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They included Canada, the country around the Great Lakes, and along the Mississippi River.

Questions and Topics for Discussion

In what year was the first French expedition sent out?

What part of the country did Verrazzano explore?
What did he discover?

What discovery was made by Cartier ?

What city did Champlain found?

What lake did he discover?

What region did Joliet and Father Marquette explore?
How far down the Mississippi River did they float?
Why did they not go further?

Who, later, completed the journey?

What region did La Salle take possession of for France?

What did he name it?

Describe the explorations of the French fur traders and missionaries.

Whose friendship did they gain?

In what did the Indians help the French later?

Describe briefly the French claims.

LESSON VI

ENGLISH AND DUTCH EXPLORATIONS

English Explorations

John Cabot, an Italian living in England, was probably the first to discover the continent of North America (1497).

Cabot had set out to find a northwestern passage to India.

He failed to do this, but probably reached the region near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River.

It was not until eighty years later that England made any attempt to explore the New World.

In 1577, Sir Francis Drake left England to attack the Spanish possessions in South America.

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He reached the Pacific by way of the Strait of Magellan.

He sailed northward, taking possession of the western coast of North America. He called it New Albion.

Drake returned to England by way of the Cape of Good Hope, thus being the second to sail around the world.

In 1578 Sir Humphrey Gilbert secured a charter from Queen Elizabeth, granting him any lands

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After making two attempts he landed at Newfoundland, taking possession of it for the English queen.

The English Claims

As a result of the voyage of John Cabot and other explorations, England claimed all the land from Florida to Labrador, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts.

Dutch Explorations

The Dutch also wanted to find a route through the New World to India and China.

They sent Henry Hudson to America for this purpose. Hudson first reached the coast of Greenland. Later he reached Nova Scotia.

Sailing south he entered New York Bay, proceeding up the river which now bears his name.

He reached the point where Albany now stands. Hudson told the Dutch about the valuable fur trade which could be carried on with the Indians.

Dutch traders soon came to the new land.

In 1614 Holland took possession of the valley of the Hudson River, naming it New Netherland. New Netherland later became New York.

Various Claims

It will be seen that various nations claimed much of the same land. Their claims were settled, one by one, by treaty and by war.

Finally England obtained control of North America as far west as the Mississippi River. Of this we shall read more in a later lesson.

Questions and Topics for Discussion

Who was probably the first to discover the continent of North America?

Describe Cabot's voyage.

Tell of the expedition made by Sir Francis Drake.

Where did Sir Humphrey Gilbert land?

For whom did he take possession of this land?

Describe briefly the English claims.

What region did Henry Hudson explore?

What country did he represent?

What part of the country did Holland take possession of?

How did the claims of the various nations overlap?

How were these claims settled?

What country finally gained possession of North America as far west as the Mississippi River?

LESSON VII

FIRST ATTEMPTS AT COLONIZATION

Most of the early explorations were made to find a way through the new country to India.

For many years no attempt was made to settle the new land.

Spain remained in the south, in the hope of finding gold.

France remained in the north, interested in the fish and fur trade of Canada.

There was a broad land between, which was unexplored and unsettled.

Sir Walter Raleigh, an English nobleman, was the first to try to colonize this region. He received a grant of land from the English queen. It extended from Maine to Georgia, and was called Virginia.

Raleigh sent out several expeditions, but all failed.

Although Raleigh's attempts to colonize were not successful, they were important, because they were the first real effort to plant an English nation in America.

The next attempt of the English to colonize was made by two companies formed for the purpose.

They were the London Company and the Plymouth Company.1

Each received a charter from the king of England. These charters granted them large tracts of land in the New World.

The attempt of the Plymouth Company to colonize ended in failure. After a hard, cold winter in what is now the state of Maine, the colonists were glad to return to England.

The London Company settled farther south on Chesapeake Bay.

On May 14, 1607, the colonists sailed up a river which they named the James. Here they founded the colony of Jamestown, naming it in honor of their king.

Jamestown was the first permanent English colony in America. The Jamestown colony suffered greatly. Many died of fever and starvation.

If it had not been for the courage and industry of Captain John Smith the colonists would not have lived. Unfortunately John Smith met with an accident and had to return to England.

The colony had one great fault which made success impossible. It was conducted on a plan of communism. Everything that was produced went into the public storehouse, and all were fed from the common store. This encouraged idleness.

The lazy would not work, and the industrious could see no reason why they should work and feed the lazy.

'The London and Plymouth companies together were known as the Virginia Company.

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