The Discovery and Naming of America

Three countries of Europe were interested in the discovery of America. They were Spain, France, and England. Spain sent Christopher Columbus to find a new way to the East. With three small ships, he sailed for three months, and on October 12, 1492, he saw land. He thought it was India and called the people living there "Indians." But it was an island not far from the coast of North America.

Many other sailors went to America. An Italian seaman, Amerigo Vespucci, was one of them. He and his men explored the coast of South America and discovered the Bay of Rio de Janeiro, or River of January. They named the place after the month in which they had found the bay. In one of his letters to a friend, Amerigo wrote that the new land he had seen must be a new world. After the publication of those letters, the new land was named after him — America, the land of Amerigo.

Spain, France, and England sent many seamen to North America. The Spanish came to look for gold, silver, and other metals. The French began a trade in animal skins with the local people. The English came to live and work there. There were English, French, and Spanish colonies in North America in the 16th and 17th centuries.