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Article: The American Dream of Captain John Smith.
- Article from:
- The Mississippi Quarterly
- Article date:
- September 22, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Mississippi State University. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Was Captain John Smith a liar? Did Pocahontas save his life? J. A. Leo Lemay answers these questions: Smith told the truth, and the young Indian princess interceded to spare the captain's neck.
Although Smith should not be dismissed simply as a swaggering braggart, portraying him as nearly infallible is too much to accept.
According to Lemay this rough-and-tumble warrior was the progenitor of the American dream, who had "realistic common sense," yet was a "visionary" (p. 88; this, and all other quotations are from The American Dream of Captain John Smith). Moreover, Smith's self-proclaimed exploits made him "Christendom's most renowned warrior" (p. 21). He was ...