Traveling Through History
Vasco da Gama/The 1970s
Research
Vasco da Gama
According to "Britannica school", Portugal wanted to find a trade route to India to trade spices and other goods with the natives of the land. King Manuel I, the king of Portugal, hired a Portuguese explorer to find a safe trade route, locate India, and report back on his findings. He set sail in 1497 and said farewell to Portugal.
"Calvert" states that, the voyage was a long and painful experience. (Pages 31-51.) They headed south first and then they traveled west. A few months after they left Lisbon, though, da Gama's crew caught scurvy and it was tough to cure. Once that predicament was solved, they headed southeast and landed on the coast of Africa. They met natives who were herding sheep with oxen. They traded coral and some spices for an oxen. Da Gama's crew turned the oxen into a delicious meal and even had leftovers. Soon after they traded, da Gama sent one of his officers to follow the natives back to their village. So the officer followed them to their place of sanctuary, but after a couple hours or so, the officer came running out of the woods terrified. Da Gama wondered why, but right then, the natives came running out with bows and spears. Da Gama and his crew fled. They then sailed along the coast until they stopped at Mombasa and met the met some people beloved to be Christians. Da Gama was invited to come ashore by the king of Mombasa, but refused twice. Some Indian visitors said to not go ashore. They said whatever the king said did not come from goodwill. So in return da Gama held a king's messenger hostage until he got a navigator. The king, who had no other option, gave da Gama his navigator. Da Gama was impressed by how skilled the navigator was with his surroundings. Da Gama then released the hostages. He then set sail for India, the city of gold and jewels.
On the evening of May 20, 1498 da Gama reached Calicut, India. When they were asked to dock da Gama moved farther away from shore. He said he didn't feel comfortable being asked to dock. The fleet was visited by the wali, or chief of police. They would escort da Gama to the king's palace. The king was ruled by a samorin, or lord of the sea. When da Gama entered the palace, the samorin asked why da Gama was there. He said his king sent him to find Christian rulers in India. The next day, da Gama gave the king gifts, but the king refused. The interpreter said the king was used to getting gold and jewels, even from lower class merchants. He was detained for two days and was finally let go. The ruler, though, decided that da Gama also unload all of his merchandise and "sell it ... to the best advantage." So da Gama went and unloaded all his goods. As da Gama was about to leave, he realized he had crew members still on leave. They were prisoners of the samorin. So da Gama captured messengers and held them hostage and demanded his crew be returned.
The 1970s
According to "CNN", the 1970s was a time of change for women. Women campaigned for equal rights in organizations called National Orginization for Women (NOW). Finally in 1972, congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment. This was a turning point for the life of every American woman.