3/11 Aim: What were other Early Explorers famous for? Do Now: Unscramble the words on your handout to uncover the secret message!

Pedro Alvares Cabral Pedro Alvares Cabral was commissioned by the King of Portugal to complete the work of Vasco Da Gamma by establishing permanent commercial relations and spreading Christianity wherever he went. A fleet of thirteen ships left Lisbon, Portugal in March of On Leaving the Cape Verde Islands, they were blown off course by a Storm and decided to sail in a Southwesterly direction. Rather than rounding the tip of Africa, Cabral landed in and discovered Brazil. He claimed it for Portugal and this is why they speak Portuguese in Brazil rather than Spanish like all other South American countries.

Amerigo Vespucci Amerigo Vespucci was one of the early explorers of the New World. In fact, the Americas are named after him! He was born in Florence, Italy and was a skilled navigator. As a trader, he was very Interested in finding a quicker way to sail to Asia. He went on at Least two, and possibly four, voyages to Central and South America Between 1497 and 1504 for Spain and Portugal. He went to many places including Venezuela and Brazil. After his explorations in He was one of the first explorers to come up With the idea that these places were not part Of Asia, but were part of a “New World”

Vasco Nunez de Balboa After the discovery of the Americas, Europeans continued to seek routes around or through the Americas to Asia.. In 1513, the Spanish adventurer Vasco Nunez de Balboa, with the help of Native Americans, hacked a passage through the tropical forests of Panama. From a ridge on the west coast, he gased at the huge body of water that he called the “South Sea.” What he had discovered was the Pacific Ocean.

Ferdinand Magellan By 1519, the Portugese born Magellan became convinced that he could find El Paso, a sea route through the Americas to the Indies. After Magellan had a falling out with the king of Portugal, he convinced King Charles of Spain to finance his voyage. With a large fleet, he explored the coast of South America hoping that a bay may lead to the Pacific. Although no such route was discovered, Magellan became the first to circumnavigate, or sail around, the entire world. On his way, he converted many to Christianity.

John Cabot In 1497, still believing that one could sail west to get to Asia (The East Indies), England commissioned Cabot to seek a more northerly route than the one Columbus had chartered called the Northwest Passage. In addition to the English, the French, and Dutch were also searching for Such a passage. Although he never discovered such a passage, he found rich fishing grounds off the coast of Newfoundland, which is in modern day Canada, and claimed it for England.

John Cabot

Amerigo Vespucci

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

Ferdinand Magellan

Pedro Alvares Cabral