Age of Exploration (1450-1700)

The early history of New World exploration reads like an old-style fantasy novel. Men from Europe literally traversed the North American continent looking for things like the City of Gold and the Fountain of Youth. With such a vast terrain ripe for discovery, there was really no way to prove those things couldn't be found, though not even someone as diligent as Juan Ponce de Leon was able to find any trace of such mystical destinations.

What they found instead was firm ground, mountains, jungles, rivers, deserts, exotic animals, and native inhabitants sometimes happy to greet them, sometimes happy to attack the newcomers. There are a lot of opinions and versions about the European exploration of North and South America, some of them accepted as standard, a few relegated to the conspiracy theorists' corner of shame, and one or two downright shocking.

Most historians agree that the initial Spanish and Portuguese insurgence, particularly in South and Central America, was occasioned primarily by greed and political jockeying. The big villain of this period was Hernan Cortes, a Spaniard who dealt freely in death, communicable disease, treachery, and gold between the Aztec empire and his own nation. It was said he pilfered so much gold his ships sank under it on the return journey.

Christopher Columbus has fared slightly better in the annals of history, though even his methods and motivations have fallen under suspicion. That he claimed the work of a missionary is now seen more as a burden for the Christian community to explain than as a noble mark in his favor. He also took gold, swapped diseases with the Indians, and provoked many to combat.

So what's the truth of all this? Are Europeans just a bunch of terrible people out to exploit everyone else? Is this merely liberal revisionism? The truth (as usual) is probably somewhere in between. Many of the explorers were pretty ruthless, but then again, the kind of personality that could accomplish something as arduous as the years-long journey to an unknown part of the world is bound to have some equally heroic flaws.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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271 Items found Print
1421: The Year China Discovered America
by Gavin Menzies
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Admiral of the Ocean Sea
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Age of Exploration
Great Ages of Man
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America Begins
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American History for Young Students I
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And There Was America
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Around the World in a Hundred Years
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Around the World in a Hundred Years
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Atlas of North American Exploration
by Glyndwr Williams, William H. Goetzmann
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Bay of the North
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Big Golden Book of Christopher Columbus and Other Early Adventurers
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Book About Christopher Columbus
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Book of Discovery
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Book of Famous Explorers
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Captain Cook
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Captain Cook and the South Pacific
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Captain Cook: Pacific Explorer
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Christopher Columbus
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Christopher Columbus and His Brothers
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Christopher Columbus and His Legacy
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Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of the New World
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Christopher Columbus: His Story and His Journals
Knowledge Keepers Home Library Series 1492
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Coloring Book of Great Explorers
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Columbus
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Columbus and Cortez, Conquerors for Christ
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Columbus Discovers America - Coloring Book
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Columbus: The Triumphant Failure
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Commodore Perry in Japan
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Conquest of the Atlantic
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Cook: Captain James Cook Charts the Pacific Ocean
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Coronado and His Captains
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Cortes and the Aztec Conquest
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Cruise of Mr. Christopher Columbus
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Daniel Boone: Boy Hunter
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Discovery of Guiana
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Discovery of New Worlds
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Discovery of New Worlds
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Drake: The Man They Called a Pirate
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Early American History - Your Story Hour CDs
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Early American History for Intermediate Grades - Guide
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Empires Lost and Won
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Encounter
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Encounter
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Era Of Exploration & Discovery 30,000 Years Ago the the 1600s
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Eric the Red & Leif the Lucky
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Europe Finds the World
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Exploration and Conquest
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Exploration and Conquest
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Exploration and Conquest
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Exploration of Africa
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Exploration of North America - Coloring Book
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Explorations of Père Marquette
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Explorer's Handbook
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Explorers
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Explorers
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Explorers & Discoverers - 4 Volume Set
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Explorers for God
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Explorers News
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