Double Life of Pocahontas, The
This biography of Pocahontas is historically accurate. She was torn between two worlds when the British settlers came to Jamestown and she tried to bridge the two cultures. Her father’s wants for weapons and the British wants for food and for wealth led to multiple conflicts leaving her caught in the middle. The colonists and Indians bartered a lot to try to satisfy their wants. The book tells how the colonists were not able to use the natural resources as well as the native Americans did, because they had not developed their human capital. The story also tells of the Virginia Company, who financed this trip. The investors hoped that the gold and other treasures from the new world would give them an even greater return on their investment than investments in local companies. The Virginia Company told the colonists to find gold, and a shortcut to the Pacific; develop friendships with the natives and convert them to Christianity; provide natural resources that England needed; and build their houses in straight lines.
Economic Concepts
- Incentives
- Trade
- Barter
- Producers
- Capital Resources
- Natural resources
- Human Resources
- Human Capital
Grade Levels
- Intermediate (4-6)
Related Subjects
- U.S. History
- Geography
- Multicultural
Teacher Tips for Using this Book
Lesson 3, Indian Producers and Consumers,
From Adventures in Economic and U.S. History, Volume 1
Students read and discuss stories about economic life in three or more Indian tribes. They note the available resources as well as what was produced and how it was produced and used in each tribe.
Lesson 6, What Happened at Jamestown?
From Adventures in Economic and U.S. History, Volume 1
Students review economics concepts and find examples of them as they read this
historical book. Then they use their understanding of the concepts to explore the perspectives of the Virginia Company investors, the colonists, and the Algonquin Indians led by Chief Powhatan.