Early Explorers Book 2 Researched Information about the Early Explorers from Highlands School’s Fifth Grade 2014 - 2015
Who Am I? ● He has a modern day car company named after him. ● He founded Detroit. ● He was a French outlaw before he started exploring.
Antoine Laumet de Lamothe Cadillac Who is Antoine Laumet de Lamothe Cadillac, what did he do, and why haven’t we heard about him? Antoine Laumet de Lamothe Cadillac was born in 1658 as Antoine Laumet and was given money by prosperous local families in the town of St. Nicolasde-la-Grave in south central France. He was thought to have been educated at either the Doctrinal College at Moissac or a school in Toulouse called L’Esquile. As a young adult he claimed he served in the French military as a cadet however many historians believe he had a criminal record at the time. He always longed to leave Europe and go to the newly discovered Americas and become a fur trader and claim land for the French. Cadillac first landed in the Americas at Port Royal in present day Nova Scotia around 1683 where he mapped the coastline for the french government. By 1687 he was trading with a Quebec company called Quyon and got married to one of the trader’s daughters, Marie Therese. On his marriage certificate the name Lamothe Cadillac appeared for the first time and he even created a new family coat of arms. In 1688 Cadillac was granted land in Acadia where he started a family. He became a court clerk and traveled back and forth to France where he lobbied for more naval presence to make the area, which he thought was valuable to the French, safer. Cadillac was made a captain in the French Marines in 1694 and was sent to Fort Michilimackinac (miish-i-mack-in-ak) in what is now Mackinac City, Michigan. The fort included a Jesuit Mission, Ottawa and Huron Indians and some French Families. Cadillac loved the area and as commander was able to strengthen ties with the Huron and other regional tribes. However he started a conflict with the Jesuits who were there to convert the natives into Catholics and reduce the natives reliance on alcohol . Later on, some traders at Michilimackinac were trading pelts for brandy and Cadillac was charged for participating in the brandy trading but he was later exonerated.
Antoine Laumet de Lamothe Cadillac Cadillac was still valuable to France in 1698 and the King and his advisors finally agreed to establish a trading center along the Great Lakes to compete with the English in New York across the lakes. Cadillac founded Port Huron in present day Michigan but did not stay there too long. Later, in June of 1701, Cadillac with 100 French and a few Natives, serving as guides, to found the city of Detroit. In Detroit, Cadillac tried to convert the natives to Christianity and group them together to fight off Iroquois and English. For many years afterward, Detroit continued to grow. In 1710, Cadillac was named governor of Louisiana. He however had no desire to leave Detroit and dallied for three years before finally landing in the Port of Mobile in June of 1713. He turned out to be a lousy governor and went back to France in late 1717. Shortly after arriving in Paris, in 1718, Cadillac and his son were suspected to have spoken treasonous words and sentenced to half a year in the infamous Bastille Prison. Some historians argue though that they were really charged for telling the king of large mineral deposits near Detroit although the minerals were never really there. In 1722 Cadillac was named Mayor of Detroit, went there for less than a year, and stepped down shortly afterward. Cadillac died in Castelsarrasin in October of 1730. With his wife, he had 13 children and created a legacy that will last forever. Many historians say that it is he who spawned a large flock of French to move to Canada and the western world. Also, without him, the city of Detroit, the 18th largest city in the country, would not exist. There is no doubt that Antoine Cadillac was important to the history of our continent
Who Am I? ● I have two brothers. ● I was 46 when I got home from my trip to China. ● My mom died when I was 7.
Marco Polo Marco Polo was an explorer who is famous for being the first European to go to China on foot. He was born in 1254 in Venice, Italy. His father was Niccolo Polo and his mom was Nicole Anna Defuseh. Marco Polo got out of school at age 17. He learned over four languages. Marco Polo didn’t see his father before his mom died in 1260 because his father went on an earlier trip to China. As soon as the Polo family got home, they planned the next trip immediately and the Polos paid for their own exploration. Marco Polo also went through Russia. He didn’t sail much during the trip. He and his family traveled 33,000 miles in three and a half years on foot and by water. Kublai Khan gave him and his family necklaces that acted like passes, so they could travel along the safest road (the Silk Road that his dad followed on the earlier trip) in the desert that the emperor of China owned. Marco Polo traveled along the Silk Road. The Silk Road was a road that went to many places that range from Rome to Pakistan. Once they got to Beijing, they met Kublai Khan, the ruler of China. Marco Polo was Kublai Khan’s favorite person. He was a messenger at first, then one of Kublai Khan’s helpers. Marco Polo’s job was to bring 100 European priests and holy water from Jerusalem because Kublai Khan wanted to learn more about Christianity. Kublai Khan had great respect for Christianity. Since the Polos liked Kublai Khan they obeyed him, but they only brought two priests and the priests decided to go back mid-trip because they thought the trip was too difficult. Marco Polo was a merchant by trade, so he brought back a lot of different types of things but the main thing was gunpowder and rubies. It took 23 years for Marco Polo to go and return because he stayed in China for some years. He died of an unknown illness on January 8, 1324.
Who Am I? ● I was born in 1728. ● I died in 1779. ● I was a navigator for King George.
James Cook James Cook was born on November 7, 1728 in Marton, England. When he turned fifteen, he joined the navy. He joined the navy because he had a lack of ability to do tasks and joining the navy was easy at the time. He then became a navigator for a better job and went on three voyages (1766-1779) all over the world (New Zealand, Cook Islands, Australia, Tonga, Tahiti, Hawaii, and Alaska). The last voyage set sail in 1776. He sailed for King George. King George funded him to navigate and claim land in the Pacific Ocean. It took three years to complete. He landed on six places: New Zealand, Cook Islands, Tonga, Tahiti, Hawaii, and Alaska. He hoped to navigate the world. He did make half of his goal. He navigated part of the Pacific Ocean. He died in battle against the natives in 1779 at Hawaii. Three days after the natives in Hawaii attacked the part of the crew for trying to take the King of Hawaii hostage. The rest of the crew shot muskets and cannons at the natives of Hawaii.
Who Am I? ● They live in the north. ● They invented the longship. ● They discovered Greenland and North America.
The Vikings
Vikings came from three different places Norway, Sweden, Denmark. The Vikings were known for their greatness at sailing. The Vikings were in search of gold, silver and new lands. Iceland was discovered by a Viking named Naddod in the late 9th century. When Naddod went back to Norway he told his people about the land he discovered. Erik the Red discovered Greenland. When the other Vikings heard that Erik the Red settled in Greenland, many prepared to follow him to find a new settlement. Greenland was called Greenland to attract people to a new colony. Leif Eriksson was born in Iceland a little before one thousand A.D. His Viking name was Leif Eriksson den Hepne. He was the second son out of three of Erik the Red. Leif Eriksson’s family loved exploration. He was the first European to set foot on North America. He got to North America close to five centuries before Christopher Columbus. Leif Ericson died in the year 1020.
Who Am I? ● I was selected to go on the Narvaez expedition ● I was shipwrecked in Tampa Bay and walked to Mexico ● I wrote a book about my travels
Álvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca Álvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca was a 15th century explorer who sailed for and from Spain. In 1490, de Vaca was born in Seville, Spain. He grew up in Spain, and then he was to be one of the men going on a trip to the “New World” with a man called Panfilo Narvez, the true leader of the expedition. The journey began on June 27, 1527, with 300 men. De Vaca was thirty-seven years old. After about one year of tossing and turning waves in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, hurricanes, and encounters with natives on various islands, the men finally reached somewhere around Tampa Bay, Florida, in the southern US. However, because of the rough seas and hurricanes, all except for one of the ships sank, along with about half of the men, and the remaining ship’s captain abandoned the remaining men and sailed to Mexico because there was a Spanish settlement located there. The shipwrecked men quickly constructed makeshift rafts to follow the captain. De Vaca’s boat was shipwrecked, but 4 men survived: Alonso del Castillo Maldonado, Andrés Dorantes de Carranzo, and Moor Estevanico, also known as Estevanico, and himself. The men started to walk through Texas, and soon after met with other Europeans. They were imprisoned in a Native American camp, and stayed for eight years. A friendly Native American tribe helped them escape, and about two years later, they reached Mexico. The total trip took about one year to get to the “New World”, and twelve more years to get to Mexico by raft and on foot. The men were sent by the king of Spain to modern-day Paraguay after the trip to Mexico and de Vaca was made governor. He was overthrown by the government of Paraguay and arrested because of poor administration, which means he was accused of making choices without permission from the king, and soon died at age 68 in Seville, Spain after his release from jail. He never again returned to the Americas.
Who Am I? ● I was the admiral of the Ming Dynasty treasure fleet. ● My given first name was Ma but it was later changed ● There is proof that I discovered America before Columbus
Zheng He
He rounded the Cape of Good Hope 76 years before Vasco de Gama did. He circumnavigated the globe more than 100 years before Ferdinand Magellan did and many think he discovered America more than 70 years before Columbus did. So who is this man and why have we never heard of him? Here is his story. Ma He (future Zheng He) was born in Yunnan, China 1371 owned by Mongolia at the time. One day Chinese cavalry came in and took over Yunnan killing Ma He’s father because he was highly loyal to the Mongolian Empire. Ma He was brought to current day Beijing to be a guard for Zhu Di the prince of Yan who would later become the Yongle Emperor. Later in life Ma He grew to be almost 7 feet tall and was one of Zhu Di’s favorite guards. After the first Ming Dynasty emperor died, he appointed his grandson (Zhu Di’s nephew) as emperor. Zhu Di was so mad about this he led an army against his nephew with Ma He as a highly ranked officer and won. After this Zhu Di named himself the Yongle [yongle meaning perpetual happiness] emperor and Ma He was given the honorable name Zheng for having a key role in the battle. Later Zhu Di started the construction of a giant treasure fleet [a fleet made for trading with different countries]. He appointed Zheng as admiral of the fleet. The fleet was made up of over 300 junks [a type of ship] that were 5 times the size of Columbus’s! The ships were filled with goods such as vases, silk and other items of value. The first voyage set off in 1405. They went to Ceylon [an island off the coast of India] where they had to retreat because the ruler was hostile. They went through Indonesia stopping at many different port cities. While going through a narrow and dangerous waterway called the Malacca Strait, they met up with pirate Chen Zuni’s fleet. The pirates pretended to surrender but when the pirates tried to fight back they were defeated. The treasure fleet sunk almost all of the ships and Chen Zuni and his two first mates were taken back to China and beheaded. During the second, third, and fourth expeditions they followed much of the same route sometimes going even as far as Africa. During the fifth expedition in Africa they were given a giraffe. When they brought it back to China they thought it was a famous idol and praised Zheng.
Sometime between his first and sixth voyage, they think that Zheng He might have discovered America due to the entry that was translated as “we have crossed 30,000 miles�. That is roughly the distance between Africa and America. There is also a rock form near the Bahamas that many suspect was a Chinese dry dock [a dock where they could do repairs]. After the sixth voyage, Zhu Di died and appointed a less adventurous person as emperor, who decided to stop all voyages. But since he died 9 months after coronation and appointed his more adventurous son emperor, there was one more voyage. On the way back from the voyage Zheng He died of disease near Indonesia at age 61 in 1432. They had to throw his body overboard so others would not get sick. They brought back a pair of his shoes and a braid of his hair to remember him by which was also a custom. Today they are buried in Beijing. Later the emperor destroyed the fleet due to its high cost and put money into fighting in the north. Most documentation about the fleet was destroyed and most information was found on stone tablets and journals. The reason for this was because many Confucian scholars [people who studied the work and followed the principles of Confucius] thought if others saw this documentation they would want to do build more expensive fleets like this one. Soon after the destruction of the fleet China made a law where you could not make a boat with more than one mast. China went into total isolation and let Europe conquer the seas. That is the story of Zheng He and the amazing Chinese treasure fleet.
Who Am I? ● We both come from France. ● We both studied in Jesuit Missionaries, though only one of us became a priest. ● Our journey sailing down the Mississippi River started in 1673 and ended four months later.
Louis Joliet Louis Joliet, also written Louis Jolliet, was born on September 21, 1645 in New France, or what is now Quebec, Canada. As a young boy he entered in a Jesuit school, an order of men within the Roman Catholic Church. At an early age he focused on philosophical and religious studies aiming for priesthood. At an early age he also became a talented harpsichordist and a skilled church organist. Jolliet left the seminary when he became older, abandoned his studies, and turned to cartography and hydrography, the study of map making and waterways. Soon Louis became a coureurs de bois (a runner of the woods). Someone who was a runner of the woods was trading without a license from the government. In the year 1700 he died at age 55. However his body has still not been found and no one knows the exact date of when he died.
Father Jacques Marquette Jacques Marquette also heard of as Father Jacques Marquette and Pere Marquette was born in June 1, 1637 in Laon, France. Marquette had two brothers and three sisters. He studied at the Jesuit University at Reims France at age nine as a young boy and he had interests in travel, discovery and religion. At age seventeen Jacques took vows and became a Jesuit. King Louis XIV of France was motivated to expand French territory around the time that Marquette became a Jesuit. He thought the Jesuit could possibly help. The king chose Jacques as one of the priests to join the mission. On May 18, 1675 he died. He was only thirty-eight years old and in Michigan. Jolliet encountered Marquette in 1666 when Jolliet was training to be a priest. Then again in 1669 they met again to discuss and plan their expedition. Many of the French hoped the Mississippi linked to the Gulf of Mexico for that would provide a link westward to the Pacific Ocean. This possibility would offer a shortcut to Asia offering more spices, silk, and gold.
Joliet and Marquette set off from Michilimackinac in 1673 with five other men. The crew traveled along Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in canoes that could carry up to twelve men and their cargo called canots du maître (boats of the master). Soon they arrived at a Jesuit mission established by a French priest named Father Laude Allouez. The mission was called St. Francois-Xavier and was founded in 1670. There, Joliet and Marquette met Natives who were familiar with the rivers. They called these peoples Folle Avoine. The Folle Avoine told the crew that they thought there were sea monsters in the water but Joliet and Marquette continued their journey and ignored the threats. Next they arrived at a bay near what we know as Green Bay mostly known back then as La Bay Sallie or Salt Bay. The crew inferred this name indicated there might be salt springs and to prove their theory there were oceans near by. At this time they thought that they were reaching the Gulf of Mexico, though this wasn’t truly the case. They were in Wisconsin. There were multiple natives in this region including the Mascouten,Kickapoo, and the Miami people. Here, they spoke to the most eldest of the tribe and explained their mission and hope to trade and spread Christianity. The elders offered sleeping mats and a handful of Mascouten guides to help them navigate the area. Along the river bank of the Mississippi River Louis and Marquette The guides led Marquette and Joliet through multiple swamps and forests. They carried their boats from the Fox River to the Meskousing River which is now known as the Wisconsin River. They kept progressing southwest until they encountered the Mississippi River. In honor of the Virgin Mary, Marquette pronounced the river be called River of Immaculate Conception. Louis and Jacque examined the large fish and frightening paintings of faces painted on rocks. Joliet and Marquette figured that these painted creatures were worships by the natives. Though what they didn’t know about these paintings which are called petroglyphs were mostly brushed upon rocks as warnings. These paintings indicated the dangerous, rushing current. The crew continued south soon reaching Ouaboukigou River, now called the Ohio river. There, the ground was a red color due to the amount of iron in the ground. This caused parts of the river to be a stained, red, blood-like color. The explorers attached shades to their canoes obscuring the blazing sun and protecting them. Their next stop was in Illinois where the village they arrived in fed them a feast and presented gifts. They departed the following morning. The crew traveled down the Akamsea River near the border of present-day Arkansas and Louisiana. The natives here informed them that the Mississippi River flowed into the Gulf of Mexico. Even if the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico they had hope a tributary would lead into the Pacific Ocean. Soon Joliet and Marquette observed Indians with Spanish trade-goods. This frightened the explorers for they were afraid the Spanish would take them hostage. After this Joliet and Marquette directed back to Quebec and ended their Journey. In all the voyage lasted four months.
Who Am I? I have twelve younger siblings. I was given command of five ships. I was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. I was the second person to go around the world. ● I died of dysentery in today’s Panama. ● ● ● ●
Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake was born in Devonshire, England in February or March around 1540 (the exact date or year is unknown). He was the oldest of twelve siblings. In 1567 he went with his second cousin, John Hawkins, to bring African slaves to work in the New World. On his second voyage (1570-1571) he went to work for John Hawkins raiding ships in Panama. On his third voyage he went to sabotage Spanish ports in the Caribbean (1572). In 1569 he married Mary Newman, she was to be a very lonely wife since her husband was always traveling. The main expedition was in 1577 when he was thirty-seven years old. Sir Francis Drake was a good privateer, hired by Queen Elizabeth I, to attack treasure ships and disrupt Spanish trade. England and Spain were enemies at the time. She wanted to get to the treasure before them. Sir Francis Drake was given command of five ships. He sailed in the name of England. He was given command of five ships. The ships were named Marigold, Elizabeth, Swan, Christopher and the Pelican (which was later named the Golden Hind). The expedition took three years. Sir Francis Drake and his ships were supposed to go to the Caribbean because that’s where the Spanish were supposed to be but instead he went south toward Chile (around South America). He landed on the Pacific Coast of North America in San Francisco 1579. He tried to find a Northwest Passage through North America to find a shortcut but he was unsuccessful. He met no Indians. He took the longer way and was able to make it back to England to be knighted by the Queen for completing the mission of disrupting Spanish trade. On the way he did capture and fight Spanish ships. He was able to meet his original goal, during all of his traveling he succeeded in attacking some Spanish ships. When he returned he was also made Vice Admiral (or second in charge) in the English Navy. He was the second person to go around the world (the first was Magellan). Queen Elizabeth I told him to go to Panama because she thought that she could cut the Spanish off of their course. Sir Francis Drake died of dysentery on January 28,1596 during that trip. Dysentery is a disease that causes severe diarrhea and a lost of blood. He was probably buried in a lead coffin somewhere in today’s Panama. In 2011, two of Sir Francis Drake’s ships were found off the coast of Panama. It is believed that his coffin is in the same area.
Who Am I? ● I was known to be skilled navigator as a young man. ● I died of Typhus. ● I captured Indian chiefs. ● I discovered fake riches.
France
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier was born by Geffline Jansart on December 31, 1491 in Saint-Malo, France. His father, Jamet Cartier, and his uncles were sailors, and they taught him how to work on a ship at a very young age. Little else is known about his early life, but that he gained fame for his skilled navigating. Then, when he was 43, (1534) King Francis I commissioned him to find a western path to the rich lands of Asia. On April 20,1534, Cartier sailed in the name of France with two ships, with big canoes that were onboard, and sixty-one men. Twenty days later, he landed in Newfoundland, North America on May 10, 1534. Then, he explored north along the coast using the big canoes he brought with him. Soon, a storm drove them back to the ships and they sailed south. Upon their travels, Cartier mapped and described what are now the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River, which are westward from Newfoundland. During the journey, he encountered natives. At first, only trading occurred. Then, on their fourth encounter with the natives, they met the Iroquois. In this encounter, they captured the two sons of the chief. Then Cartier asked the chief if he could take them back to France. This was to see if the chief was going to be hostile, he was going to take them anyway. The chief was infuriated, but agreed to let them go peacefully, if they bring back goods from France. Before he left, Cartier planted a tall cross in the ground that read: “Long live the king of France” in French. Cartier found no riches and lost no men, but learned of their supposed location from the native boys. He later went back in an attempt to colonize the New World in the name of France, with three ships and twenty-one men, but failed because of his men getting scurvy and the harsh winter, both problems experienced on his first trip, and now the second. He returned, but the king couldn’t send him back until 1541 because of fighting in France. The third time, it was to settle claims that Spain, and not France, had reached the New World first, by colonizing. France wanted to claim this land so that they might colonize, bring back riches, and spread Christianity. Cartier went and found what was thought to be the minerals of value, so he abandoned the colonization base. He had a quick stop at Newfoundland, where he met Jean-François de La Rocque de Roberval, who was bringing the rest of the colonists. He immediately ordered Cartier back to the colonization base, but Jacques sailed off to France in the night. When he returned to France, Cartier’s minerals were found worthless. With no success in finding minerals or colonizing, Jean-François sailed back as well. The conditions(winter, scurvy,etc.) weren’t prepared for, so each colonization attempt failed. The disappointment was so great, France showed no interest in the new lands for over half a century. On September 1st, 1557, (that’s the age 65) in Saint-Malo, France, Jacques Cartier died of typhus, a bacteria carried by lice.
Who Am I? ● I Died in 1611 on my fourth voyage. ● I had no middle name ,but my first and last name starts with a H. ● I discovered the Hudson River.
Great Britain
Henry Hudson Henry Hudson was born in 1565 and was hired by The Dutch East India company. This company was established in 1602 and was granted a 21-year monopoly to grant charters for colonial activity in Asia as an explorer to find a Northwest passage to Asia through North America. His father worked for the Muscovy Company which was created by his grandfather and Sebastian Cabot. On his first voyage he was a cabin boy for one of the Muscovy ships. When sixteen he started to learn about sailing. The Dutch East India company sponsored Hudson and his crew. His journey took place in 1607 and turned back thrice. On the fourth try he was killed by his crew. He failed to find a passage to Asia on all the tries attempted. During his many journeys, he ran into ice and cold weather. He didn’t accomplish his goal, but he discovered the Hudson River on his third journey while trying a NorthWest Passage to Asia. (The river was later named after him.) He established trade with the Native Americans while along the coast of Staten Island. They mostly traded weapons for food. On his first voyage in 1607 he was on the Hopewell with his twelve man crew. Along with the twelve man crew were his three sons. For the first month of the journey the weather was nice, but as they approached Greenland, the weather became different. Fog and cold winds moved the ships into the high waving big seas. They eventually ran into a giant iceberg in Greenland but they survived and later landed safely on the shore of London needing food and help. That was the first journey. On the fourth his crew highly disagreed with his decision to go on and continue searching after the harsh winter, so they led a mutiny and killed him.
Who Am I? ● He was born Trujill, Spain in 1474. ● He conquered Peru in 1533. ● He died June 26, 1541.
Spain
Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro was born in the 1470s in Trujillo, Spain. He grew up with a very poor family. His father Gonzalo Pizarro was a poor farmer. Francisco grew up without ever learning how to read. So he herded his father’s pigs. In 1505, at thirty five years old, Francisco sailed to Peru with 160 men. He sailed for Spain. We are not sure how many ships made it. He sailed many expeditions. In 1528 he sailed back to South America. Along the way he ran into some very bad weather. He landed in Peru in 1531 and that took him four years. Besides sailing, he went through deserts and snow capped mountains to get to the Inca Empire in what is now Peru. Then he began a war with the indians and conquered the Inca Empire in Peru. He then captured the last emperor of the Inca Empire and killed him. Sadly the men killed thousands of Indians and made the rest of them slaves, stealing bundles of gold, silver, and other treasures. He brought gold and precious jewels back for him and his country and founded Lima. On June 26, 1541 Francisco Pizarro was assassinated. Some of his enemies had come into his room in Lima, Peru and killed him. FUN FACTS 1 He is known as the evil man 2 He had six siblings two girls and four boys their names are Gonzalo,Hernando,Juan,Ines,Pizarro Y De Vargas,Francisco Martin De Alcantara,Isabel Pizarro Y De Vargas, 3 His parents names are Gonzalo Pizarro Y Rodriguez and Francisco Gonzalo Mateos. 4 Before he became an explorer he became a swine handler.
Who Am I? ● I’m a Spanish explorer sent in the 1500s to discover and colonize the new world. ● I have a cave system named after me. ● The first letter in my name is H the last letter is O.
Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto was born in Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain around 1500. All of the records of Hernando de Soto’s exact birth have been lost. Hernando sailed for Spain. De Soto sailed with he met an explorer named Francisco Pizarro and helped conquer the Inca Empire in Peru. DeSoto and Pizarro went on many expeditions together. He was 38 years old when the expedition for North America set sail in 1538. About ten ships and 600 men went on the expedition. When he got there, he landed in Florida in 1539. It took him about one year to get to Florida. He was hoping to find gold and silver in North America. On his journey, he and his crew faced a lot of challenges. He faced native ambushes, starvation, and getting lost. He was the first man to discover the Mississippi River! He discovered the Mississippi River in 1541. He was also the first European to explore the southeastern United States. Hernando met some native people along the way. He treated them terribly. He enslaved them, and he killed the rest of them. Hernando Hernando de Soto was a bad man when it came to the natives. He never found jewels or gold in the New World. Hernando died May 21, 1542 of a tropical fever. Hernando’s friend, Luis de Moscoso, sent Hernando’s body into the Mississippi River to keep his death secret. Luis de Moscoso put Hernando in the Mississippi River because that was Hernando’s first discovery. Hernando de Soto is important in history because he helped Pizarro conquer the Inca Empire, discovered the Mississippi River, and was the first European to explore the southern U.S.A.
Who Am I? ● I was born in 1451. ● My first Voyage was in 1492. ● I sailed for Spain because neither Portugal or Italy would fund my Voyage.
Christopher Columbus First Voyage Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451 however, the exact date is unknown. As a young boy, he did not have much education because his family was poor. When he was a boy, sailors came into Genoa, Italy. He was inspired to sail from the stories the sailors told. His early life was spent mostly in his father’s weaving place. He became a sailor when he was only fifteen! Later, he wanted to find a quicker way to Asia so when he returned, he would be famous. So in 1492, he set sail on three ships: the Pinta, Nina, and the Santa Maria. They were going to Asia by sailing west, but they didn’t know that North America was blocking their way. Christopher sailed for Spain because Italy and Portugal did not fund his voyage. He was 41 and the journey took one year. He wanted spices, that were not grown in Europe, gold, and silver. They had many difficulties in their voyage like: diseases, scarcity of food and water. He landed in the Bahamas thinking it was India. He thought the Native Americans were Indians because he thought he was in India. Christopher learned how they lived and tried to teach them his religion, Christianity. He also discovered new food like corn, beans, potatoes, and chocolate. He brought citrus fruits such as oranges with him. Also, he brought swords and other advanced weapons. Christopher traded with them for corn, cotton, carrots, spears, and other things he brought from his home. His relationship with the natives was getting worse because he was getting greedy and the natives were starting to lose trust in him. He started making
them
mine
for gold. He took six of them as slaves to Spain. When he returned, he was famous for bringing the slaves back and the food. He took four other voyages later in his life. He died of old age May 20, 1506 in Valladolid, Spain.