In 1492, Christopher Columbus led an expedition sponsored by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to find the passage to the west to the riches of India. Instead, he discovered the islands of present-day Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. Columbus' voyage inspired others to venture west to the Americas in search of wealth and exploration. Other expeditions, undertaken by such explorers as Amerigo Vespucci, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Hernando de Soto, and George Vancouver, changed life in both hemispheres. ""Discovery of the Americas, 1492-1800, Revised Edition"" tells the stories of explorers whose travels made major contributions to world history. Coverage of this title includes: Vasco Nunez de Balboa's sighting of the Pacific Ocean in 1513; Hernan Cortes's conquest of present-day Mexico and how his letters to Charles V taught; European people about Aztec civilization; Francisco Pizarro's claim of the area that is now Peru for Spain in the early 16th century; and, the establishment of missions in present-day California by Father Junipero Serra during the late 18th century.

 

This book is part of a book series called Discovery And Exploration .

There are 136 pages in this book. This book was published 2009 by Chelsea House Publishers .

John S. Bowman received a B. A. in English literature from Harvard University and attended Trinity College, Cambridge University, and the University of Munich. Bowman has worked as an editor for more than 40 years and as a freelance writer for almost as long. He has edited 15 works on general history and another 20 on wars and military history, and is the editor of the America at War set from Facts On File and the Almanac of American History Maurice Isserman holds a B. A. in history from Reed College and an M. A. and Ph. D. in history from the University of Rochester. He is a professor of history at Hamilton College, specializing in 20th-century U. S. history and labor history. Isserman was a Fulbright distinguished lecturer at Moscow State University in 1997 and has received numerous other grants, awards, and fellowships. He has written dozens of articles, reviews, reference book entries, and book chapters, and is the author of 10 books, including four Facts On File titles.