The Coming of the White Men to North America

4.5

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

Many other sailors went out 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 his 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 the North America. The Spanish came there to look for gold, silver and other metals. The French began a trade in animal skins with the Indians. The English came to live and to work there. There were English, French and Spanish colonies in North America in the 16th and 17th centuries.