Colonial Relations

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apparent as time went on. Pocahontas’s son, Thomas Rolfe who was half Native and half English was raised in England and betrayed his mother’s people by participating in a war against them. He was invoked to choose sides after his Powhatan grandfather was captured, caged, and executed. He chose the side of the English, thereby betraying his mother’s roots. By 1646 he held the title of lieutenant. This betrayal demonstrates the on going tension that was prevalent between the Natives and the European settlers. Another example of the continuous conflict which occurred between the Natives and the Europeans was the experience of Mary Jemison upon her capture. During the French and Indian War, Jemison was taken as a prisoner of war with her friends and family. Although she was able to transition into Native society later in her life, she endured extreme grief after her family was so violently killed by her captors. Jemison recalls, "It is impossible for anyone to form a correct idea of what my feelings were at the sight of those savages, whom I supposed had murdered my parents and brothers, sisters and friends" (Jemison p.56). Jemison was emotionally impacted by the loss of her family and friends. Her experience, demonstrates the poor relations between the Natives and the Europeans during colonization. After her loved ones were killed, the Natives explained to her that they had been threatened by her people. Jemison states, "In the course of the night they made me to understand that thy should not have killed the family if the whites had not pursued them..." (Jemison, p.57). It is apparent that there were provoking actions from both sides. Relations between the Natives and the Europeans were extremely violent and continuous throughout the years that followed Pocahontas’s death.

During the period of colonization, Europeans made an effort to show the people of England that Natives were willing to embrace European culture and were therefor capable of living in unity in the New World. They alluded good relations with the Natives by displaying Pocahontas as a converted Christian, in London. Despite the European’s best efforts to promote good relations and gain support for the Virginia Company, destructive relations were noticeably present in the New World. Pocahontas’s son participating in a war against his mother’s people, and Mary Jemison’s violent encounter during the French and Indian war allow for one to conclude that relations remained poor during the years following Pocahontas’s death.