Love and Hate in Jamestown   by David A. Price
	QUESTIONS What facts did you know about the early settlement of North America and the people who settled it before you read the book? Were they confirmed or contradicted by this story? Imagine you are an Englishman or woman in the early 1600’s. What would possibly induce you to travel to the Americas? Did you think differently about the Native Americans after reading the book than you did before you read it? What lessons about leadership styles did you take away from the book? What did you think about the notion held by some of the backers and leaders of the Virginia settlement that the English could live in peace with the natives and could civilize them to English ways? Was this idealistic or merely patronizing? John Smith had to use tricks and wiles to ensure the success of his settlers (for example, p. 88 describes an incident where he lies to inspire awe in the natives). Do you see parallels in the way leaders of modern governments behave? What are some lessons about diplomacy, compromise, and negotiation you drew from the book? Price casts John Smith as one of the heroes of the story and draws heavily on Smith’s writings to construct his account. Other historians have questioned Smith’s veracity. Do you think Price’s obvious fondness for Smith made him lose the objectivity with which a historian should approach his subject? Price concludes that Jamestown’s communal experiment went against human nature, and that it was only when people were granted their own property that they were willing to work hard. (p. 189 – “The introduction of private property for the common citizen had a salubrious effect on the owners’ sense of initiative…”). Do you think this conclusion is justified? Would Pocahontas have been better off if she had stayed with her people instead of going to England? Imagine you are a Jamestown colonist. Who would you rather have as your leader? Would you have stayed in Jamestown, or would you have beat it back to England if you had a chance? The veracity of Smith’s account of his rescue by the young Pocahontas is questioned by some historians, primarily because it is not corroborated by any other writers of the period, and also because Smith did not include it in his first writings, but only wrote about it in 1624. Do Price’s arguments convince you that the story is true? Does it matter if the story is true or not? Some archeological evidence from the Jamestown site may contradict Price’s conclusion that some of the colonists were lazy and did not work. How can we draw conclusions about historical events when evidence is contradictory? How do we know whom to believe? Is studying history always a frustrating endeavor, because we can never be sure which facts to believe? Were the early English settlers courageous or opportunistic?

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