Captain John Smith: American Hero

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Happy streaming! Same. But for me, it was kind of like wishing away my taxes. I've thought about trying medication for my anxiety before, but I don't know where to start. I've got you. Through hers, you can get a prescription 100% online if a medical professional determines it's right for you. And through the hers app, you can message them at any time. There shouldn't be a stigma about taking medication for anxiety. Start your free assessment today at forhers.com slash care. That's forhers.com slash care. Prescriptions require an online consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if appropriate. Restrictions apply. See website for details and important safety information. Subscription required.

Controlled substances like Adderall are not available through the hers platform. This is Lee Habib and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people. And to search for the Our American Stories podcast, go to the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. In 1606, 105 British colonists sailed to America seeking gold and a trade route to the Pacific. Only the leadership of Captain John Smith, who died on this day in 1631, averted doom with the first permanent English settlement in the New World. Many people know John Smith as the man who was saved by Pocahontas. But what you may not know is that he had led a life full of adventure. Here to tell the story is Juliana Rogers, author of Captain John Smith, American Hero.

Let's take a listen. John Smith is known in history as being a really important part of the Jamestown settlement, becoming the first permanent English settlement in America. So you would think his qualifications might be, you know, he's from a wealthy family, he's very well connected, he's tall, dark, handsome, charming, well-spoken, very diplomatic. And he's just about the opposite. You know, he really was not those things. So John Smith was born in 1580 in England. He was the son of a farmer. And his father's name was George and his mom's name was Alice. And he had a younger brother and a younger sister.

So they weren't wealthy, but they weren't poor either. His father owned some land and was the farmer on that land, but then also leased some land from a local lord, Lord Willoughby. And Lord Willoughby was very fond of John's father. They had a good relationship. So he allowed John to go to school with his sons.

And this was a very kind thing of Lord Willoughby to do. And John, he was a fine student, but I think he often daydreamed of adventure and he also was treated poorly by the other students who were the sons of gentlemen. And in that time in England, you know, it was a pretty strict class society where if you are born into an upper-class family, you know, you are often the son of a gentleman or a lord. And John was the son of a farmer and they treated him poorly.

They treated him as such. Also at that time, Francis Drake had returned to England and he was a hero. He had circumnavigated the globe and brought back a lot of gold for Queen Elizabeth I. And she knighted him, so he became Sir Francis Drake.

And John saw this as an example. Sir Francis Drake was also the son of a farmer and so John saw this as this person became a knight. He became Sir Francis Drake and very famous and loved through his actions, not because he was born into the right family. So once he was finished with school, he actually had the opportunity to continue with school, but he longed for adventure. So he became a soldier and he went and fought in the Netherlands. And he writes of that time in his journals, he writes that he felt like he was fighting against men with very similar beliefs to his own.

And so he just, his heart wasn't in it. So he returned home to England and he's kind of lost and he's only about 16 or 17 at this point, but he doesn't know what to do next. So it's around this time that he meets a man named Theodore Paleolog. And Theodore was a direct descendant of Constantine XI, who was the last Greek emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. And Theodore told him about these battles happening in Eastern Europe called the Crusades. And he explained that the Turks were trying to spread their Muslim religion across Europe. And John was an English Protestant, so he felt like this was a fight he could believe in.

This is a fight he could get behind and, you know, drive out the Turks from spreading their religion across Europe. So he was captivated by these stories and he was in. This is what he wanted to do next. He was going to go fight in the Crusades and make a name for himself. He didn't just rush off. He really took time to prepare and he did that by studying with Theodore Paleolog and learning horsemanship. Things like riding your horse at full speed while using various weapons.

Very important, obviously, during that time. Also, he prepared by reading books like The Art of War. He learned battle techniques and strategies. He wasn't just rushing off this time.

He took a full year to prepare before he was ready to go and fight in the Crusades. So he catches a ship to northern France and on the journey he meets four gentlemen who are really nice. And they get along very well as they're making the trip to northern France and they lock John in his room and take all of his belongings. So these were not kind, friendly gentlemen. These were thieves.

And by the time John got out of his room, they were long gone with all of his belongings. And he has a choice to make. He can head back home and try again or he can keep going. So he decides he's going to walk across France. So John begins walking to southern France. One day he meets a man and he's telling him about where he's come from and where he's going and they hit it off.

They become friends. And this man is the Count of Plour and he's very impressed with what John is trying to do. So he gives him enough money for the rest of his journey.

So now John has enough funds. He makes it to the south of France. He boards a ship that's headed for Rome. And almost immediately after they set sail, a storm hits and the boat is being tossed and turned and it's quite scary for everyone on board.

Well, everyone else on board are Roman Catholics, except for John, who's an English Protestant. And they think that God is punishing them because they allowed John on board the ship. So they take him and throw him overboard. And eventually he's able to find a small piece of land and he drags himself up. And eventually a ship comes and he flags him down and he boards the ship only to quickly realize this is a pirate ship.

And he's got to talk himself out of this situation. So he tells them again, this is where I came from. This is where I'm going. Some guys stole all my stuff, but the Count of Plour gave me enough funds to get me where I need to go. And the pirate captain stops him and says, Count of Plour, that's my friend, too.

Any friend of his is a friend of mine. We will take you where you need to go. So they take John, but they also plundered a few ships along the way. And John must have helped because they gave him his share of the booty when they dropped him off in Italy and they gave him 500 gold coins. And you're listening to Juliana Rogers tell the story of Captain John Smith. More of the remarkable American hero story and journey here on Our American Stories. Lee Habib here, the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country.

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Controlled substances like Adderall are not available through the Hearst platform. And we continue with our American stories and the story of Captain John Smith, who died on this day in sixteen thirty one. Let's return to Juliana Rogers with more of the story. John finally reaches the Crusades and he is about 21 years old now. It's the summer of 1601.

It doesn't take long before he makes a name for himself. So in this battle, they're outside a walled city. And at that time, their guns were called matchlock muskets. And the matchlock musket always had a small fuse that stayed lit. So at dark, you could see a little glowing amber. So John went to the leader of the regiment and said, I have this idea.

How about after dark, we light a bunch of tiny matches. And that way, when our enemy looks over the wall, they will see thousands of tiny, glowing numbers and think that each one represents a gun and know and that they are completely outnumbered. So it worked perfectly, just like John said, their enemy looked out, thought they were completely outnumbered and panicked and they were easily overtaken. And John was given credit for that victory and he was promoted to captain. And he was very proud of that title. And he went by Captain John Smith for the rest of his life. A few months later, it's the spring of 1602 and John's 22 years old and they again are outside a walled city, preparing to attack when the leader inside the walled city issues a challenge to any English officer.

Well, all of the English officers want to be chosen, so they draw lots. And John was chosen. And he's very excited because it's a jousting match.

And he, of course, has trained well with Theodore Paleolog. And he knows that the weakest part on a suit of armor is the visor. And John describes in his journals what almost sounds like a scene out of a movie because he describes how his opponent came out. So there's John sitting atop his horse. He has his one squire holding his lance. And here comes his opponent. And as he appears in this bejeweled suit of armor, which actually has like a set of wings on it for decoration, he has multiple attendants.

The horns blare as he comes out of the crowd and everyone cheers. And it couldn't be more opposite than John sitting atop his horse with his squire next to him. Well, as they begin to ride toward each other, at the last moment, John lifts his lance and slams into the man's visor and kills him. The man's friend is so angry and upset that he challenges John as well. So the first pass, they go toward each other with lances and the lances slam into each other and shatter.

So the next pass, they use pistols. And as they ride toward each other, John is hit, but his suit of armor protects him. John's bullet hits the man's arm. He loses control of his horse and falls to the ground. And as John wrote in his journals later, the man lost his head as his friend did before. So now John's feeling pretty good. So he issues a challenge of his own.

Hey, if there's anyone who's actually worthy of battling me, you know, let him step forth. And a man named Bonnie Mulgrew accepts that challenge. So the first pass is pistols and they miss each other. And the next pass is battle axes. So they're riding toward each other with these massive battle axes. And as they swing, the two battle axes hit and John's thrown to the ground. And the rules state that he has to pass again without his battle axe. The only weapon he has is a small sword called a falchion. So as they're riding toward each other, what John does is he holds on tight to the reins and he leans out as far as he can. And the battle axe just misses him. But then he turns quickly and uses that small sword and stabs it in between the shoulder blades on the suit of armor. So it's this amazing victory. He is awarded by the leader of the regiment, Prince Digmont, a coat of arms, a portrait in gold and a generous reward. So according to English tradition, if you have a coat of arms, you are considered a gentleman.

So John, through acts of his own, has now been elevated and he is considered a gentleman, according to English society. So it wasn't long after that that his luck runs out. There's a massive battle. They were completely outnumbered and many, many of the soldiers died and many more were taken prisoner. And John was taken prisoner and he was sold as a slave to a man named Boscia. And he was forced to walk 500 miles to Constantinople where Boscia gave John as a gift to a woman that he liked.

And her name was Turitska. But as you can imagine, John in his broken Italian telling her tales of his adventures, of his battles and his victories and how he's a hero. And she knows if her parents find out that she's falling for this Englishman, they are going to send him away forever. So she sends him away to her brother's farm out in the country and tells her brother, keep this slave.

I will call for him in a couple of years. Well, her brother figures out. He puts two and two together and figures out that his sister likes this Englishman. And so he treats John like the slave to the slaves. And he shaves his head bald, puts a thick metal band around his neck and forces him to work in the fields along with all the other slaves. One day, John's out working in the wheat fields and the brother comes up on horseback and he begins to beat John.

And John knows something's different this time. He's going to kill him. So he takes his wheat threshing bat and he swings it and knocks the brother off the horse and continues to beat him until he's dead. Shoves him under a pile of wheat, takes his clothes, takes his horse and rides north. Now, he is in the middle of enemy territory. He is so far from any allies. He is very easily identified as a slave. He has a thick metal band around his neck. He's a white man. So he rides for 16 days straight until he reaches Russia where he finds friendly troops and tells them his story.

And they release the metal ring from his neck and he is free. Now, John kept journals and oftentimes he explained in great detail about conversations or what the place was like. Often there was so much information, but this is not one of those times. Now, when he got back to England, it was a very different England than the one he had left. When he left, Queen Elizabeth I was the ruler. While he was fighting in the Crusades, she died and her cousin, King James, was now in charge.

Where Queen Elizabeth was very focused on strengthening England itself, King James was very focused on strengthening England by growing beyond its borders. Bartholomew Gosnell had just recently returned from a trip to Virginia. And he believed that this land in Virginia would be a great place for England to establish a settlement, to establish a colony. So he was promoting it, gathering people to take the journey, trying to raise funds to support the journey. And when he met John, he thought, oh, this person is perfect. Well, as you can imagine, it takes a bit of time to prepare for such a journey. And it took over two years for Bartholomew Gosnell to raise the funds, get the crew together, get enough passengers, get approval from King James and everything that goes along with that.

And as you can imagine, John's not great at waiting around and just idly sitting by. So he used the time really, really wisely. He studied map making because he knew that they were among the first English to travel to this area.

And so they would need maps for those that came after them. He studied Algonquin so that he would be able to communicate with the local American Indians. And what a story you're hearing about Captain John Smith. Anyone who's read his writing, his own journals, you can't put it down.

It's like Grant's writing Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs. This is some of the best reading material you can have to get your hands around Winston Churchill, too, writing about his own life story and particularly all of the battles he fought in his life. Smith's story, very much like Churchill's, except for one difference. Churchill grew up in a palace and fought to earn respect. And Captain John Smith grew up on a farm and fought to earn his respect.

But both men earned the respect and accolades of their peers. And by the way, you're listening to Juliana Rogers, author of Captain John Smith, American Hero. You can go to Amazon.com and get the book. You won't put it down.

When we come back, what happens next with Captain John Smith, who died on this day in 1631? Here on Our American Stories. Want all your favorite music, radio and podcasts?

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Controlled substances like Adderall are not available through the hers platform. And we return to Our American Stories and the story of Captain John Smith, who died on this day in 1631. Let's return to Juliana Rogers. So they're funded by a company called the Virginia Company of London. They have three goals for the group that's heading to Virginia. Number one, find gold. Number two, find the Northwest Passage. So during that time, they believed there was a waterway that connected the Atlantic to the Pacific, that they would be able to navigate and make it to the Orient. And the third goal was to find any survivors from the lost colony.

Several years earlier, another English expedition went to Roanoke, Virginia, and the English were never seen or heard from again. Captain Christopher Newport is in charge of the three ships heading across the Atlantic. Everyone admired Captain Christopher Newport. He was this tall, one-armed sea captain who actually fought alongside Sir Francis Drake. So on December 20th, they set sail.

And if you go to Jamestown, you can see actual replicas of these ships, and it's stunning to see how small they are. So the Susan Constant had 71 people, the Godspeed had 52 people, and the Discovery had 21 people. So in all, there were 105 passengers and 39 crew. Here's a list of who they sent. 50 gentlemen, 12 laborers, four carpenters, four boys, two bricklayers, a priest, a sailmaker, a mason, a blacksmith, a surgeon, a tailor, and a drummer.

It took 144 days, four and a half months. John would pass the time by telling the crew and the boys his stories of his battles and bragging and I'm sure exaggerating, you know, these amazing stories, that he's a hero, and the men and the boys, or the crew and the boys enjoyed it. I mean, it's a great way to pass the time to hear these stories. But many people also did not enjoy it, and those were those powerful gentlemen that were on board the ship. In fact, probably the most powerful from the most powerful family was on board John's ship, and they very quickly became enemies, and his name was Edward Wingfield. So Wingfield distrusted John. He was jealous of John, and he went to Captain Newport and said, John is trying to take over the ship. John Smith is guilty of mutiny.

We need to hang him. And Captain Newport disagreed politely with Wingfield and said, don't worry about it. And he went to John and said, hey, stay away from Wingfield, you know, cool it.

You know, we have a long way to go, so let's try to get along here. When they arrived in the island of Nevis to replenish food and water, Captain Newport's busy managing those things, so Wingfield decides we're going to hang John Smith now. So he quickly has a gallows erected, and he tells John he's going to be hanged, and John just laughs him off, and John's friends protect him.

And Wingfield is outraged that a man as powerful as him is not being listened to. So Newport realizes he needs to do something. So he tells John Smith, we'll figure this out when we get to Virginia, but for now you are confined to below decks. He's actually a prisoner in shackles. And here this man, who would be so important to the survival of Jamestown, arrives in Virginia as a prisoner in shackles. So why did Captain Newport protect John Smith?

It just doesn't make any sense if you think about it. Wingfield's very powerful. He's very important. You see, there was a secret box that was sent along with the journey. And while Captain Newport was in charge during the journey, once they got to Virginia, after a few weeks Captain Newport would leave, and so they needed a governing body to be in charge when they were in Virginia. So the Virginia Company sent along a sealed box that they were only to open once they arrived in Virginia, and it had the names of eight men who would be on the governing council of Jamestown. Wingfield is the very first name on the list.

No one is surprised. It's followed by several other gentlemen, and everyone is shocked when they read the last name on the list, Captain John Smith. So maybe Captain Newport knew this, and that's why he protected John Smith. So once they arrived in Virginia, they named it Jamestown after their king, King James. After two months, Captain Newport left. He returned to go back to England, and almost immediately after he left, a sickness spread throughout Jamestown. Many men died.

In fact, they began the summer with 104, and by the end of summer, only 50 were left. However, John noticed that Wingfield and his friends seemed to be doing better than the rest, and he realized that Wingfield was keeping the freshest, healthiest food for himself and his friends. So he was removed as president of the council, and John Radcliffe was put in charge. And John Radcliffe wasn't a whole lot better than Wingfield, but at least he recognized John Smith's strengths, and he put John in charge of establishing relations with the local American Indians so that they could trade for food. So John heads upriver on a historic adventure. So John heads upriver. He takes a few men, and they actually have an Indian guide at this point. Well, they are ambushed by over 200 Indians, and the only survivors are John Smith and the Indian guide. And John realizes, well, maybe they won't kill one of their own, so he ties himself to the Indian guide, and the Indian guide needs to survive, so he tells the other Indians, this is a where once, this is a leader, and so they know that only another leader should determine the fate of this leader, John Smith. And so they tell John to lay down his gun, and John remembers that not long ago he was a slave, and he doesn't want to be captive again, so he continues to fight, and he's so outnumbered it's pointless, but he continues to fight until he steps back into this muddy bog, and it's almost like quicksand. It just starts sucking him in, and he realizes he's lost, so he lays down his weapon.

They pull him out of the mud, and they take him to the local chief. So they take him to see Chief Opicon Canoe. Opicon Canoe is this enormous chief of the local tribe of Powhatan Indians, and John knows he needs to do something to impress this leader very quickly because his fate is in his hands. So he takes out his compass, and Opicon Canoe had never seen anything like this before, and the needle moving some way that he doesn't know how it's moving, so he's impressed with this interesting item, and so John thinks, phew, I think I just saved my life. And immediately Opicon Canoe gives a signal, and they take John, tie him to a tree, and they all draw their bows and arrows. But he doesn't beg or cry or plead.

He just stands there bravely, accepting his fate. Opicon Canoe is impressed by this display of courage, so he orders John to be untied. What they do is they take him, Opicon Canoe takes him from tribe to tribe to tribe, and eventually they make it to Warawokomoko, which is where the paramount chief of all of the tribes of this area, and Opicon Canoe's brother, lives. And you're listening to one heck of a story about Captain John Smith and his journey from rural farmer in England, across the globe, and to the United States eventually, and to Jamestown.

And you're listening to Juliana Rogers tell the story. She's the author of Captain John Smith, American Hero, and her book is available on Amazon.com. And of course, Captain John Smith came to find gold and to find this mythical Northwest Passage. Which of course, would never come to be. And of course, to find survivors from the last colony sent from England, the disappeared colony of Roanoke, Virginia.

When we come back, more of the remarkable story of Captain John Smith and how America came to be, and who the people were who made it happen, here on Our American Stories. MUSIC $398 at Walmart. With its big screen, crystal clear picture, and built-in apps like iHeartRadio to play all your favorite music, radio, and podcasts, this is the perfect TV for gatherings big or small. Get yours at Walmart today. Download the Wish app today. I've never thought about trying medication for my anxiety before, but I don't know where to start.

I've got you. Through hers, you can get a prescription 100% online if a medical professional determines it's right for you. And through the Hers app, you can message them at any time. There shouldn't be a stigma about taking medication for anxiety. Start your free assessment today at ForHers.com slash care.

That's ForHers.com slash C-A-R-E. Prescriptions require an online consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if appropriate. Restrictions apply. Details and important safety information. Subscription required.

Controlled substances like Adderall are not available through the Hers platform. MUSIC And we continue with our American stories and the story of Captain John Smith, who died on this day in 1631. Let's return to Juliana Rogers. They take John into the biggest longhouse, and it's estimated to be about the size of half a football field. And as they walk in, as John's eyes adjust to the darkness, he realizes it's filled with all of the leaders from all the different tribes he had just visited on his journey to Wero-Wokomoko.

And all of the leaders are painted red from the shoulders up. And when he enters, they all give a loud whoop. And the very first question Chief Powhatan asks is, Why are you here and when are you leaving?

Meaning Jamestown. And John immediately lies because he knows his fate is in this man's hands. And if he says, I went from a country called England and we're going to build a colony here and spread across the land, you know, Chief Powhatan is going to have him killed. So he lies and says, A Spanish ship chased us here.

We are here until Captain Newport comes back, and then he will take us back to England. So Chief Powhatan seems satisfied with that answer. And John thinks it's going pretty well when suddenly Chief Powhatan gives an order. Two of his men take John. They force him to kneel down and lay his head across a huge boulder in the center of the room. And they raise their clubs about to lower them and smash his head. There's nothing John can do.

Again, certain death. So he closes his eyes and prepares for the strike. And that's when he hears a small voice speaking quickly in Algonquin. And he realizes it's the Chief's daughter, Pocahontas. And she's asking her father to spare John Smith's life. And Chief Powhatan says no, but she keeps talking quickly. And she's afraid she's not going to convince him by the time he gives the order to have John killed.

So she rushes over and lays her head on top of his, knowing full well that they will not hurt her. Now Disney has transformed this into a romance, but we know that that was not true. Pocahontas was probably 10 or 11 years old. More than likely, they were similar. They were both brave and bold and strong and stood up for what they believed in.

There probably was a mutual respect as the time went on, but at this time it was unlikely. So was he arrived back at Jamestown? There were a few men that were not happy to see him, Wingfield being one of them. Wingfield and some of his friends were tired of being at Jamestown. They wanted to go home. They were tired of these brutal conditions, but they knew John would never let them abandon Jamestown. So they decided they needed to get rid of John. So they said, the men that were with you on the expedition were your responsibility, and they were killed.

So that's on you. You need to be punished, and the punishment is death. So the very next morning, they walked John up to be hanged at the gallows. As they're about to put the noose around his neck, someone yells, ship on the horizon. And that's Captain Newport.

He had returned again and to save John Smith's life yet again. So during the summer of 1608, John led an expedition of the Chesapeake Bay. So he's exploring its tributaries. He's looking for that northwest passage, going up every tributary, hoping it will go through. Along the way, he made a map, a map so detailed of the Chesapeake Bay that it was used for over 300 years. John was a very skilled map maker.

In fact, he might have been known throughout history for his maps had he not done all of these other things. One thing that I never understood is they never seem to have fishing gear with them. So as they're exploring up these tributaries, they are hungry and tired, and they notice there's a school of fish below them. And they don't have any fishing gear with them, but John takes his sword and stabs it down into the water. And as he lifts his sword, there's a fish. So they all take their swords and start stabbing the water when John feels a sharp pain in his arm. And he realizes that one of the fish he had caught on his sword is a stingray, and it just lashed its tail out and stung on the arm. And his arm is now red and swollen, and the poison is traveling up his arm toward his shoulder, becoming more red and swollen. And he realizes it's eventually going to travel all the way to his heart and kill him. So still in charge, he orders the men to dig his grave.

And as they are digging his grave, the doctor on board puts some medicine on his arm, and it heals it. So John survived and ate the stingray for dinner. So he gets back to Jamestown, and it's a little bit different this time, because the men that were with him on this journey had grown to trust him so much that he, John Smith, was now voted president of Jamestown. So during this time, it kind of looked like a campground up until this point, and John wanted it to look more like a settlement. So all of those gentlemen in Jamestown didn't do any hard labor. So at this point, there were about 30 men who were commoners, and they worked to support and feed over 200 men at Jamestown. So John made a rule that said, he who will not work shall not eat. And as you can imagine, the gentlemen were furious.

They never had to do hard physical labor. But John worked right alongside them and said, hey, we all need to pitch in if this is going to work. So it's really taking shape under John's leadership. So in September 1609, a spark from a Flitmot gun fell onto his gunpowder pouch and exploded. And he was in so much pain.

He was in bad shape. There was actually a ship leaving within a day or two, and so he asked the captain if he could go on board. And so just a few days later, on October 4, 1609, John Smith left Virginia. He would spend the rest of his life dreaming of this place, writing about this place, and trying to get back. So John returned to England, and it took him a few months, but he got better. He spent the next several years writing books about Virginia, about his experience.

He was quite obsessed with it, and he really wanted to return. But in 1614, he was hired to go on a fishing expedition off the coast of Massachusetts and Maine. And he made a detailed map of the area, and he referred to the area as New England, which we still refer to it as New England today.

Well, John decided he didn't need the Virginia Company. He would arrange his own trip, and he would go to New England and establish a settlement there. So he worked hard to organize it. He raised the funds. He got supporters and crew and colonists and money.

He had everything he needed. And they finally set sail in 1615. But it wasn't long before four French pirate ships chased them. They tried to outrun them.

It doesn't work. So Captain Smith goes on board their ship. He's going to talk his way out of this situation yet again. His crew, they're done with this, so they take off without him, and they leave him on the pirate ship. So he's on that pirate ship for several weeks. And during that time, what does he do? He writes a book. He writes a book about New England. And he escapes during a storm. He gets on a small boat, and the pirate ship actually sinks, but he escapes by quickly bailing the water out of this small boat.

He finds a small bit of land, some hunters find him, and they bring him to safety. And he published that book. It was called A Description of New England.

And it's actually the book that the pilgrims used to go to Plymouth. He left Virginia in 1609, and he spent the next 22 years trying to get back to New England. He left Virginia in 1609, and he spent the next 22 years trying to get back to New England. He left Virginia in 1609, and he spent the next 22 years trying to get back and also writing about it, promoting it to others, encouraging them to go.

Shortly after that, he died in 1631 at the age of 51. John Smith wrote a book called A Description of New England. And in it, he wrote and argued and believed that English Americans had a unique opportunity to create their own destiny. Unlike the workers in England who were bound by the rigid class system. Here's what John wrote. And that's just what America became. A place where every person determines his or her own future.

Where their American dream is a reality. And a terrific job on the production, the editing, and the storytelling by our own Greg Hengler. And a special thanks to Juliana Rogers.

She's the author of Captain John Smith, American Hero, and you can get the book at Amazon.com. And my goodness, the number of times this man escapes certain death. Early in his life, sold as a slave. Almost dies in battle. Almost dies jousting. Well, almost dies at the hand of his fellow sailors. And in the end, almost dies at the hands of Indians. And of course, that stingray, too.

And in the end, dies, well, the way the rest of us do, in the end, of natural causes. But John Smith's life, well, it started the American life in many ways. By the way, if you ever get a chance, go to Jamestown and visit it. And start there, and then head west. And visit Monticello, then to Madison, and Montpelier, and then straight up an hour and a half north to Washington's home in Mount Vernon, very close to Washington, D.C. There's something special about the state of Virginia in American history. The story of Captain John Smith, who died on this day in 1631, here on Our American Stories. Discover new shows and movies for free, no strings attached.

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