"Thomas Harriot"

This blog is comprised of my notes on the author head-note on Thomas Harriot as it appears in the 7th edition of The Norton Anthology of American Literature Volume A.

Text Notes:

• lived 1560-1621
• graduate of Oxford University
• Harriot was probably the person who trained the men in Sir Walter Raleigh's first Roanoke expedition in navigational skills.
• He may have gone on the first expedition with Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584, but he definitely went as a naturalist on the second in 1585.
• Harriot collaborated with John White (painter) to study the flora and fauna of the New World.
• From April of 1585 until July of 1586, Harriot spent his time studying and collecting as a naturalist.  During this time of study by Harriot and White, Roanoke was experiencing political unrest and having poor relations with the Native Americans on the island.
• Harriet's descriptive work A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land includes information on the plants, animals, and Native Americans, but it fails to report on the serious events that occured between the Roanoke settlers and the Roanoke Indians.
• Despite this, he does touch on Ralph Lane's (Lane was the second commander-in-chief of the colony) 'fierce' dealings with Chief Wingina and his people
• He also gives evidence that European disease had begun to destroy the Native American people/population
• Harriot's descriptive text lacks candor because it was written at Sir Walter Raleigh's request during a time that a second colony was being set up in John White's command.  In other words, it was propaganda to gain support for the second colony.
• On a silly note, despite the original intent of the work, it was not published until after the "Lost Colony" had occurred, thus serving as pretty poor propaganda.