Vespucci+-+6C

=AMERIGO VESPUCCI= =__Introduction__= Amerigo Vespucci was born in Florence, Italy. He was probably born on March 9th, 1454 and died in 1512. He was the son of Nastagio. At a young age Vespucci studied navigation. In 1491 Vespucci moved to Seville, Spain and in 1505 Vespucci became a Spanish citizen and then worked for a goverment agency that regulated comerce with the New World. In 1508-1512 he occupied the spot of being piloto mayor (master navigator).

=__Purpose of Journeys__= When he sailed for Portugal he explored only to make discoveries, not for any profit. Healso sailed to find the Spice Islands. =__Voyages__= Vespucci claimed to have made four voyages, but only two are certain. After his first voyage, in 1497, he said he had seen the continent of the New World. He also said that the land the New Found Land and the New World were connected to each other, but not to Asia. His second voyage he sailed on behalf of Spain and was from 1499-1500. This expedition was led by Alolns de Ojeda. In this voyage Amerigo discovered the mouth of the Amazon River and the Orinoco Rivers in South America and travelled down the coast of Venezuela. His third voyage was led by Goncalo Coelho. In this voyage he explored the coast of Southern Brazil. =__Hardships and Challenges__= One challenge was that during his second voyage it took sixty-four days to cross the Atlantic Ocean because of light winds. =__Interesting Facts__= In 1502 when Vespucci came to South America they sent a young man to talk to a crowd of Indians. The Indians fired arrows to keep the rest of the Europeans back. The women seized the man, cut him up, roasted him on a fire and ate him with evident enjoyment. Also, scholars today are questioning his claims of discovery. They have found little proof to support his own reportsof making a voyage in 1497. Vespucci claimed to have led all of his expeditions, but he had only been a navigator or commander of a single ship. Another interesting fact was that although Cabral was said to have discovered Brazil, Vespucci may have seen tha coast ten months before. =__Historical Contributions__= Amerigo Vespuci's writings were very popular. A German mapmaker, named Martin Waldseemuller, read Vespucci's writings and thought that Vespucci was the first person to sail to the New World. In 1507 he suggested that the land, the Americas, should be named America.

Sources:
Fritz, Jean. __Around the World in a Hundred Years.__ New York: Scholastic, 1994. Sansevere Dreher, Diane. __Explorers Who Got Lost.__ New York: Angel Entertainment, 1992. Chrisholm, Jane. __Timlines of World History.__ Toronto: Scholastic, 2000. Hynson, Colin. __Columbus and the Renaissance Explorers.__ Happpauge: Scholastic, 1998. Burton, Rosemary. __Journeys of the Great Explorers.__ Hampshire: AA Publishing, 1992. [|www.worldbookonline.com] [|www.enchantedlearning.com] [|www.corning.k12.ia] [|www.encyclopediabritannicaonline.com] [] []