Four West European Explores That Traveled to the New World.

*2. (a) Name four west European countries that explored the New World and name* one explorer who sailed for each country, (b) Of the four *explorers, named*, state the one you would most have liked to accompany. Discuss two reasons for your choices. Four west European explores that traveled to the New World. {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Christopher Columbus (c. 1451 – 5/20/1506 Jacques Cartier (12/31/1491 – 9/1/1557) {draw:frame} John Cabot_ (c. 1450 – c. 1498)_ Pedro Alvares Cabral_ (c. 1468 – c. 520)_ The race to find new spice and travel routes spurred a very exciting time in history which eventually lead to the founding and settling of New World. These discoveries lead us to settlement and establishment ofour own country. Although Norse explorer Erik the Red’s son,Leaf Ericson landed on what he called Vinland, now Newfoundland Canada, a little over a thousand years ago, Western European countries really made the push for colonization about five hun dred years later. These countries included Spain, Portugal, England, and France. Spain had many explorers and impacts in New World exploration. With a monarchy that was willing to finance and explore, Spain found riches in gold through South, Central, and North America. Of all Spain’s, and the world’ explorers, none are more famous than Christopher Columbus. Every generation of Americans knows he set sail in 1492, but I’m surprised how many don’t realize he landed in the Caribbean, and by mistake. Looking for a spice route to the Indies, Columbus and his crew named the local inhabits Indians because he thought wrongly of his location, and eventually started disease epidemics and slavery in the area. Giovanni Caboto was a Venetian explorer who sailed for England and thus became better known as John Cabot. On 5 March 1496, King Henry VII of England basically gave Cabot free license to do whatever he wanted under the English flag. On his second voyage in 1497 he ended up in upper north east Canada and is credited with being the first European since Erikson to reach North America. With Portugal’s impact in early navigation, thanks largelyto Prince Henry the Navigator and his navigational school, it’s natural that there would be an explorer who would have an impact on New World exploration. With explorers like Dias, Magellan (who sailed for Spain), and even Columbus who lived, married, and studied in Portugal, yet another name came about. Pedro Alvares Cabral was given the task to spread Christianity were ever he went, by force if necessary. With thirteen ships, he set sail on March 9th(my birthday) 1500. After some mishaps, he finally reached what is today modern day Brazil and making claim to the New World in the name of Portugal which would later lead to a dispute under the Treaty of Tordesilas. Jacques Cartier sailed for the French and claimed what is now Canada for France. Cartier not only sailed all the way to Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Saint Lawrence River, but he was the first European to describe and map it. Of these four explorers I would choose Cabral to accompany. His voyage to Brazil was almost a world tour including Africa, India, and South America. I would prefer to stay in these regions and out of the northern colder regions as Cartier and Cabot explored.