Explorers+Chapter+5

**Routes of Exploration to the New World**

**Chapter 5 **


 * 5 - Routes of Exploration to the New World **

Section 1 – Introduction
In Chapter 4, you read about why some Europeans sailed to the Americas. In this chapter, you will learn why eight explorers came to the New World. How did they affect the native peoples there?

In 1492, Christoph er Columbus landed on a Caribbean island. He claimed it for Spain. More [|**conquistadors**] **[** ** conquistador: ** **a Spanish explorer who came to the Americas in the 1500s and claimed large areas of land for Spain.** //** Conquistador **// **means “conqueror” in Spanish. The conquistadors often conquered native peoples and ruled over them in the name of Spain.]** (kahn-KEES-tah-dors), or Spanish explorers, followed. They planted Spain’s on other lands in the Americas.

Explorers from England, France, and Holland came, too. Some looked for a [|**Northwest Passage**] ** [ ** ** Northwest Passage: ** ** the supposed route across the northern part of North America that Europeans were looking for but never found. The explorers had hoped to find a northwest passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean so that they could get from Europe to Asia more quickly.] **, a faster sea route from Europe to Asia through North America. They never found it. But they did claim North American land for the countries that sent them.

Were these explorers great men? Certainly, they accomplished much. They found new trade routes and helped mapmakers draw better world maps. They opened the way for settlers.

But they also caused harm. They fought with American Indians who opposed them. They enslaved whole tribes and forced them to work in mines and on farms. The Europeans also carried [|**contagious diseases**] ** [ ** ** contagious disease: ** ** a sickness that can pass quickly from one person to another as germs are spread by touch or through the air. For example, influenza (“the flu”) is a contagious disease.] **. These are sicknesses that spread quickly among people. American Indians had not been exposed to these illnesses before. Many became sick and died.

Look at the matrix on this page. A matrix is a chart with rows and columns. As you read this chapter, you can use a matrix like this one to organize and compare information about the explorers.

Section 2 – Christopher Columbus
This is the route of Columbuss first voyage in the Caribbean.

Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa, a busy seaport on the coast of Italy. As a child, he read about the travels of Marco Polo. In the late 1200s, Polo had journeyed to Asia by land and sea. He brought back stories of the riches and customs of China and the [|**East Indies**] ** [ ** ** East Indies: ** ** Southeast Asia, including India, Indonesia, and Malaysia] **. Columbus wanted to see these faraway lands.

When Columbus was about 14, he became a sailor. He traveled south along the coast of Africa and north to Ireland. He may have gone to Iceland. Viking sailors from Norway had already explored Greenland and the eastern Canadian shores. But Columbus and others did not know about these voyages.

Nations in Europe wanted to find better trade routes to obtain the spices and silks of Asia. The Portuguese tried to reach Asia by sailing around the southern tip of Africa. However, in the 1400s, people knew less about the geography of the world than is known today. Columbus believed that Earth was much smaller than it is and that it had only one ocean. He thought he could reach Asia faster by sailing west across the Atlantic.

Columbus asked the king of Portugal to pay for his trip. The king turned him down. His advisers thought that the route around Africa was shorter. Finally, after almost 13 years, Columbus convinced Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain to help him. They gave him three small ships and about 90 men. Columbus promised to return with riches for Spain.

On August 3, 1492, Columbus left Spain with his three ships—the // Niña // , the  // Pinta //  , and the  // Santa Maria //. They sailed southwest past the Canary Islands and then west across the Atlantic Ocean. Early on October 12, a sailor saw an island with white beaches and dense green forests.

Columbus named the island San Salvador, which means “Holy Savior” in Spanish. He claimed it for Spain. Friendly people greeted him. These people had lived in the Americas for thousands of years. Columbus called them Indians, because he thought that he had reached the East Indies. Some of them guided him to the island of Cuba. There, he found people wearing gold ornaments and pearls, similar to those worn by the people of San Salvador. For three months, Columbus searched for gold and spices. In 1493, he sailed back to Spain, with a few gold ornaments and American Indian captives. The queen and king agreed to pay for more voyages. Columbus promised to bring them “as much gold as they need. . . and as many slaves as they ask.” Columbus made three more trips. He explored more islands near Cuba and the coasts of Central and South America. But he found little gold. When he died in 1506, he still did not know that he had reached the New World.

However, his trips opened up a trade route that changed the history of the world. Later, Spanish explorers did find gold. They also found the perfect climate for growing crops such as sugarcane. To get enough crops and minerals to trade with Europe, early Spanish settlers forced American Indians to work in fields and mines.

Soon, Europeans had [|**colonies**] ** [ ** ** colonies: ** ** a community ruled by another country, not by its own people] **  in the New World. Trade between Europe and the New World grew. Animals and crops from one side of the Atlantic were introduced to the other side. Sailors also brought ideas from one land to another. Even diseases crossed the ocean. Today, we call this flow of goods and ideas between the Americas and Europe the Columbian Exchange, in honor of Columbus—the man who started it all.

Section 3 – John Cabot
John Cabot traveled along this route during his first voyage in 1497 .

The opportunity for new trade interested many explorers in addition to Columbus. Giovanni Caboto, later called John Cabot, was a young merchant, or shopkeeper, in Venice, Italy. He was also a skilled navigator who wanted to explore the world. He had seen the spices and silks that traders brought from Asia. He wanted to take part in this trade. Like Columbus, he thought the best way to get to Asia was to sail west.

In 1496, some merchants in England agreed to pay for his voyage. King Henry VII gave Cabot permission to explore any “unknown land.” Cabot set out to find a faster and safer route to the East Indies. He left Bristol, England, in May 1497. He had only one small ship and 17 men. They traveled around the coast of Ireland and then west across the Atlantic. They sailed north of Columbus’s route to avoid land claimed by Spain.

On June 24, Cabot reached the eastern coast of present-day Canada. He claimed the land for England. He saw thick green forests and plenty of fish but no rich Asian cities. Cabot sailed back to England. the king that he had reached Asia and would soon find its wealth.

The following year, Cabot sailed back to North America. On this try, he may have explored as far south as Chesapeake Bay, near present-day Maryland. Historians do not know what happened to Cabot; some say he was killed in a shipwreck, others that he returned to England and died soon after arriving.

Like Columbus, Cabot never knew that he had reached a continent unknown to Europeans. But his voyage opened the way for English settlers to North America.

Section 4 – Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León explored along this route.

When Columbus made a second voyage to the Americas in 1493, a young soldier named Juan Ponce de León (wahn pahnss duh lee-OHN) went with him. Once Ponce de León arrived in the New World, he settled on a Caribbean island named Hispaniola (today divided into the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic). There he became a military commander under the governor.

In 1506, Ponce de León explored an island named Borinquen (soon to be renamed Puerto Rico). There he heard many stories about gold. Hoping to discover this gold, Ponce de León led soldiers to conquer the island. He and his men killed many native people. Later, Spain’s King Ferdinand made him governor of the island.

Ponce de León soon heard of a magic fountain on another island. Stories told of a “fountain of youth” whose waters were said to make people young again. Ponce de León asked permission to search for this island. He wanted the glory of finding such a wonderful spot.

In 1513, Ponce de León set sail. After a month, he reached a coast with palm trees, sweet-smelling flowers, and beautiful birds. He landed on the Catholic feast day called Easter of Flowers, or Pascua Florida in Spanish. Ponce de León named the land Florida and claimed it for Spain. He sailed up and down the coast, but he did not find the fountain of youth. So he went back to Puerto Rico.

In 1521, he returned to Florida to start a settlement. He brought 200 men as well as horses, cattle, and seeds to plant. The American Indians there resented the invasion. They attacked, and an arrow struck Ponce de León. Wounded, he sailed to Cuba and soon died. He never knew that Florida was not an island but part of a vast continent.

Section 5 – Hernán Cortés
Here is the route Hernán Cortés took from Cuba to Mexico City.



The Spanish heard stories of a rich Mexican empire ruled by the Aztecs, a powerful American Indian group. In 1519, Hernán Cortés (hehr-NAHN kohr-TEHZ), a Spanish nobleman living in Cuba, sailed to Mexico in search of adventure and wealth.

Cortés arrived at a time when the Aztecs expected one of their gods to return. Stories say that the Aztec emperor, Montezuma II, thought Cortés might be this god and sent him gifts of gold. This made Cortés eager to conquer the Aztecs.

For months, the two men exchanged gifts and messages. Then Cortés and his men marched to the Aztec capital. Many local American Indians joined them, hoping to overthrow the Aztec leaders. The capital was on a series of islands in a lake, in the place where Mexico City is today. Montezuma welcomed Cortés. After a week, Cortés took the emperor prisoner.

For six months, Cortés held Montezuma captive. Then Cortés took a short trip away from the Aztec capital. As he returned, the Aztecs attacked. Fierce warriors surrounded Cortés and his army. The Spanish fled. Before leaving, they stuffed their pockets with gold. Many soldiers were so weighed down that they drowned as they crossed the canals that ran like roads through the city.

After their defeat, the Spanish surrounded the Aztec capital for nearly a year. The Aztecs could not get supplies. Many of them had already been weakened or killed by smallpox, a contagious disease carried by Europeans. Now, the Aztecs began to starve. Finally, Cortés and his army attacked. Although the Aztecs put up a strong defense, they were defeated in 1521. Cortés claimed their lands for Spain.

The Spanish now ruled Mexico. The Aztec Empire lay in ruins. An Aztec poet wrote a sad poem about his people:

// We are crushed to the ground; we lie in ruins. // There is nothing but grief and suffering in Mexico and Tlatelolco, once we saw beauty and valor.

Section 6 – Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier followed this route along the St. Lawrence River.



In 1521, Spanish explorers reached Asia by sailing around the southern tip of South America. Europeans now knew that the Americas lay between Europe and Asia. But they still thought that China was not far beyond the west coast of North America. King Francis I of France hoped to reach China’s riches by sailing across North America. But no one had yet looked for such a water passage.

In 1534, the French king sent an experienced sailor and navigator, Jacques Cartier (zhahk cahr-TYAY), to find the Northwest Passage. Cartier sailed west to Newfoundland, in present-day Canada. He entered a large gulf through a strait, or a narrow waterway between two large land areas. He claimed the surrounding land for France. Just before returning to France, he saw a waterway leading west.

The next year, King Francis sent Cartier back to map the waterway. Cartier reached its mouth on the Catholic feast day of Saint Lawrence. So Cartier named the river the St. Lawrence. With American Indian guides, he sailed as far as present-day Quebec, until his ship could go no farther. He visited an American Indian village and brought some of its chiefs back to France. They told the king of great riches farther west.

In 1541, the king sent Cartier and some settlers on a third voyage, to set up a French empire in North America. Cartier took more than 100 settlers. After enduring a harsh winter, Cartier and the settlers gave up. In 1542, they returned to France. Still, Cartier had staked France’s claim in North America. Sixty years later, New France had its first permanent settlers.

Section 7 – Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
Between 1540 and 1542, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado took this route through what is now Mexico and the American Southwest.



Spain’s rulers gained wealth and power from lands in Mexico and South America. They wanted lands in North America, too. In 1540, hundreds of Spanish conquistadors marched into North America. Their commander was Francisco Vásquez (VAHS-kehz) de Coronado.

Coronado had come to the Americas to seek glory and wealth. He was a nobleman, but his brother had inherited most of the family fortune. Coronado’s rich wife, along with the viceroy, or governor, of Mexico, paid for Coronado’s expedition.

A priest had told Coronado about one of the Seven Cities of Gold in Cibola (present-day New Mexico). The Seven Cities were said to have as much gold as the Aztec Empire once had. Coronado led his army to Cibola. He found American Indian pueblos but no gold. Scouts looked further. They found the Grand Canyon and the Rio Grande valley but no gold.

Then Coronado listened to the tale told American Indian slave. The slave described a land where boats with golden eagles sailed past trees hung with golden bells. To find this land, Coronado marched across the plains to what is now Kansas. Again, he found no gold. Angry, he had the slave killed.

Coronado and his men returned in disgrace to New Spain in 1542. He was later charged with bad leadership and the mistreatment of American Indians. Only the Spanish priests thought his expedition had succeeded. It gave them a chance to spread Christianity to American Indians in the southwestern part of North America.

Section 8 – Henry Hudson
On his first voyage, in 1609, Henry Hudson sailed up a river now named the Hudson River.



England kept searching for a northern sea route to Asia as did the country called Holland or the Netherlands. In 1609, the Dutch East India Company in Holland hired Henry Hudson, an English sea captain. He set out to reach China by sailing around the northern shores of Europe, near the Arctic Circle. But his crew grew tired of ice and cold. They rebelled. Hudson agreed to change course and sail west across the Atlantic instead.

Henry Hudson’s first voyage gave Holland a claim in North America.

While sailing along the Atlantic coast of North America, Hudson and his men entered a narrow harbor. From there, Hudson saw a large body of water leading north. Believing that this was the Northwest Passage, Hudson sailed up the waterway. When the water became too shallow for his boat, Hudson realized that it was only a river. (Today, this is called the Hudson River.) But his voyage gave Holland a claim in North America. By 1624, the Dutch had settled in the Hudson Valley.

In 1610, English merchants paid Hudson to cross the Atlantic again. Reaching Canada, Hudson sailed farther north. He passed through a long, narrow strait into a large body of water. Hudson was sure that he had reached the Pacific Ocean. But, sailing down the coast, he found no opening. Then the waters froze, trapping the ship for the winter. In fact, Hudson had not reached the Pacific. The large body of water was a bay. It is now called Hudson Bay.

In the spring, the crew rebelled again. They set Hudson, his son, and seven others afloat in a small boat. Hudson was never seen again. But his voyage did give England a claim to eastern Canada.

Section 9 – Robert de La Salle
Robert de La Salle explored the Mississippi River.



In the 1600s, the French began to settle on their land claims. In 1666, Robert Cavelier de La Salle, a French nobleman, sailed to New France. As a fur trader along the St. Lawrence River, La Salle learned American Indian languages and explored the Ohio River. The American Indians told him about a great river that flowed south all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

La Salle dreamed not only of personal wealth but also of a French empire of trading posts, forts, and settlements. King Louis XIV of France liked La Salle’s plan, but the king wanted La Salle to pay for the journey himself. La Salle had to borrow money to finance his expedition. In 1681, La Salle set out in a canoe to travel down the Mississippi River. When he reached the mouth of the Mississippi River, he named the vast region he had crossed Louisiana, for the French king.

La Salle then planned to establish a sea route from France to the Mississippi River. He went to France and received the king’s permission. In 1684, La Salle sailed to North America with more than 200 settlers. After spending six months crossing the Atlantic, the ships missed the mouth of the Mississippi and landed 500 miles to the west.

La Salle founded a colony there, on the coast of what is now Texas. Soon, the settlers were starving. La Salle set out for help. Convinced that La Salle was crazy, his own men murdered him. Although most of the colonists died, La Salle had given France a claim to the entire Mississippi Valley.

Summary


In this chapter, you learned about eight early European explorers of the Americas. You used a matrix to organize facts about them.

Europeans wanted a trade route that would be a shortcut to Asia’s riches. Columbus sailed west and reached land. Others followed. These explorers thought that they had reached Asia. In time, however, they realized that this land was actually a new continent. Some explorers, such as Cartier and Hudson, kept searching for a fast route to Asia. But the real wealth for European countries was the American land they claimed.

American Indians suffered greatly as a result of European exploration. The explorers fought against tribes who opposed them. American Indians were often enslaved. In addition, Europeans brought contagious diseases that killed many American Indians.

In Chapter 4, you learned that Spain and England were enemies. In the next pages, you will learn about the rivalry between Spain and France. How did this conflict affect early settlements in North America? Read on to find out.

Reading Further – Who Wins Florida?

 * The leading nations of Europe all competed to claim lands and wealth in the New World. They were rivals in the founding of colonies, too. In the land we now call Florida, two great powers battled for control. How did this conflict affect American settlement? **

On an April day in 1564, three ships slipped silently from the docks of a French harbor. They were bound for the wide Atlantic—and the coast of Florida.



The Spanish built large, wellarmed ships for sailing back and forth to the New World. Spanish galleons often carried a valuable cargo of gold and silver. Other nations of Europe used similar ships.

Aboard the ships were 300 men and 4 women. Some of these people were wealthy. Some were workers. Some were soldiers. Most were Protestants. They may have been hoping to escape the religious violence in France at this time.

Their leader was René Goulaine de Laudonniére (ruh-NAY goo-LEN duh loh-don-YEHR). His mission was to start a colony in the New World. He, too, may have hoped to find religious freedom. But the French rulers who sent him wanted something else.

These rulers knew that great quantities of silver and gold filled the Spanish galleons, or ships, that sailed from the New World. The riches came from Spanish conquests in the Caribbean, Mexico, and beyond. Such treasures made Spain strong. Other European nations feared and envied Spain. Their rulers wanted a share of this wealth and power.

Spain had also suffered some failures. It had tried unsuccessfully to claim land in Florida and north of the Rio Grande. These failures offered opportunities for Spain’s rivals. France now hoped to succeed where Spain had not.

The French ships reached Florida in June 1564. Laudonniére quickly put his people to work building their new settlement. They chose a site that they could easily defend. First, they built a fort, which they called Fort Caroline. Then they unloaded their supplies. These included guns, gunpowder, and many other weapons.

The new settlers needed to protect themselves because they knew that the Spanish would try to force them from Florida. After all, the French meant to challenge Spanish control of the region. Fort Caroline was in good position to attack Spanish treasure ships sailing for Europe.

Laudonniére also had to worry about his own people. Many did not want to do the hard work necessary to build a settlement. They wanted quick and easy wealth. As they hunted for gold, supplies dwindled. American Indians living nearby at first willingly gave food to the settlers. Soon, though, they grew tired of feeding the hungry French.

By the summer of 1565, the colony was in trouble. The settlers challenged Laudonniére’s leadership. One group stole two ships and sailed off to make their fortunes as pirates. Other settlers decided to abandon Fort Caroline.

Before they could leave, however, supply ships arrived from France. Several hundred new settlers joined the struggling colony. The colony also got a new leader, named Jean Ribault (zhahn ree-BOH). It seemed as if the colony that had nearly collapsed had now been given another chance.

A Turning Point for Spain and France
But in fact, Fort Caroline was in great danger. Long before Ribault’s arrival, spies in Europe had told the Spanish about the new French settlement. As the French had predicted, Spain did not plan to allow the colony to survive and grow.

Spain’s King Philip II ordered the removal of the French threat in Florida. He put one of his best soldiers in charge of the mission. The soldier’s name was Pedro Menéndez de Avilés (meh-NEN-dez day ah-vee-LAYS). Menéndez sailed from Spain in the summer of 1565. His ships reached the coast of Florida at about the same time that Ribault’s ships arrived.

Menéndez wasted little time in seeking out Fort Caroline. Finding Ribault’s ships there, Menéndez attacked and scattered them. He then wanted to attack the fort, but his large ships could not reach it because of the shallow water. So Menéndez left to find a place on land for his forces to gather. There, he would plan his attack on Fort Caroline.

Menéndez chose a site a few dozen miles from Fort Caroline. He called this place St. Augustine. On September 8, 1565, he led his troops ashore and began to build a new settlement.

Meanwhile, Ribault’s scattered ships had returned to Fort Caroline. The French decided to launch their own attack. The plan ended in disaster. Before they could strike at St. Augustine, a sudden and powerful storm arrived. It destroyed the French warships. St. Augustine had been spared.

Now, it was Menéndez’s turn to attack again. He led his forces on a march over land and through swamps to reach Fort Caroline. The difficult journey took four days. But the Spanish had achieved surprise. They were easily able to overwhelm the fort’s weakened defenses. In a bloody rampage, they killed many of the French settlers.

The year 1565 was a turning point for Spain and France in the Americas. In that year, Spain had its first success in establishing a settlement in Florida. The base that Pedro Menéndez de Avilés built at St. Augustine survived and flourished. It grew into a town. Today, it is celebrated as the first permanent European settlement in the United States.

In 1565, France’s plan for a colony in the New World ended—at least for a time. The French did send a force to the area in 1567. But they came only for revenge. French soldiers killed some Spaniards at Fort Caroline. Then the French left.

France did not give up its New World dreams. The French would later build an empire in North America as fur traders. These frontier businesses did not require large settlements of colonists. As a result, the French population in North America was never very large.

Spain had other jealous rivals in Europe. These countries would seek their own share of Spain’s American treasure. They would send pirates to raid Spanish ships. They would send settlers to start new colonies.

Spain had won a victory in 1565. But the larger struggle for control of the New World continued.