John Smith played an extremely important role in the beginning of American history. He was born in 1580 in Willoughby, England. Smith first began traveling when he volunteered for France who was fighting for Dutch independence from Spain. In 1600 he joined the Austrian army and fought against the Turks. There he earned the title of Captain. In 1602, while fighting in Transylvania, Smith was wounded and captured. He was then sold as a slave. After killing one …showed first 75 words of 385 total…

…showed last 75 words of 385 total…policies and Jamestown had survived and had even grown over the years. Smith was forced to leave Jamestown in October of 1609 after an accidental gunpowder explosion and needed treatment in London. He was never to return to Virginia again. In April of 1614, he returned to America in the Maine and Massachusetts Bay areas. He named this part New England. John Smith stopped his voyages to America after that and died in 1631 at the age of 51.