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Captain John Smith and American Identity: Evolutions of Constructed Narratives and Myths in the 20Th and 21St Centuries

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Captain John Smith and American Identity: Evolutions of Constructed Narratives and Myths in the 20Th and 21St Centuries University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2013 Captain John Smith And American Identity: Evolutions Of Constructed Narratives And Myths In The 20th And 21st Centuries Joseph Corbett University of Central Florida Part of the Public History Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Corbett, Joseph, "Captain John Smith And American Identity: Evolutions Of Constructed Narratives And Myths In The 20th And 21st Centuries" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 2523. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/2523 CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH AND AMERICAN IDENTITY: EVOLUTIONS OF CONSTRUCTED NARRATIVES AND MYTHS IN THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES by JOSEPH FRANCIS CORBETT II B.A. Southeastern University, 2010 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of History in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2013 Major Professor: Daniel Murphree © 2013 Joseph Francis Corbett II ii ABSTRACT Historical narratives and anecdotes concerning Captain John Smith have been told and retold throughout the entire history the United States of America, and they have proved to be sacred, influential, and contested elements in the construction of the individual, sectional, regional, and national identity of many. In this thesis, I first outline some of the history of how narratives and discourses surrounding Captain John Smith were directly connected with the identity of many Americans during the 18th and 19th century, especially Virginians and Southerners. Then I outline how these narratives and discourses from the 18th and 19th centuries have continued and evolved in the 20th and 21st centuries in American scholarship and popular culture. I demonstrate how Captain John Smith went from being used as a symbol for regional and sectional identity to a symbol for broader national American identity, and how he has anachronistically come to be considered an American. I then show how Captain John Smith has continued to be constructed, to a seemingly larger degree than previous centuries, as a hero of almost mythic proportions. Finally I demonstrate how this constructed American hero is used as a posterchild for various interest groups and ideologies in order to legitimize the places of certain discourses and behavior within constructed and contested American identities. iii I dedicate this thesis to the family and friends who have supported me the most during the writing process: my parents, Deborah and Steven Corbett, my grandparents, Betsy and Norman Triznadel, my wife, Michelle Corbett, one of my best friends, Rustin Lloyd, my advisor, Dr. Daniel Murphree, and two very supportive professors, Dr. Michael Hammond and Dr. Amelia Lyons. You have all made a personal impact on my life, so I personally dedicate this work to you. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to first and foremost acknowledge Dr. Daniel Murphree, my advisor. He provided guidance, direction, inspiration, and support throughout the writing process. My independent study with him was the most influential and vital time spent on this thesis. A heartfelt acknowledgment to my parents, Deborah and Steven Corbett, and my grandparents, Betsy and Norman Triznadel, who have greatly supported me financially and emotionally throughout my life. This thesis would not have been written without their support. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the friendly and helpful staff and faculty at the History Department of the University of Central Florida. My thesis, perspective, methodology, and inspiration have all been informed and shaped by the classes that I have taken and the impartations of my professors. A special acknowledgment is given to Dr. Amelia Lyons, who has always believed in me, and whose class on historiography proved foundational to my graduate education. Other influential professors include Dr. Peter Larson, Dr. John Sacher, Dr. Robert Cassanello, Dr. Fon Gordon, Dr. Vladimir Solonari, and Dr. Scot French. I would also like to acknowledge faculty members with whom I never took a class, but who made a positive impact on me and were always there to help. These include Dr. Rosalind Beiler, Dr. Connie Lester, Dr. Barbara Gannon, and Dr. David Head. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 Context ............................................................................................................................................................................. 2 CHAPTER 2: JOHN SMITH AS AMERICAN ........................................................................................... 13 Crafting an Image: John Smith’s Colorful Life................................................................................................. 13 Creating an “American” Image ............................................................................................................................. 19 CHAPTER 3: JOHN SMITH AS HERO..................................................................................................... 34 The Scholar’s Hero: Lemay’s John Smith .......................................................................................................... 36 The Popular Culture Hero: Multi-media’s John Smith ................................................................................ 44 CHAPTER 4: JOHN SMITH AS POSTERCHILD .................................................................................... 62 Captain John Smith as Multiculturalist ............................................................................................................. 62 Captain John Smith as Christian ........................................................................................................................... 68 Captain John Smith as Environmentalist .......................................................................................................... 77 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................................. 82 LIST OF REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................ 84 vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION For over four hundred years, the stories of Captain John Smith have continuously been retold, repackaged, celebrated, condemned, analyzed, and memorialized. Numerous historians have debated, critiqued, defended, and reframed the narratives concerning the 16th and 17th century explorer and soldier. The continual evolution of these narratives can be traced throughout the past four centuries, specifically in regards to the narratives’ intimate ties to American identity. As will be shown, Smith has been turned into a nationalistic hero who came to symbolize, shape, and reflect the identity of many Americans, past and present. Work has already been done by several recent historians to reveal how Smith became a historical hero for many living in North America during the 18th and 19th centuries. This thesis seeks to build off of this work by examining the uses, evolution, and influence of the narratives and discourses concerning Smith in the 20th and 21st centuries. In this introduction, a brief summary of how the narratives of Smith have been used and influenced by 18th and 19th century Americans will be provided, in order to contrast with and better explain 20th and 21st century portrayals, discourses, and uses of the historical image of Smith. Various political, cultural, national, regional, and social factors that influenced the evolution of the narratives and discourses surrounding Smith during the 18th and 19th centuries will be examined in the introduction to give context. These include the formulation of national identity, competing state identities and origin narratives, Romanticism and hero worship, the Civil War and Northern and Southern divisions, and Southern identity. In the chapters to follow, the political, cultural, national, regional, and social factors that have influenced the 1 evolution of the narratives and discourses surrounding Smith during in the 20th and 21st centuries will be addressed, including divisions between conservative and liberal interest groups, attempts to establish America’s origins as either religious or secular, discourses of Anglo-Saxon white superiority, male superiority, Capitalism, self-sufficiency, individualism, multiculturalism, Islamophobia, and environmentalism. Context The birth of a new American nation required early Americans to establish a new historical identity, and it gave them a desire to both discover their historical antecedents and establish the roles various individuals played in the genesis of their new collective existence. While a common political identity and common history were being formulated, early American politicians and historians sought to legitimize their states’ proper places in their young nation’s past and origin.1 Desires to formulate and define national, sectional, and state
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