Early English, French, & Dutch Explorers (College Board AP® US History)
Study Guide
Written by: Barbara Keese
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Early English explorers
(Timeline image)
Early English, French, and Dutch explorers realized direct trade routes to Asia did not exist
They began instead to explore the locations they found during their voyages
England, France, and the Netherlands wanted to establish new colonies in these areas to grow their national wealth
Sir Francis Drake:
His voyage from 1577−1580 circumnavigated the globe
He claimed the area around San Francisco for England
Sir Walter Raleigh:
In 1584, Raleigh established a colony near Roanoke Island in North Carolina, but he never lived there himself
He also led an unsuccessful 1595 South American expedition to find gold in what is now Venezuela
During the expedition, he located few gold mines
Raleigh received no support from the British government to help establish a colony in the area
Early French explorers
Giovanni da Verrazzano
Traveled the east coast of America in 1524 looking for a shorter route to Asia
He was the first European to explore what is now New York Harbor, along with Block Island and Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island
Samuel de Champlain
Traveled in 1605
He established a settlement now known as Quebec in Canada
He also explored northern New York and the eastern Great Lakes
De Champlain continued to develop the fur trade between Indigenous peoples and New France
Jacques Cartier
Traveled to the Americas in 1534 searching for gold and other riches
Cartier explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence, St. Lawrence River and Prince Edward Island
He used the Indigenous word kanata (village or settlement) to name the area; the word later became the nation’s name (Canada)
Early Dutch Explorers
Henry Hudson
Hudson was a British explorer who sailed for the Dutch in 1609
He discovered the Northwest Passage while looking for a shorter, ice-free route to Asia
Two bodies of water are named after him
The Hudson River in New York
Hudson Bay in Canada connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Remain historically neutral when writing your essays. Do not show favoritism towards one specific nation, group, or person. Avoid using words such as “we,” “our,” or “us,” especially when writing about the United States. Avoid showing emotion. Use facts to stay intellectually engaged with the reader.
Worked Example
Explain the goals early European explorers had as they traveled westward across the Atlantic Ocean.
Answer:
One goal for the Spanish and Portuguese explorers was to search for a safer and more cost-efficient route to the Asian markets. Robbers and thieves had made the overland eastern routes a dangerous way to travel and costly because of lost inventory. These explorers also wanted riches for themselves, glory and acknowledgment of their accomplishments, and the spiritual expansion of Christianity into new areas.
The next groups were European explorers from England, France, and the Netherlands. While they began their travels looking for a route to Asia, they learned that no direct path existed. Therefore, their goal was to explore the lands and waterways of the New World. All these early explorers would also set up new settlements, find trading partners, and establish new colonies to increase the wealth of their countries.
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