The European Explorers

In Search of New Land	Top of Page
The news that Christopher Columbus had discovered, what was thought to be, a western route to the East Indies spread through Europe. Other European countries began to send explorers. Like Columbus, they were looking for gold, silver, silk and other valuables. They were also looking for new land to claim for their country. They soon discovered what Columbus had actually found was North America.

The Explorers			Top of Page
Explorer	Country of Origin	Date	Discovery
Lief Ericson and the Vikings	Norway	1001	Newfoundland
Christopher Columbus	Spain	1492	San Salvador and West Indies
John Cabot	England	1497	Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland
Amerigo Vespucci	Spain	1497 to 1502	South America and West Indies
Vasco de Balboa	Spain	1513	The Pacific Ocean
Ferdinand Magellan	Spain	1509 to 1522	First to sail around the World
Juan Ponce de Leon	Spain	1513	Florida
Hernando Cortez	Spain	1519 to 1521	Mexico
Jacques Cartier	France	1535	The St. Lawrence River
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo	Spain	1542	California
Sir Francis Drake	England	1577 to 1580	Explorations around the World
Samuel de Champlain	France	1603	The Great Lakes and Quebec
Henry Hudson	The Netherlands	1609	Hudson Bay

European Explorers

Europeans Meet the Native Americans	Top of Page
The Native Americans first welcomed the European explorers. The natives introduced the Europeans to corn, potatoes and other vegetables. They also introduced them to tobacco. The Europeans introduced the Native Americans to guns and horses. The Europeans also exposed the natives to new diseases like the measles and smallpox, which killed many of the Native Americans.