Exploration News
The Best News for Everything Now and Then
A New Continent Written by Sarah Hamel
Today we have important news. Christopher Columbus just came back from his third voyage to the East Indies to tell us that he was NOT actually in the East Indies. Shockingly, he never went there at all. Instead, he claims that he found a new land mass to the West of Europe. How did we not know of this before? What will this mean? Every country must be looking to have colonies there, not to mention trade. What will happen to the natives? They will probably be thrown out of their home. All we know at this point is that there is a land of opportunity waiting.
News For Now
Spain's New Territory of the Philippines Written by: Francesca Marini
The amazing foreign land of the Philippines has recently been conquered by the vast
world power of Spain. The Philippines are a group of thousands of islands near southeastern Asia. The archipelago was claimed for Spain by explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, in 1521, but Magellan was sadly killed by the native peoples although members of his crew made it back to Europe. The island group was named for King Philip II, and the islands were extremely easy for the Spanish to seize because, unlike many other Asian nations, the people living there were not united as one country and could not fight back easily. It was officially a Spanish territory in 1565 when the first governor of the state, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, arrived. Many Filipinos have been converted to Catholicism by Spanish missionaries. The Philippines are a major stop on the trade routes of Spain to and from the Americas and Asia. Eventually, the Spanish established the capital of Manila.
Pressing Interview with the One and Only Vasco De Gama
Vasco da Gama allowed an interview last Thursday. He answered some important questions.
After rounding the Cape of Good Hope, he picked up an Arab navigator who guided him to Calicut. After discovering this water wrought to Asia, he returned home as a hero. He remembers the feeling of pride he had upon returning home. The king of Portugal sent out more merchant ships, but they were destroyed by Muslims. He was disgusted by this. It was an Arab that helped him, but Muslims who killed citizens of his country. He then went back to India, beat the Muslims, and forced a peace treaty with Calicut. On his way home, he made another trade post in Africa. He helped the king make decisions about Indian trade. After 20 years, he was put in charge of fighting corruption from the traders. He has been working on this ever since. He felt ecstatic about this promotion because he feels that the people in charge now act more like the Muslims than the Portuguese explorers. He wants to end that. That was the vision of Vasco da Gama.
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Technology and Business
Technology Written by: Madelyn Gibson
One advantage for using this tool was that sailors didn't need a clear horizon to use this instrument. Another improved tool was the compass. The compass was originally invented by the Chinese. The compass didn't bcome a customary navigational tool until the 1400s. The compass had an magnetic, iron needle that lined up with Earth's magnetic north and south poles, so that navigators could easily track what direction they were going in. Another improved tool was the caravel. The caravel was developed in the 1400s. It was light and fast so that it could easily move along coasts and travel longer distances. It was an important tool for the Portuguese and Spanish voyages of discovery. It also helped create a vast trade empire because it quickly accuried key ports around the Indian Ocean. A worldview map of the wold was improved more accuratly. The new and improved map was from the work of Abraham Ortelius. He produced a map that showed all the continennts and their accurate shape. This helped sailors get to their destinations quicker and more accurate. Without the advancement of technology, discoveries wouldn't be made because voyages wouldn't be safe or accurate.
The Business of the Slave Trade Written by: Madelyn Gibson
The African slave trade was an important part of the Age of Exploration. Enslaved Africans worked on farming estates, and the others became artisans, merchants, or soldiers. Portugese and European traders both joined the slave trade. There was a triangular trade, which connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Europe shipped manufactured goods to Africa, Africa shipped slaves to America, and America would sell tobacco, sugar, and cotton to Europe, to be sold at markets. The Europeans brought large numbers of slaves to preform labor on their plantaion and as household servants. European's participation in the slave trade helped encourage the Atlantic slave trade, which was the trade along the middle passage route.
Enslaved Africans considered to be property that had been shipped to America to work on rice, sugar, tabacco, and other plantations. The Europeans sent millions of Africans as slaves to the Americans because they wanted money and they thought slaves were considerable items to trade with. This route from Africa to the Americas was called the middle passage and this is where most of the slaves died from diseases because they were all crammed on the boat. Some African rulers wanted to end the slave trade. One of the first to attempt this was, Affondo I, he was the ruler of Kongo in west-central Africa, he wanted to end slave trade during his reign but he didn't succeed. Another African ruler, who was the religious ruler of Futa Toro, tried doing the same thing he succeded in on not allowing slaves to enter his land for sale abroad, but inland slave traders found a way to go a new route to the coast and the African slave trade expanded. The slave trade had effects on African states. In West Africa it lost small states from the result of losing a good amount of young women and men. However, new states had aroused, but it depended on the slave trade. Also The Atlantic slave trade affected Africa because it brought people who wanted to take Africans and bought guns because it also led an increase of war in Africa.
Obituaries
Prince Henry Wrtten by: Delilah Johnson
Prince Henry, a very influential Portuguese navigator and explorer, died on November 13, 1460. He passed away in Vila do Infante, Portugal at age sixty-six, and the cause of his death remains unspecified. He was the governor of the Algarve, the Duke of Viseu, and the son of Joao I. who was the founder of the Aviz dynasty. Henry’s mother was Philipia, the daughter of John of Gaunt and was one of three sons. The king dispatched a fleet in 1415 at Henry’s request; this fleet originally set out to capture the Moorish port of Ceuta. This journey sparked the possibilities of Henry’s involvement in Saharan trade routes and awakened his interest in charting the West African coast. He was a major influence to other navigators, and spurred exploration in Portugal and other distant waters. Prince Henry was buried in the church of St. Mary in Lagos, but his body was later removed and transferred to the superb monastery of Batalha, Portugal.
Ferdinand Magellan Written by: Delilah Johnson
Portuguese navigator, Ferdinand Magellan was killed on April 27, 1521 during an erratic tribal skirmish. He was the son of Rodrigo de Magalhaes and wife Alda de Mesquita. He was a brother to Leonor or Genebra de Magalhães. After traveling three quarters around the globe, Magellan was left to die after being shot by a poisonous arrow in the midst of a battle on the Mactan Island in the Philippines. Being a Portuguese noble, Magellan had fought before for his country against the Muslim’s attempts to dominate the Indian Ocean and Morocco. Prior to Magellan’s death, he and his crew anchored at the Philippine island of Cebu. They met with the local chief and after converting him to Christianity, the chief convinced the Europeans to assist him in conquering a rival tribe. During this battle, Magellan suffered death. He is credited with the first circumnavigation of the earth because he originally led this voyage and his legacy lives on.
Christopher Columbus Written by: Delilah Johnson
Christopher Columbus, an extraordinary explorer who stumbled upon the Americas, died on May 20, 1506 in Valladolid, Spain. Christopher Columbus was believed to have died from a strange illness called Reiter’s Syndrome at age fifty four. Christopher Columbus was the eldest of five children and he later had two sons of his own but by different mothers. His mother was Susanna Fontanarossa and his father was Domenico Colombo, who was a wool merchant. Columbus later married a noble daughter, the wealthy Felipa Perestrello Moniz, but she later died of consumption. Eventually, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain gave Columbus the money and ships that he desired for his journey. He was famous for discovering the New World, yet when he died, he believed that he had actually reached the Indies. Christopher Columbus was the first European to land in South America. He died only two years after his last voyage and he was initially buried in Valladolid cemetery, but his remains were later transferred to Seville, so he could be buried next to his oldest son.