Who was the governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony? John Winthrop John Winthrop, (born January 22 [January 12, Old Style], 1588, Edwardstone, Suffolk, England—died April 5 [March 26], 1649, Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony [U.S.]), first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the chief figure among the Puritan founders of New England. Who was chosen as the […]
Who discovered French Polynesia?
Who discovered French Polynesia? European contact with the islands of French Polynesia was gradual. The Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sighted Pukapuka Atoll in the Tuamotu group in 1521. The southern Marquesas Islands were reached in 1595. The Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen in 1722 discovered Makatea, Bora-Bora, and Maupiti. Who claimed Tahiti for France? Louis-Antoine de […]
Who was Hernán Cortés and what Native American tribe did he attack?
Who was Hernán Cortés and what Native American tribe did he attack? Hernán(do) Cortés, Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca (1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish explorer, military commander, and colonizer whose daring conquest of the Aztec Empire in Mexico for Spain in 1521 led to the eventual subjugation and effective elimination of native […]
What did James Cook do that was important?
What did James Cook do that was important? James Cook was a British naval captain, navigator, and explorer who sailed the seaways and coasts of Canada and conducted three expeditions to the Pacific Ocean (1768–71, 1772–75, and 1776–79), ranging from the Antarctic ice fields to the Bering Strait and from the coasts of North America […]
Does James Cook have anything named after him?
Does James Cook have anything named after him? Cook Islands The country was named after famous English explorer Captain James Cook. However, in the early 1800s, Russian cartographer Adam Johann von Krusenstern published the Atlas de l’Océan Pacifique, and renamed the islands after Cook himself. What places did Captain James Cook name? On this voyage, […]
Why did early French and Dutch explorers search for a Northwest Passage in North America?
Why did early French and Dutch explorers search for a Northwest Passage in North America? France and the Netherlands were also looking for ways to gain wealth through exploration and colonization. At first, their goal in the Americas was to find the Northwest Passage to Asia. Typical French colonists included fur traders and Catholic priests […]
Who was Sacagawea and what did she do?
Who was Sacagawea and what did she do? Sacagawea was a Lehmi Shoshone Indian woman who spoke Shoshone, Hidatsa and the English language. Thus, she had an essential part in the success of this expedition, being a guide as well as an interpreter. How old was Sacagawea when she was sold to Charbonneau? Much of […]
What was the Inca labor system?
What was the Inca labor system? The mita system was a system established by the Inca Empire in order to construct buildings or create roads throughout the empire. It was later transformed into a coercive labor system when the Spanish conquered the Inca Empire. As a result, many natives moved away in order to avoid […]
Why did Sir Alexander Mackenzie explore?
Why did Sir Alexander Mackenzie explore? It was Mackenzie’s passion to reach the Pacific Ocean overland. In the summer of 1789 he set out, hoping to discover a passage westward by way of a river, described to him by the Indians, which flowed out of Great Slave Lake. After 3 weeks exploring the north shore […]