From mythic history to historic myth: Captain John Smith and Pocahontas in popular history

Popular cultural sources of history are important to the academic historian and should be examined as carefully as the standard primary and secondary documents. Historians can trace a long series of popular portrayals of the enduring Captain John Smith and Pocahontas legend including the nineteenth-century "Pocahontas plays," twentieth- century children's literature and popular historical fiction, and the Jamestown area of the Colonial National Historical Park. An examination of these sources provides an excellent case study of the importance of popular history. Academic scholars have neglected these sources despite the fact that these sources provide the general public with most of their exposure to the legend and are rich materials for the cultural historian. Only a thorough examination of popular cultural sources can provide an adequate explanation for the continuing vitality of such historical legends and for how most Americans understand their history. Rather than simply clouding the historical facts of Smith and Pocahontas' famous relationship, the evolving legend provides insight into American cultural values that would otherwise be lost to scholars. A scholarly understanding of the numerous popular historical portrayals of Captain John Smith and Pocahontas is essential to bridging the gap between popular and scholarly history. Such a study also provides a clearer, fuller understanding of the function of the Smith/Pocahontas legend in American popular culture. Popular cultural forms rely on the continued support of the general public and therefore serve as excellent cultural barometers to historians who are willing to open themselves to unconventional sources.