much above them in authority and social position.
Every year the farmers and their families came with their wagons filled with what they had raised to pay the patroon for the use of the land. He set them a great feast, and there was merrymaking all day long.
A wicked Indian war
The growth of New Netherland attracted bad men as well as good men. Some mean traders robbed and murdered a number of Indians not of the Five Nations. The Indians robbed and murdered in return. War broke out, and before it ended many settlements were broken up, and hundreds of settlers killed.
Parties of Indians roved day and night over Manhattan Island, killing the Dutch even in sight of Fort Amsterdam. The people blamed their governor, Kieft, and threatened to arrest him and send him to Holland. He finally made peace with the Indians just before the new governor arrived.
SUGGESTIONS INTENDED TO HELP THE PUPIL
The Leading Facts. 1. Henry Hudson, searching for a shorter route to India, discovered the river which now bears his name. 2. Dutch traders built trading posts throughout the region, made a treaty with the Indians, purchased Manhattan Island, and built the town of New Amsterdam.
Study Questions. 1. Tell the story of Henry Hudson and the Half Moon. 2. What was the fate of Hudson? 3. When was a trading post planted on Manhattan? 4. Make a mental picture of the treaty with the Indians. 5. How did the Dutch treatment of the Indians compare with the Spanish? 6. What three things did Peter Minuit do? 7. Who were the patroons?
Suggested Readings. Hudson: Williams, Stories from Early New York History, 1–4, 32–36; Wright, Children's Stories in American History, 292–299; Griffis, Romance of Discovery, 233–245.
FAMOUS PEOPLE IN EARLY VIRGINIA
JOHN SMITH THE SAVIOR OF VIRGINIA, AND POCAHONTAS ITS GOOD ANGEL
37. The First Permanent English Settlement. Raleigh had made it impossible for Englishmen to forget America. They sent out ships every year to trade with the Indians. In 1606 a great company was formed of London merchants and other rich men to plant a colony in Virginia.
THE SITE OF JAMESTOWN
After a drawing made early in the nineteenth century by an English traveler, Catherine C. Hopley
Raleigh's wish comes true
King James gave them a charter, ministers preached sermons about Virginia, and poets sang her praises. At Christmas time one of Raleigh's old sea captains, Newport, sailed with a colony of more than one hundred settlers. They went by way of the West Indies, and the Spaniards, although watching, did not dare to attack them.
JOHN SMITH
From an engraving made by Simon van Pass, in 1614, on the margin of Smith's map of "New England" in "A Description of New England." This shows him at the age of thirty-seven
Jamestown settled, 1607
In the spring, when Virginia is in her gayest dress, the ships sailed up Chesapeake Bay into the James River, and landed on a peninsula. Here they began to plant Jamestown, named in honor of their king, the first permanent English settlement in the New World.
Settlers still hunt for gold
They first built a fort to protect them from any attacks of Indians and Spaniards. But most of the settlers wanted to get rich quick, go back to England, and spend the rest of their days in ease. Therefore, instead of building comfortable houses and raising something to eat, they spent their time in searching for gold.
The result was that most of them fell sick and food grew scarce. Within a few months more than half of the settlers were dead, and the others were discouraged and homesick. Would this colony fail, too, as Raleigh's colony had?
38. John Smith. There was one man, however, in the colony who could make Jamestown a success. He bore the plain name of John Smith. But he was no common man. John Smith had already had as wonderful adventures as the knights of old.
John Smith, a soldier
While yet a young man he went to the land of dikes and windmills to help the brave Hollanders fight against the Spaniards. But he grew tired of seeing Christians fighting one another, and resolved to go and fight the Turks. On his way he was robbed in France and left half dead in a great forest, but was rescued and made his way to the sea. Then he sailed with a colony of pilgrims going to the Holy Land. After many adventures John Smith found himself in eastern Europe. He was made captain of a troop of cavalry and was soon fighting the Turks. In three hand-to-hand combats, Captain Smith slew his enemies, cut off their heads, and presented them to his commander.
Smith wins a queer coat of arms
The Christian army looked on Smith as a hero, and the ruler of the land gave him a shield with three Turks' heads painted on it as a coat of arms. The Turks afterwards captured Smith and made a slave of him. His master's cruelty was so great that Smith slew him, mounted his horse, and rode away to Russia. He finally returned to England in time to talk with Captain Newport about America. Just such a man was needed in founding Jamestown.
Fails to gain his position but works instead of sulking
The king had made Smith an officer of the new colony, but the other officers would not permit him to take part in governing Virginia. John Smith was not a man to sulk and idle his time away, but resolved to do something useful, by visiting the Indians and gathering food for the colony.
Taken prisoner by the Indians
While on an expedition up the Chickahominy, Smith's party was attacked by two hundred Indians. Smith seized his Indian guide, tied him in front for a shield, and with his gun was able to hold the Indians at bay until he fell into a swamp and had to surrender.
SMITH SHOWING HIS POCKET COMPASS TO THE INDIANS
He immediately showed the red men his ivory pocket compass. They saw the little needle tremble on its pivot, but could not touch it. He wrote a letter to Jamestown. An Indian took it and returned with the articles asked for in the letter. This was still more mysterious than the compass.
Smith