History of World Exploration and the Jamestown Settlement

Do Now and Learning Objectives

• Inventions for Survival: The lesson begins with a prompt to explain which inventions are the most essential for the survival of settlers and explorers arriving in new places and to list them in order of importance.

• Learning Objective: To consider the impact of early European travel around the world.

• Core Values (Wilmington Grammar School for Boys - Endeavour MAT):

  • Personal Excellence

  • Respect and Friendship

  • Equality for All

  • Determination

  • Innovation and Creativity

Introduction to European Exploration

• Objective of Exploration: When Europeans first began sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, their primary goal was searching for new routes to China and the East.

• The "New World": Instead of a route to the East, they discovered what became known as the "New World."

• Historical Figures: Exploration involved both celebrated and controversial figures such as Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo, who made groundbreaking discoveries across the globe.

Profiles of Famous World Explorers

• Marco Polo:

  • Nationality: Venetian.

  • Journey Detail: Traveled from Europe to Asia between $1271$ and $1295$.

  • Residency: He remained in China for $17$ of those years.

  • Accomplishments: Known for the book The Travels of Marco Polo. Served as the governor of a Chinese city, an official of the Privy Council (appointed by Kublai Khan), and a tax inspector in Yanzhou.

  • Impact: His story inspired many subsequent adventurers.

• Christopher Columbus:

  • Nationality: Italian.

  • Voyages: He went to sea as a teenager, trading in the Mediterranean and Aegean (reaching the island of Khios).

  • The 1492 Expedition: Sailed from Spain across the Atlantic in the Santa Maria, accompanied by the Pinta and the Niña, seeking a route to India.

  • Exploration Range: Between $1492$ and $1504$, he made a total of four voyages to the Caribbean and South America.

  • Legacy: Credited and blamed for opening the Americas to European colonization. He died on May $20$, $1506$, from severe arthritis following an infection, still believing he had reached Asia.

• Amerigo Vespucci:

  • Nationality: Florentine.

  • First Voyage: Embarked May $10$, $1497$, departing from Cadiz with Spanish ships.

  • Second Expedition: May $1499$, under Alonzo de Ojeda. Explored the coast of Guyana and Brazil; he is said to have discovered the Amazon River and Cape St. Augustine.

  • Third Voyage: Discovered present-day Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata.

  • Naming of America: He identified South America as a "New World" (a new continent). America was named after him in $1507$. He died of malaria on February $22$, $1512$.

• John Cabot:

  • Nationality: Venetian.

  • 1497 Voyage: Traveled from Bristol, England, to North America. He made a British claim to land in Canada, though he mistook it for Asia.

  • Landing Sites: Controversial locations include Cape Breton Island, mainland Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, or Maine.

  • Final Voyage: Departed in May $1498$ with $5$ ships and $300$ men. One ship disabled and went to Ireland; the other four disappeared. It is believed he died in $1499$ or $1500$.

• Ferdinand Magellan:

  • Nationality: Portuguese (sailing for Spain).

  • Early Career: Studied mapmaking; joined a Portuguese fleet to East Africa in $1505$; fought in the Battle of Diu (Arabian Sea) in $1509$; explored Malacca in $1511$.

  • Circumnavigation: In $1519$, supported by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, he sought a route to the Spice Islands.

  • Outcome: Reached Homonhom Island (Philippines) in March $1521$ with fewer than $150$ of his original $270$ men. He was killed in a battle between rival leaders on April $27$, $1521$.

• Hernán Cortés:

  • Nationality: Spanish Conquistador.

  • Major Conflicts: Embarked for the New World at age $19$. Explored Mexico in $1518$. Overthrew Montezuma and the Aztec Empire.

  • Human Toll: He and his men are estimated to have killed as many as $100,000$ Indigenous peoples during battles for domination.

  • Appointment: King Charles I (Emperor Charles V) named him Governor of New Spain in $1522$.

• Francisco Pizarro:

  • Nationality: Spanish Conquistador.

  • Early Journey: Joined Vasco Núñez de Balboa in $1513$ crossing the Isthmus of Panama to the "South Sea" (Pacific Ocean).

  • ** Conquest:** Procured a commission from Emperor Charles V in $1528$. In $1532$, he overthrew the Inca leader Atahualpa and conquered Peru.

  • Late Life: Founded Lima in $1535$. Assassinated in $1541$ due to tensions between rival conquistadors.

• Sir Francis Drake:

  • Nationality: English.

  • Major Achievement: The second person to circumnavigate the globe ($1577$–$1580$).

  • Career: Explored the coast beyond the Strait of Magellan. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. Participated in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in $1588$. Died of dysentery in $1596$ following an unsuccessful raid.

• Sir Walter Raleigh:

  • Nationality: English.

  • Early Life: Fought with French Huguenots at age $17$; studied at Oxford; served in the army in Ireland.

  • Colonization: Knighted in $1585$. Invested in expeditions to Roanoke (North Carolina) to establish a colony named "Virginia" in honor of Elizabeth I (the "Virgin Queen").

  • Fate: Imprisoned for treason by King James I and put to death.

• James Cook:

  • Nationality: British Navy Captain/Navigator.

  • Seven Years War ($1756$-$1763$): Commanded a captured ship for the Royal Navy.

  • Explorations: Led the first scientific expedition to the Pacific in $1768$. In $1770$, on the ship the HMB Endeavour, he charted New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef.

  • Scientific Legacy: Disproved the existence of the fabled continent Terra Australis and provided the first accurate map of the Pacific.

Settlement Case Study: Jamestown $1607$

• Scenario: Passengers on three small English sailing ships captained by Christopher Newport in spring $1607$ arrived at the Virginia coast.

• Mission: Directed by the Virginia Company of London to find "the true, most wholesome and fertile place" to settle.

• Method: Initial exploration of the James River was conducted using a "shallop" (small boat).

• Items Found at Historic Digs:

  • Flint and striker: Hard-grey stone and steel for fire.

  • Salted pork and hard tack: Preserved meat and moisture-free biscuits.

  • Candlestick holder: Non-flammable base for light.

  • Musket: Common firearm.

  • Sword: Weapon with a long metal blade.

  • Axe: Tool for cutting and building.

  • Bleeding bowl: Medical item for collecting blood.

  • Beads: Glass trinkets or jewelry.

  • Coins: English currency.

  • $15$\text{ meters of hemp rope}: Natural fiber rope.

  • Astrolabe: Measures the altitude of the Sun.

  • Magnetic compass: Determines direction via magnetic field.

  • Bartman jar: 17th-century pottery jar for liquids.

  • Case bottle: Square glass bottle for storage.

  • Hammock: Canvas or netting bed.

Historians' Priority Ranking for Survival in Jamestown

• 1st Choice: Salted Pork and Hard Tack

  • Rationale 1: Essential for preserving food. Hard tack (biscuits with no moisture) and salted pork lasted a long time.

  • Rationale 2: Might be the only food available until John Smith could trade with the Powhatans. Hard tack was soaked in water before consumption.

• 2nd Choice: Musket / Flint and Striker

  • Musket Rationale: Used to shoot deer for meat and for protection against unpredictable contact with the Powhatans.

  • Flint and Striker Rationale: Fire was needed for cooking, warmth, and keeping animals away. Flint could also be used as a cutting utensil.

• 3rd Choice: Magnetic Compass / Musket

  • Compass Rationale: John Smith used it to navigate the James River and conduct trading ventures in late $1607$. It prevented explorers from getting lost in unfamiliar areas.

  • Musket Rationale: Necessary for hunting and defense, though limited by powder supply and weather.

• 4th Choice: Bleeding Bowl / Sword

  • Bleeding Bowl Rationale: Many settlers were sick and required medical care until help arrived.

  • Sword Rationale: Dual-purpose as a weapon or a tool (axe/machete). Broken swords could be repurposed as knives.

• 5th Choice: Beads / Axe

  • Beads Rationale: Prized by Virginia Indians (Powhatans) economically and spiritually. Used as currency and in religious ceremonies.

  • Axe Rationale: Required for building houses and the fort, as well as being a high-priced trade item.

• 6th Choice: Flint and Striker / Beads

  • Flint and Striker Rationale: 17th-century "matches" providing light, warmth, and cooking capabilities.

  • Beads Rationale: Critical for exchanging with the Powhatans for food.

• 7th Choice: Axe / Bleeding Bowl

  • Axe Rationale: Needed for cutting lumber for repairs and firewood.

  • Bleeding Bowl Rationale: Used for the common medical practice of "bleeding" the body to rid it of disease, as settlers often relied on such methods or natural herbs.

• 8th Choice: Bartman Jar / $15$\text{ meters of hemp rope}

  • Bartman Jar Rationale: Essential for storing clean water from rain or freshwater springs.

  • Hemp Rope Rationale: Used in "mud-and-stud" construction to lash saplings together.

• 9th Choice: Sword / Bartman Jar

  • Sword Rationale: Backup weapon when musket gunpowder became damp.

  • Bartman Jar Rationale: Awkward and breakable; often traded to the Powhatans for skin-based water jugs.

• 10th Choice: Case Bottle

  • Rationale 1: Square glass bottles (stored in crates) used for medicine, alcohol, or freshwater.

  • Rationale 2: Though delicate, broken pieces could serve as cutting tools.

• 11th Choice: Candlestick Holder / Magnetic Compass

  • Candlestick Rationale: Provided emotional comfort against the dark in a strange land.

  • Compass Rationale: Fascination for the Powhatans; vital for mapping the region.

• 12th Choice: Coins / Candlestick Holder

  • Coins Rationale: Useless as standard currency; the English learned to pierce or shape them into jewelry/beads to trade with the Powhatans for food.

  • Candlestick Rationale: Less necessary because candles were made from natural sources.

• 13th Choice: $15$\text{ meters of hemp rope} / Astrolabe

  • Hemp Rope Rationale: Used for traps/snares, but had many natural substitutes.

  • Astrolabe Rationale: Not necessary once on land in the settlement.

• 14th Choice: Hammock / Coins

  • Hammock Rationale: Not essential for survival despite the lack of sleep.

  • Coins Rationale: Had little direct value in early Virginia.

• 15th Choice: Astrolabe / Hammock

  • Astrolabe Rationale: Designed for ocean navigation by stars; useless on the James River.

  • Hammock Rationale: Settlers would sleep anywhere due to exhaustion.

Questions & Discussion

• Discussion Prompt 1: "Explain which inventions are the most essential for the survival of settlers and explorers when they arrive in new places? List them in order of importance."

• Discussion Prompt 2: "From the explorers we learnt about in the last lesson. Which is your favourite, or do you think was the most important? Why?"

• Additional Context: The lesson includes reference to the educational program "America the Story of Us: Life in Jamestown | History" and the historian H.W. Brands.