Page 148 - Key to Social Studies 6
P. 148

The Young Explorer

            Marco Polo was almost destined to explore. He had his  rst sailing trip at the age of 17 with his father

            and uncles. He had been to Mongolia, Tibet, Burma, and India, and his travels inspired people to do the

            same and explore more. One of those who were inspired by him was Bartolomeu Dias, who found a

            route around Africa to reach Asia instead of the Silk Road, which was really dangerous at the time.

            Christopher Columbus


            Columbus thought that the route Bartolomeu took was too long and that sailing west of Europe would

            lead him right to Asia. The Spanish funded Columbus’ exploration in return of being in control of the

            lands he would  nd.

            A lot of explorers were sent after Columbus for the assurance of the existence of the New World.

            One of them was Amerigo Vespucci who claimed the Americas, which were named after him, and who

            explained that Columbus had landed in a whole new continent, not Asia as Columbus believed.



                                                                                                                                    The New World


                                                                                                                                    A lot of European countries wanted to have a part of the Exploration Age. The British, Spanish,

                                                                                                                                    Portuguese, French, and others sent explorers and armies to settle and colonize parts of the New World
                                                                                                                                    as well. On the other hand, while the Europeans had gains and acquired lands, the early settlers, who

                                                                                                                                    Columbus thought were Indians, were pushed away from the land they had inhabited for thousands of

                                                                                                                                    years or were forced to work for the new settlers and change their beliefs to become more European.









                                                                                                                                            Let’s Research!





                                                                                                                                             •  Divide your classroom into di erent groups. Each group should imagine being

                                                                                                                                              explorers in the age of discovery and tell the story of a place they discovered and

                                                                                                                                              present it to the class.








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