Explorers By: Mimi Tang November 16, 2012 Room 227

Age of Discovery The Age of Discovery was when Europeans began to explore around the world. It started in the 15th century and ended in the 17th century, Prince Henry was a navigator from Portugal who set off the Age of Discovery. Prince Henry wanted to explore the world, he sent expeditions to the south to find a way to Africa. He made a school specifically designed for train sailors to become explorers, he also developed a kind of ship that would be able to create longer sea voyages. People wanted to explore the world because they wanted to find goods and riches from Asia. One of the European explorers was Christopher Columbus, he allegedly found, what is now called North America but the Vikings actually found North America first but they didn’t claim it for their country. The Europeans explored around the continents, Central America, North America, South America, Africa, and Asia. Mostly all the explorers came from water routes to reach their destinations because the continents are separated so you really can’t walk to a continent, so there were no explorers that were walking to another continent. Many explorers wanted to find many different treasures but mainly, the thing that they were looking for were ores like silver and gold and also, new routes to other continents so they could trade for the silk and spices other continents had. Many explorers wanted to explore but since they were lacking the funds they needed for food, ships, supplies, and etc, they would just turn to the government to help cover the funds for them. Those were my paragraphs on the Age of Discovery.

Life of An Explorer Many explorers had to go through harsh journeys and expeditions and many of them also had to go through many problems as in lack of food, diseases spreading, people over board, sea sickness, and etc. Many times many people got in bad problems like getting shipwrecked or sometimes the captain can get really sick and no one can steer the ship or doesn’t know how to. But also many expeditions can go really well whether they are on land or going on water routes, they can even sometimes have a really good time because sometimes they can find unique treasures or even sometimes conquer a land or a village/tribe. Some of the most famous explorers were Christopher Columbus and Francis Drake, they have conquered and looted many treasures, islands, villages, and etc. Christopher Columbus had many good things happen to him but he also had some bad things happen to him too. One bad thing that happened to him was that he got sick and his leg was strained on his third voyage so he couldn’t walk very well either. But some good things that had happened to him was that he got much recognition for allegedly found the “New World” when the Vikings actually did but they didn’t really claim the “New World”. The other explorer was Francis Drake and he was an English sea captain, believe it or not. Francis Drake went through many storms when he was on his ship and he died of dysentery an also after unsuccessfully attacking San Juan, Puerto Rico. That was my paragraph on what I think the explorers had to go through

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus sailed on four voyages or expeditions. He sailed on the “ Pinta ”, ” Nina ”, and the “ Santa Maria ” to the “ New World ” where he had allegedly discovered, what is now known as North America but the Vikings actually discovered it first but they didn ’ t claim it for their country. Christopher Columbus got sick and strained his leg on his third voyage to conquer North America and he couldn ’ t walk very well, but actually he couldn ’ t even walk at all but he did bring a lot of things to the Native Americans who were living there before but the bad thing was that the Native Americans were the European ’ s slave when Christopher Columbus conquered North America. That was my paragraph on Christopher Columbus.

Ponce de Leon Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer and soldier, he was the first European explorer who set foot on Florida. Fortunately, he went with Columbus on his second voyage to the ” New World”. Unfortunately, he did not return with Columbus back to Spain. Fortunately, he stayed in Santo Domingo but which is now the Dominican Republic and then he became governor of the Dominican province of Higuey and brutally conquered Borinquen after he heard about the gold that was neighboring around the island and he also became governor of Borinquen too. Unfortunately, he was removed from the office in 1511 after for staying so long as the governor of the Borinquen. Fortunately, Ponce de Leon was given the right to find and conquer the island of Bimini, this island was found inside the Bahamas. Those where some things that Ponce de Leon did in his life as a Spanish explorer and soldier but he was also called as a conquistador.

Francis Drake Hernando Cortes was a conquistador. He sailed to the Dominican Republic or Santa Domingo in Cortes moved to Cuba, assisting Diego Valazquez to conquest the island. Later, Cortes requested that Diego make him a commander for an expedition of his, since Diego was the governor. Hernando Cortes was a conquistador.

Hernando Cortes Hernando Cortes was a conquistador who led an expedition and conquered the Aztec Empire who was very strong and powerful. In 1541,Cortes returned back to Spain where he died six years later after he returned back to his country. Before all that happened, in 1504,Cortes sailed for the Dominican Republic and then moved to Cuba where he helped Diego Valazquez conquest the island. In 1518, Cortes convinced Diego to make him commander of an expedition since Diego was the governor. Later, he was very curious about Cortes so he canceled Cortes’ s expedition right before he set sailed but Cortes just ignored Diego and started his expedition. That was my paragraph on Hernando Cortes and what he did in his life.

Cross Staff The Cross Staff is an instrument that was used for navigation, in the more improved versions of the Cross Staff, the rod was graduated directly in degrees and it was first used on land but then a little later, it was also used at sea. The Cross Staff was very difficult to control and use, to use it correctly, you would have to face it at the horizon of two stars and it would have to be held extremely still and close to your cheek. This instrument was replaced, first by the Back staff or Quadrant and then later it was replaced by the Octant and the Sextant. To figure out the elevation of the Sun, you would have to face it where the shadow of the sun and where the horizon of where the two stars are and they would both have to meet. Another variety of the Cross Staff was the Speigelboog and it was invented by the Dutchman, Joost Van Breen. That was my paragraph on the Cross Staff and I hoped you learned something about the instrument, the Cross Staff. 

Astrolabe The Astrolabe is an very ancient astronomical computer that solves problems relating to the Sun, Moon, and Sky, it was also used for predicting and locating the positions the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets. It was used by Astronomers, Navigators, and Astrologers. Many people got confused about what the difference was between the Astrolabe and the Mariner’s Astrolabe, the difference was that the Astrolabe was a big and heavy instrument that was usually on the heavy deck of a ship or in wind and the Mariner’s Astrolabe was to help address all those issues with the regular Astrolabe. There were also many different types of Astrolabes back then in the past but the most popular type is the Planispheric Astrolabe, it helped with figuring out the size of the Equator. That was my paragraph on Astrolabes and I hoped that you learned something from it.

Photos of Navigational Tools Cross Staff Sextant Astrolabe

Conclusion After all the Europeans had done, they have received many good things and bad things on the way of their journeys. They have received good things like a lot of land, many goodies and treasures, and slaves to help them do their chores or whatever it is that they had to do. Some bad things that the Europeans received was many different diseases when they were traveling on board but lucky for them, not a lot of bad things had happened to the Europeans. the Native Americans were the European’s slaves back then, so the Europeans had all the power over the Native Americans and they also had the ability to control them and what they do. The Europeans also took over or conquered what is now called, North America. The Native Americans, even though they were the slaves of the Europeans, they still had many good things and also bad tings that had happened to them before they were the European’s slaves. Some good things were getting horses as their new transportation, getting new food and domesticated animal delivered to them from the “Old World”. The bad things that had happened to the Native Americans was that, or course, being slaves of the Europeans, getting a disease called the Smallpox, having to lose their culture and villages, and not being able to see their families every single day. That was my concluding paragraphs on the Europeans and the Native Americans.