Lets start with Mr. Thomas Harriot and his view of the New World he wanted people to see. When he wrote his accounts of this new place, it was sugar coated, to say the least. The Native Americans, or Savages as they were often called, were almost powerless and vulnerable, with no weapons except a few witch hazel bows and reed arrowheads. If the English were to fight them, the savages would turn on their heels a run away. It was made to seem they were both scared and worshiped the ground these men walked on, because to them, these men were connections to a higher power. These explorers also claimed to using gentleness to gain the trust of these savages, and once they left, they heard of many villagers dying from sickness. The claim that it was God striking them down for speaking and practicing against them and their beliefs was used to further proven Harriot's point. This land was safe for the poorer community of England to come and establish homes.
Now with Captain John Smith, this was a whole different story. He wanted England to know that this new world was dangerous. The land was harsh with barely any food and not much shelter for his men. He described the savages as having many weapons and not being afraid to charge at the men. One example was when Smith went exploring, he left two of his men to tend his boat, both of which were killed. He was then attacked by 200 of these savages, killing two, and was eventually taken as a prisoner. When he was describing the encounter in his book, he made it seem like he was taken for six weeks, when in reality it was only about two weeks. There was not much of a religious reference like that of Harriot. The targeted people that Captain John Smith had this direct towards was young, strong individuals who could their strength and knowledge in building a community.
