Chapter 1; Serving Time in Virginia Summary and Analysis

Chapter 1 examines the importance of the selection of evidence when its real importance may not be obvious at first. They use the early settlement of Virgina as an example subject.

As one of the earliest English settlements in America, the Virgina settlement is an important historical subject. Although much of the written records of the settlement have been lost, there is still a good deal of written description that survives. One of the best-known accounts is that of Captain John Smith, whose swashbuckling tale emphasizes his own importance and involvement. Other evidence is found in the dry accounts of court decisions and financial transactions, such as an order requiring Virginia settlers to plant at least 2 acres of corn and forbidding them from burning hay to dry tobacco.

This apparently straightforward rule signifies something...