Answer:
Explanation:
The ocean journey from England, France, or Spain to North America was 3000 miles of unknown dangers, but it led to potential discovery. Three reasons to make the voyages were religion, wealth, and competition.
Why Be an Explorer?
A few travelers sought riches, like gold and spices, for financial gain. There were numerous reasons to explore the new lands. There seemed to be numerous regions to explore.
Who Were the Explorers?
Leif is credited with landing along the coastline of present-day Newfoundland. This happened about 500 years before the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus started his voyage. Upon arrival, Columbus dedicated the newly discovered land to the King and Queen of Aragon. Columbus made three more voyages to North America.
To the very end, Christopher Columbus was adamant that he discovered a trade route to China. He denied ever being to North America. Both cultures were rich in gold and art, but neither population embraced the arrival of the explorers. In fact, both Spanish teams made a hasty retreat, fearing for their lives.
Since the people arrived together, their previous lifestyle and beliefs were transplanted to the New World. De Soto was Spanish. His focus was in the southeastern part of the New World. Rene Robert de La Salle was French.
Historical data credits de La Salle as being the first explorer to traverse the Mississippi to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico. He claimed the land that bordered the Mississippi River for France. The land would be colonized, and de La Salle made attempts to do so. Eventually, he built numerous forts along the route, but the settlers were often terrorized by the natives.
He was part of a journey made by Christopher Columbus in 1493 to Jamaica and Haiti. At the time, he thought Florida was an island. When he returned to Florida in 1521, he was wounded by a poisoned arrow, which ultimately ended his life.
What Did They Accomplish?
The multiple brave men who sailed across the ocean to the New World accomplished a great deal. Despite pirates, natural disasters, and sickness, new settlements and regions were established. Several explorers made more than one trip. There is religious diversity, a wealth of natural resources, and people enjoy independence.
