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EXPLORERS AND SETTLERS OF NORTH AMERICA (explorers_and_settlers_of_north_america.doc)

Explorers and Settlers of North America

Amerigo Vespucci: 1454-1512

Amerigo Vespucci lived from 1454 to 1512. He was a merchant and an explorer of Spanish descent. Vespucci took part in many early voyages to the New World for the Spanish. He was chief navigator for the Spanish and this included preparing maps and routes to the New World. Of his two or three voyages, one was the discovery of parts of South America, specifically Argentina and Pategonia areas. In 1502, his voyages were highly important because they confirmed doubts of the New World being a separate land from Asia. In 1504 or 1505 accounts of his voyages came out on "A Chronicle of Navigation, Mundus Novus". The New world was named after him in 1507 by Martin Waldseemuller who also wrote travel accounts of Vespucci. Although this name was derived primarily for South America, the name stuck for North America as well.

Sir Walter Raleigh

English soldier, seaman, courtier, author and explorer, Sir Walter Raleigh campaigned in Ireland and Cadiz, explored Guiana, and was first to colonize Virginia, and first to open up Guiana to English enterprise. He was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, and in April of 1584, after receiving a patent from the queen for colonization in the New World, Raleigh dispatched Philip Anadas and Arthur Barlowe to scout out a suitable site for the new colony. The explorers returned to England in September with glowing reports of the coast along North Carolina, and in April of 1585, a group of 108 colonists set sail for America in a fleet of seven ships under the command of Raleigh1s cousin, Sir Richard Grenville. By mid-August a colony was established on Roanoke Island and Grenville returned to England for supplies. During his absence, and less than one year after the colony was first occupied, the settlers, threatened by famine and hostile Indians, sailed for England aboard Sir Frances Drake's fleet. When Grenville returned from England (just a few days later) with supplies and more colonists, he found Roanoke deserted. Only 15 of the new colonists stayed behind when Grenville sailed away.

Although greatly disappointed by the return of the first group of colonists, Raleigh dispatched John White and another company of 121 people, with orders to move the Roanoke settlement north to Virginia, onto the shores of Chesapeake Bay. The sailors refused to sail beyond Roanoke however, and the colonists were forced to remain there. When they landed on Roanoke Island in July of 1587, not one of the colonists left behind by Grenville the year before, was still alive. White sailed to England for supplies and when he finally returned to Roanoke in 1590, no trace of the colony remained. The fate of the Lost Colony is still a mystery, even to the present day.

Although his efforts ended in failure, Sir Walter Raleigh is best known for his long, costly, and persistent struggle to establish the first English colony in America. To his bitter disappointment, he never set foot on North American soil. As the queen's favorite, (most likely the reason for his having received the patent in the first place), he was required to attend her at her court, thus forcing him to remain in England.

Around 1586 Raleigh is said to have introduced tobacco as well as the potato to Europe. However, skepticism remains as to the accuracy of his potato fame, since the potato is not indigenous to Virginia.

Convicted of treason in 1603 by James I, he was released for another expedition to Guiana, and then executed after its failure. Walter Raleigh (*Ralegh) was born in 1552 (or possibly 1550) in Hayes Barton near Devon, England. He died in 1618 at Old Palace Yard, Westminster. *Raleigh was knighted in 1585, and thereafter regularly wrote his name Ralegh, not himself using the form which later became common. His literary works include poetry (written exclusively for the queen), memoirs and several books, among them, The History of the World.

Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain, the son of a naval officer, was born circa 1567 in Brouage, France. He made his first trip across the Atlantic ocean in 1599 while visiting New Spain. Here he made detailed drawings of plants and animals. Upon his return to Spain, the king was so impressed with his elaborate report that he granted Champlain a pension and a patent of nobility. From here he joined a French expedition that was traveling down the St. Lawrence River. Champlain noted the possibilities for colonization in this region. When he returned to France and his proposal for colonization was denied. However, he was commissioned to start a colony in New Brunswick. This colony eventually failed and Samuel began
exploring the New England coast. In 1608, his wish for a colony in St. Lawrence was granted. While running the colony he also explored the surrounding territory and discovered a lake which would later be named Lake Champlain. Throughout these explorations of surrounding territories, Champlain once again maintained detailed descriptions and maps of the area. Champlain befriended the neighbouring tribe called the Huron's and sided with them in their battle against the Iroquois. He was later signed a treaty with the Iroquois. When England and France were feuding, Champlain and his officials were seized by British free boaters and brought back to England. The conflict was resolved, a treaty was signed and Champlain returned to the New World where he would spend the rest of his life. Samuel de Champlain died on Christmas Day 1635. All were saddened for he had no enemies. He is remembered as the "Father of Canada", founder of Quebec and the discoverer of Lake Champlain. He believed that white men and the natives should be friends and equals.

John White

There are not many original written records of John White so his birth place is not known for certain. It is however speculated that he was born in England. By 1580 he was an experienced traveller and artist. He had painted many water colours of native life in Florida, Greenland and Caucasus. For this reason he was selected by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585 to accompany Ralph Lane on an expedition to Roanoke Island, North Carolina. His duties on this voyage were to provide pictures of life in the new world that might stimulate interest in further ventures. Here he painted the first scientific pictures of the flora and fauna of America as well as the customs of the Native Americans.

In 1587 Raleigh commissioned White to lead 117 settlers back to Roanoke Island acting as Govenor. Not long after their arrival White's daughter, Ellinor, gave birth to a daughter of her own, Virginia, the first English child born in America. Soon, provisions ran out and John White was selected to return to England for supplies. When he reached England the Spanish Armada was already threatening. This caused White to be unable to return to Roanoke until 1590. When he did finally get back to the colony at Roanoke, White found no trace of the settlers. All he did find was the letters CRO carved on a tree and CROATOAN cut on a door post of the paliside. Because of this it is assumed that the colonists went to the friendly Croatoan Island but it has also been suggested that they were the victims of the Spanish or the Indians, either way it remains a mystery to this day.  

Obviously John Whites greatest contribution to the new world was not his skills as a Govenor. He did however provide some of the earliest most valuable paintings for the study of the natural history and aboriginal life of this continent.

John Smith

Captain John Smith was born in Willouby, Lincolnshire, England on Jan. 9 1580. He went through traditional schooling and started his adventures early. In the late 1590's he traveled throughout Europe as a soldier fighting the Spanish and Turkish. In transylvania he was wounded and captured, but murdered his master and escaped. He returned to England in 1604 and got involved in the Virginia Company's plan for colonization. On Dec. 20, 1606 Smith, along with 104 other colonists sailed for America. On May 13, 1607 Jamestown was founded. The first couple years were rough and Smith was responsible for aquiring the only supplies of grain and game. The settlers did not know how to live in the wilderness and supply their own food. In the Indians eyes they were lazy. It was not long before Smith began exploring, and it was on one of these expoditions where he and his companions were captured by the Powhatan Indians. His companions were killed but he was kept alive. The story gets a little fuzy here but, some how Pocahontas saves him. This part of Smith's life has been glamerized, exagerated, and has lost most of its historical content. After returnig he explored the Potomac and Rappohanock Rivers, along with the Chesapeake Bay. These explorations resulted in a useful map of Virginia. After being injured in an explotion he returned to England. In 1614 he crossed the Atlantic agian, this time landing a little more north, Cape Cod. He named this area New England and drew up a useful map of its coast. He returned with stories of a plentiful land of fish and furs, and declared it a great place to colonize. As a result of these two journies he wrote "The Generall Historie of Virginia" and "New England and the Summer Isles". These books were a little over exaggerated to make himself and the new lands a little more appealing. He died in London on June 21, 1631.

John Winthrop

In 1587, John Winthrop was born in Edwardstone, Suffolk, England. He was the only child of Adam Winthrop, Lord of Groton Manor. John grew up on his father's estate and as a youth was both educated by a private tutor and an apprentice for a cloth worker. At age 14 he went to Trinity College for two years and then onto Cambridge University where he studied law. After, he returned to his father's estate to learn the operations of an estate. John met and married his first wife, Mary Worth in 1605. Within ten years John and Mary produced six children. Mary died quite suddenly and six months later Winthrop married Thomasine Clopton. Less than a year later she also died. One year later Winthrop married for a third time to Margret Tyndal. She was said to be " one of the most appealing women in all of American history". The two shared a passion for the religious faith of Puritanism.

In 1629 John Winthrop, as a puritan minister, made the decision to move his family to the New World in order to escape religious persecution. He was appointed the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and with them he boarded the Arbella set for the New World. Aboard this ship Winthrop kept a journal which hundreds of years later would serve as a historical document. He also wrote his famous sermon " A Model of Christian Charity" which outlined god's purposes for New England. He explained how success in the New World was dependent upon how dedicated to the ideal of selfless community the people were. Winthrop also went on to express his vision of Boston as the "City upon a Hill".

After two months of travelling the settlers arrived in Salem, Massachusetts which at the time was nothing more than wilderness with a few huts and clearings. They were horrified and wondered how they could begin to raise the needed crops to supply themselves for the winter. Rather thaning orders John Winthrop at once became productive and began the task of building shelters. The others quickly followed b example.

Two hundred of the one thousand settlers died that first winter and in the spring two hundred more left to go back to England. He soon moved the colony from Salem to what is now called Boston Harbor. In the first year Winthrop almost single handedly provided food for the colonists through the sale of his estate. During this time Winthrop lost three of his children, but he never wavered in faith. He thanked god for the safety of his remaining family.

Twenty thousand settlers poured into Massachusetts within the next ten years. Winthrop continued to govern them with expertise of a true leader. He expected that the colonists treat the indians with dignity and respect in hopes that they may be won over to Christ. The very existence of Massachusetts can be credited to the kindness, wisdom and leadership that were characteristic of John Winthrop. His death in 1649 marked the passing of one of early New England's great leaders.

John Josselyn

J. Josselyn was born in the town of Wilingate Doe, Essex county. The exact date of birth and death are unknown, but he was probably born in 1608 and died in 1674. However, there is a tombstone bearing the same first and last name in the town of Wilingate Doe, which states the death date to be 1700. Then why is the death of a famous writer unknown? Partly due to the fact that The Royal Society did not like what Josselyn wrote in his second book, An Account of Two Voyages To New England (1674). The first book, New England Rarities Discovered (1672), received fairly good reviews from the society.

Josselyn wrote about New England from an independent observer point of view, thus focused more on the region's marvels and legends. However, he was also an accomplished scientist. Josselyn studied, inductively, the flora and medicinal herbs of New England, but Maine in particular. Today, there is the Josselyn Botanical Society of Maine in honor of his work. Josselyn described many new species in his first book, New England Rarities Discovered. The book was divided into sections based to certain groups, such as; Birds, mammals, fish, serpents, insects, plants, herbs and minerals. As one can see, Josselyn did not work with plants of New England.

Josselyn's second book was more utilitarian then a guide to wildlife. It offered practical advice for settlers and natural history for amateurs and scientists. However, this book was not liked by The Royal Society for many reasons. First, Josselyn writes about the natives with admiration, often saying how white man are unmatched by the skills of the natives. He was fascinated by the crafts and self-reliance of native woman, which was not liked by the Puritans. In fact, Josselyn did not agree with many of the Puritan ways and often found himself dependent on his brother's help who was Maine's first and only chief magistrate appointed by the Royal authority. Another reason for bad reviews was because the exaggerated and dramatic writing often scared people off from coming to America. On the positive note, Jossleyn wrote about the quick and almost complete elimination of wild turkeys and the extinction of passenger pigeons.

Cotton Mather (February 12, 1662 to February 13, 1727)

Cotton Mather was the oldest son of Increase and Maria Mather (Maria was Increase's step-sister!). Cotton Mather was born in Boston and at age 11 was the youngest person to be admitted to Harvard University.  His religious fervor caused him to be viewed as priggish and prudish- even at that young age he tried to show his less pious classmates the errors of
their ways. He felt that he was destined to be a preacher, but studied the field of medicine instead because he stammered. He overcame his speech impediment and went on to succeed his father as the head of the
Second Church.

Mather was subject to the fears of nature and the elements and would interpret natural disasters as God's punishment for man's sins. Boston was struck by an earthquake in 1663, with aftershocks lasting 3 days. The close proximity of the ocean precipitated many drownings and lost ships.  Because of the type of construction and closeness of houses, once a fire started, it would wipe out most of the city. Finally, epidemics swept through- smallpox,measles, scarlet fever. When Mather saw Halley's comet, he preached about the end of the world!

Mather was known for his involvement in the Salem witch trials; he did not advocate the killing of accused witches,but like most people, he did not speak out against it. He was interested in the scientific aspect of finding out if a person was truly bewitched and he actually took a young girl who had been accused into his home so he could study her.

Probably his most noted medical contribution was that of his efforts to find a cure for smallpox. Mather learned of the practice of inoculation from his black servant Onecimus, a Guramantese from Africa, "many months"
before the Royal Society published an account by Dr. Emanuel Timonius, who had learned the same technique in Constantinople and one from Jacob Pylarinus, who had seen this being done in Smyrna. Mather's friend
Dr. Zebediah Boylston tested this new technique on a "36 year old black servant, a 2.5 year old black child and Boylston's own 6 year old son." All three lived.

Mark Catesby

Mr. Catesby was born, most likely in London circa 1679. In his early years as a young adult, he studied natural science, and was considered one of London's finest naturalists. His travels to the New world began in 1710, he spent the next nine years traveling extensively throughout the land. He returned to England in 1719, bringing with him some of the most perfect specimens of plants ever. This caught the attention of Sir Hans Sloane, who was the proprietor of a museum in London. Subsequently, Catesby spent some time naming and displaying his specimens for the museum.

With the assistance of Sir Sloane, in 1722 Catesby was able to return to the New World, specifically, Carolina. He spent the next four years exploring the districts from Carolina to Florida extensively. Then, upon his return once again, to England, Catesby started to create his best known work, 'Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, with Observations on the Soil, Air, and Water'. Along with this book, a map accompanied it. The first volume was published 1731 and the second in 1743. The drawings of plants were exclusively constructed by Catesby
himself. In 1733, Mr. Catesby was admitted a fellow of the royal society. In 1737, Catesby produced, 'Hortus Britanno-Americanus, or a collection a collection of 85 curious Trees and Shrubs, the production of North America, adapted to the Climate and Soil of Great Britain'. Mr. Catesby is credited for introducing a considerable amount of American plants. In fact, a genus of shrubs of the order of Cinchonacer was named Catesbaea, after the naturalists. In 1747, Mr Catesby read a paper before the Royal Society 'On the Migration of Birds', which revealed new ideas previously not known. Catesby lived most of the remainder of his life in the Isle of Providence, until his returned to London, in 1749, where he died, at age 70.

John Banister

John Banister was a botanist who lived from 1650 to 1692. He visited the West Indies, presumably as a church of England Missionary. By 1678 he settled in Charles City County, Virginia. He devoted himself to the scientific persuits. During his residence in Virginia he studied minutley the plant life of the region. He worked at a "Natural History of Virginia" were he furnished with specimens or drawings of local fauna and flora. He published botanical and entornological articles. Banister's peer labelled him as a "very learned and sagacious naturalist"(Ray). Subsequently he patented land on the Appomattox river and officiated as minister for what was later called Bristol Parish. Linnaeus's genus 573, a tropical plant of Malpighia family is named after him. He died on a botanical expidition along the Roanoke river. His papers were transmitted to Bishop Compton. His herbarium was left to Sir Hans Slaone, whose collection would make up the nucleus of the British Museum.

John Clayton (1686-1773)

He was a Botanist and collector who emigrated to Virginain 1705.

His Herberium was one of the earliest from North America.

William Wood

William Wood, his birthdate and death are unknown. He wrote what has been called the earliest comprehensive record of New Englands natural resources and inhabitants prior to European colonization. Wood arrived in Massachusetts sometime in 1629. He is thought to have been part of John Endecott's scouting party that settled in Salem a year bafore the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His desire to promote the colony may have lead him to idealize the environment. He wrote such descriptions as:

ON TREES " The timber of this country grows straight and tall, some trees being 20-30 feet high."
ON FIRE " ..consumes all the underwood and rubbish which otherwise would overgrow the country, making it unpassible, and spoil their much affected hunting."  
ON INDIANS " The Indians who are too lazy to catch fish, plant corn 8 or 10 years in one place without it, having very good crops"

Wood was driven insane at how lazy he perceived the indians to be. He mocked them because he saw them enjoying the land and never,"imoroving" the land according to British standards. His book, "New Englands Prospect," favourably compares the geography, climate, soil, and crop production with that of Englands'. He speaks of wolves, frogs, insects, and snakes as the evils that affected plantations. His book advertisement read," A true, lively, and experimental description of that part of America commonly known as New England; discovering the state of that country, both as it stands to our new coming english planters; and to the old native inhabitants". He wrote on American topics from an English point of veiw.