Compare an actual early map, Smith’s account, a present-day map, and a Native-authored account. Then trace documented places from a voyage.
Use with Chapter 3 · 3.T3.1–3
Read-aloud friendly · primary sources and labeled paraphrases
Source A · Smith’s New England
A historical map associated with John Smith’s 1614 coastal exploration and 1616 publication. Read the object record for the date of this particular impression. Find the coast, compass, ships, and English place names.
Smith’s 1614 voyage: documented places
Legend: blue = water; light land = geographic context; gold = Massachusetts; numbered circles = places described below. North is up. *Scale is approximate at the map’s middle latitude. Distances are straight-line distances, not road or ferry routes. Coastlines: Natural Earth, public domain. Country borders are modern reference lines; physical-feature labels mark broad locations. Blue lines = rivers; blue interior shapes = lakes. Mountain labels indicate regions, not elevation contours. Dashed lines connect documented places; they do not claim to reproduce the ship’s exact track. Smith’s account describes arrival at Monhegan and coastal exploration toward Cape Cod.
Context image: Wampanoag canoe making at Plimoth Patuxet Image credit
Source B
What Smith hoped to gain
John Smith, A Description of New England, 1616 · primary-source excerpt
“our plot was there to take Whales and make tryalls of a Myne of Gold and Copper”
In today’s words: Smith says the expedition wanted whales and hoped to test for gold and copper. He describes arriving at Monhegan Island in April 1614 with two ships from London. His account promoted opportunities for English ventures.
Context image: Aquinnah cliffs and Gay Head Lighthouse Image credit
Source C
A homeland already named and known
Nancy Eldredge, Nauset Wampanoag and Penobscot · modern explanation, paraphrased
Wampanoag communities had names, relationships, and knowledge of the region long before English explorers drew their maps. Noepe and Nantucket were part of that homeland. Living Native traditions carry history as well as written European documents.
Follow London → Atlantic crossing → Monhegan Island → coastal exploration toward Cape Cod. The dashed lines connect known places. They are not a GPS track. Smith’s account does not let us recover every turn of the voyage.
Switch to New England to find modern Massachusetts and Maine. Compare the shape of Cape Cod with the old map. Remember that map orientation and spellings may differ.
Your evidence notebook
Think, talk, draw, or write.
Responses stay in this page session. Use Print / save PDF to keep a copy. Do not enter names or private family information.
Teacher notes & possible answers
Smith names whales and possible gold and copper. His commercial aims matter when assessing the account. English naming serves an English audience and does not mean places lacked earlier names or inhabitants. Students can compare coastline shapes, labels, borders, and map symbols without treating either map as complete.
Success check: The student identifies the source, uses an accurate detail, explains how it supports the claim, and names a limit or unanswered question. Different supported conclusions are welcome.
