The Handy American History Answer Book. David L. Hudson

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СКАЧАТЬ distinction goes to explorer John Cabot (c. 1451–1498), who in 1497 sailed westward from Bristol, England, in search of a trade route to the East. Cabot’s story began in 1493, when Columbus returned to Spain from his New World voyage, claiming to have reached Asia. From the accounts of the trip, Cabot, who was himself a navigator, believed it was unlikely Columbus had traveled that far. He did, however, believe it was possible (as did subsequent explorers) to find a route—a northwest passage—that ran north of the landmass Columbus had discovered and by which Asia could be reached. In 1495 the Italian Cabot—born Giovanni Caboto—took his family to England, and in March 1496, appealed to King Henry VII (1457–1509) for his endorsement to pursue the plan. For his part, King Henry, well aware of the claims made by the Spanish and Portuguese who had sponsored their own explorations, was eager to find new lands to rule. Accordingly, he granted a patent authorizing Cabot’s expedition.

      Later that year, Cabot set sail, but problems aboard the ship and foul weather forced him to turn back. On May 20, 1497, he sailed again, in a small ship christened “Matthew.” The crew of twenty included Cabot’s son, Sebastian. On June 24, they sighted land, and Cabot went ashore. While he saw signs of human habitation, he encountered no one. From reports of the trip, scholars believe Cabot reached the coasts of present-day Maine, Nova Scotia, and probably Newfoundland. He then sailed home, returning to England on August 6, 1497. He reported to the king six days later and was given both a reward and authorization for a more sizeable expedition, undertaken in May 1498. Cabot set sail with five ships in his command, but the expedition was not heard from again.

COLONIAL AMERICA

      What were the Spanish holdings in the New World?

      New Spain comprised many of the Spanish possessions in the New World during the colonial period. At its height, New Spain included what are today the southwestern United States; all of Mexico; Central America to the Isthmus of Panama; Florida; much of the West Indies (islands in the Caribbean); and the Philippines (in the Pacific Ocean). The viceroyalty (province governed by a representative of the monarch) was governed from the capital at Mexico City beginning in 1535. In 1821, a Mexican rebellion ended Spanish rule there, and the colonial empire of New Spain dissolved. By 1898, after Spain lost the Spanish–American War, Spain had ceded all its possessions in North America. Its last holdings were the islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

      During the colonial period, Spain also claimed other territories in the New World—in northern and western South America. Most of these holdings fell under the viceroyalty of Peru, which was administered separately from the viceroyalty of New Spain. These possessions were also lost by Spain by the end of the 1800s.

      What were the French holdings in the New World?

      The French possessions in North America, called New France, consisted of the colonies of Canada, Acadia, and Louisiana. The first land claims were made in 1534 by French explorer Jacques Cartier (1491–1557) as he sailed the St. Lawrence River in eastern Canada. In 1604, Sieur de Monts (Pierre du Gua; c. 1568–c. 1630) established a settlement at Acadia (in present-day Nova Scotia, Canada), and French claims later extended the region to include what are today the province of New Brunswick, Canada, and the eastern part of Maine. After founding Quebec in 1608, explorer Samuel de Champlain (c. 1567–1635) penetrated the interior (present-day Ontario) as far as Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, extending French land claims westward.

      In 1672, French-Canadian explorer Louis Jolliet (1645–1700) and French missionary Jacques Marquette (1637–1675) became the first Europeans to discover the upper part of the Mississippi River. Ten years later, French explorer Sieur de La Salle (1643–1687) followed the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, claiming the river valley for France and naming it Louisiana. While the French expanded their North American claims, the majority of French settlers lived in Canada. France lost Canada to Great Britain in the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763). Louisiana changed hands numerous times before it was finally sold to the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase; it was France’s last claim on the North American mainland. French culture and influence in these areas remains prevalent today.

      In 1635, the French also claimed the West Indies islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe (and its small surrounding islands, including Saint Barthélemy). In 1946, the French government changed the status of these islands from colonies to “overseas departments.”

      Who was the proprietor of French-owned Louisiana in the early eighteenth century?

      Antoine Crozat (1655–1738) was a wealthy French businessman (merchant) who effectively ruled French-owned Louisiana in the early eighteenth century. In 1712, French King Louis XIV gave Crozat a trade monopoly in the Louisiana territory. The monopoly lasted until 1717.

      What was the “Lost Colony”?

      It was the second English colony established in America. Set up in 1587 on Roanoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina, by 1590 it disappeared without a trace. Theories surround the disappearance, though it is not known for certain what happened. Some speculate the colonists fell victim to disease. Others have posited that perhaps some hostile Indians killed the colonists.

      Roanoke Island had also been the site of the first English colony, set up in 1585 by about 100 men sent there by Sir Walter Raleigh (1554–1618). Raleigh had perceived the island to be a good spot for English warships (that were then fighting the Spanish) to be repaired and loaded with new supplies. But the plan was unsuccessful: The land wasn’t sufficiently fertile to support both the colonists and the Indians living nearby, and because the surrounding sea proved too shallow, ships could not get close enough to the island. The colonists returned to England in 1586. In the meantime, Raleigh dispatched a second group of colonists from England. They arrived at Roanoke just days after the original settlers left. Seeing that the site had been abandoned, all but fifteen of the colonists opted to return to England.

      In the spring of 1587, Raleigh sent a third group of colonists to America, but these ships were headed for areas near Chesapeake Bay, farther north (in present-day Virginia). Reaching the Outer Banks in July, the ships’ commander refused to take the colonists to their destination and instead left them at Roanoke Island. The colonists’ 10 leader, John White, who had also been among the first settlers at Roanoke, returned to England for supplies in August 1587. However, a war between England and Spain prevented his return until three years later. Arriving back at Roanoke in August 1590, he expected to be met by family members and the hundred or so settlers (including some women and children). Instead, he discovered the colony had been abandoned.

      The only clue White found was the word CROATOAN engraved on a tree. The Croatoan, or Hatteras, were friendly Indians who lived on an island south of Roanoke Island. White set out to see if the colonists had joined the Indians, but bad weather prevented the search, and his expedition returned to England instead.

      Two theories explain what might have become of the lost colonists. Since the shore of Chesapeake Bay was their original destination, the colonists might have moved there but, encountering resistance, perished at the hands of the Indians. Other evidence suggests that the colonists became integrated with several Indian tribes living in North Carolina. Either way, no European ever saw them again.

      What was Jamestown?

      Jamestown, Virginia, is considered the first permanent English colony in the New World. In April 1607, a group of settlers under the auspices of the Virginia Company arrived at the James River and created the Jamestown settlement. They arrived by three ships: the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. The settlers searched in vain for gold and suffered through what historian Robert V. Remini calls “the starving season.”

      Led by military leader Captain John Smith (1579–1631), the colonists managed to survive. СКАЧАТЬ