This quick overview of American Colonialism and how it relates to early American Literature covers the history of John Smith (according to himself) and his encounter with Pocahontas as well as how this led to the genre of “Tall Tales“. Click here for this seven-minute video presentation posted on July 25, 2025 on Steven Reeder’s Introduction to English and American Literature website.

Literature Professor Steven Reeder talks about the emergence of American literature and the events that led up to it, and what makes it distinctive from British literature. The colonization of the American continent dates back to the early 10th century, with Norse sailors exploring Greenland and what is now known as Canada. Later, John Cabot, an Italian explorer, was commissioned by Henry VII of England to sail to the Americas in 1497 to claim land for the crown.

John Smith wrote great histories, often embellished with great tales of adventure. A Description of New England and The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles are perhaps his best works.

Tall Tales were ways that the early embodiment of the American dream, which is self-creation, hard work and self-reliance, could appeal to all types of audiences. A good example of the tall tale in Smith’s The General History is when he went exploring and was attacked by the natives. Other, well-popular Tall Tales soon followed. In the 20th century, a popular one was Pecos Bill, who was a cowboy in the West who once rode a tornado like a wild horse.