USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Smith trained the first settlers to work at farming and fishing, thus saving the colony from early devastation. He publicly stated, “He that will not work, shall not eat", alluding to 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

Detailed explanation-2: -An early advocate of tough love, John Smith is remembered for his strict leadership and for saving the settlement from starvation. An accidental gunpowder burn forced Smith to return to England in 1609. After his departure, the colony endured even more hardships.

Detailed explanation-3: -Long reliant on the Indians, the colony found itself with far too little food for the winter. As the food stocks ran out, the settlers ate the colony’s animals-horses, dogs, and cats-and then turned to eating rats, mice, and shoe leather. In their desperation, some practiced cannibalism.

Detailed explanation-4: -In the end, better discipline did help to save the colony, along with increased immigration, success in the wars against the Powhatans, and, with the cultivation of tobacco, a more stable economy. Regardless, the Starving Time, and its attendant tales of cannibalism, proved a turning point.