by S. A. Cranfill | Mar 9, 2020 | 17th-Century British & American History, Captain John Smith, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Squanto, The Pilgrims, The Year of the Mayflower
The Fish That Founded America
Photo from Pixabay by Susanna Winqvist
The Atlantic Codfish ~ America’s Founding “Fish Father”
It is March of 2020, the Year of the Mayflower, the 400th anniversary of the good ship’s New England arrival some 8 months future. What were the people we call our Pilgrim Fathers doing in March of 1620? They were dealing with, and arguing over, a new development on the business end of moving to America. (more…)
by S. A. Cranfill | Jan 12, 2020 | 17th-Century British & American History, Braving the New World, Shakespeare, Squanto
A Significant Date for Some Famous People
The year 1616 was significant not only to Pocahontas, Squanto, and Captain John Smith, but also to men who would become two of the world’s most famous writers ~ William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes.
They are both said to have died on April 23rd of 1616, Shakespeare at a mere 52 and Cervantes at 68. Because of their works and their influence, English would become known as the language of Shakespeare, and Spanish would be called la lengua de Cervantes (the language of Cervantes). (more…)
by S. A. Cranfill | Jan 12, 2020 | 17th-Century British & American History, Braving the New World, Captain John Smith, Pocahontas, Squanto
1616 Engraving of London by Claes Visscher
A Most Interesting Year for Some Famous People
Do you know who was in London in 1616? All at the same time? The same year (or very close) that Dutch artist Claes Visscher published his magnificent etching of a panorama of London? Did you guess Lady Rebecca Rolfe, a Massachusetts Patuxet called Tisquantum, and the soldier-adventurer Captain John Smith? If you did, you are truly a history nerd!
Did they meet while in London? Two of them had a well-documented meeting. The third? No proof or mention, but perhaps a possibility, if we use our imaginations. Let’s find out more about what happened in London in 1616 and how it impacted the New World called America. (more…)
