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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269 Items found Print
1421: The Year China Discovered America
by Gavin Menzies
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Admiral of the Ocean Sea
by Samuel E. Morison
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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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American History Stories Volume 1
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Amerigo Vespucci
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Royal Diaries
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And There Was America
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Around the World in a Hundred Years
by Jean Fritz
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Around the World in a Hundred Years
by Jean Fritz
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
Atlas of North American Exploration
by Glyndwr Williams, William H. Goetzmann
Oklahoma Paperbacks Ed from University of Oklahoma Press
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Balboa:
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Balboa: Swordsman and Conquistador
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Bay of the North
by Ronald Syme
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Benjamin Bonneville, Soldier-Explorer
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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
by M. B. Synge
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$20.95
Book of Famous Explorers
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by Edwin Erle Sparks, editor
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Brendan the Navigator
by Jean Fritz
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By Right of Conquest
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By Right of Conquest
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By Right of Conquest
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By Right of Conquest - MP3 CD
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$14.00
California Missions Activity Book
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Captain Cook
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Captain Cook and the South Pacific
by Oliver Warner
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Captain Cook R. N. the Resolute Mariner
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Captain Cook: Pacific Explorer
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Captain Waymouth's Indians
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Captive
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Cartier Sails the St. Lawrence
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Christopher Columbus
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Christopher Columbus
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Christopher Columbus
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Christopher Columbus
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Christopher Columbus
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Christopher Columbus
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Christopher Columbus
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Christopher Columbus and His Brothers
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Christopher Columbus and His Legacy
Opposing Viewpoints Series
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Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of the New World
by Jim Gallagher
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Christopher Columbus: His Story and His Journals
Knowledge Keepers Home Library Series 1492
by Edward Everett Hale and Edward Gaylord Bourne
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$12.00 (2 in stock)
Coloring Book of Great Explorers
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Columbus
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Columbus
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Columbus
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Columbus and Cortez, Conquerors for Christ
by John Eidsmoe
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Columbus and the Discovery of America
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Columbus and the Renaissance Explorers
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Columbus and the Renaissance Explorers
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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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Conquest of the North and South Poles
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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
A Really Truly Story
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Daniel Boone: Boy Hunter
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Discoverers
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Discovery of Guiana
by Walter Raleigh
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Discovery of New Worlds
Story of the World Series #2
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Discovery of New Worlds
Story of the World Series #2
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Discovery of the Americas
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DK Atlas of Exploration
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DK Eyewitness: Explorer
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DK Eyewitness: Explorer
DK Eyewitness Series
by Rupert Matthews
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Drake: The Man They Called a Pirate
by Jean Lee Latham
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Early American History - Your Story Hour CDs
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Early American History for Intermediate Grades - Guide
by Rea Berg & Rebecca Manor
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$29.95
Early American History for Primary Grades - Guide
by Rea Berg
3rd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
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$34.99
Early Days in Old Oregon
by Katharine B. Judson
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Empires Lost and Won
by Albert Marrin
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Encounter
by Jane Yolen
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Encounter
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Era Of Exploration & Discovery 30,000 Years Ago the the 1600s
Focus on U.S. History
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Eric the Red & Leif the Lucky
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Europe Finds the World
Cambridge Introduction to World History
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Exploration and Conquest
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Exploration and Conquest
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
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Exploration and Conquest
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
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Exploration of Africa
by Thomas Sterling
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Exploration of North America - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Exploration, Revolution, and Constitution
American History Series
by Cindy Barden
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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
CTP Theme Series
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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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Explorers of the Pacific
by A. Grove Day
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Explorers to 1815 - Home Teacher Manual
3rd edition from Veritas Press
History Curriculum for 5th-7th grade
in Veritas Press History (Location: HISCUR-VP)
$39.00
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