Who discovered america for england

Henry, who had barely missed the opportunity to sponsor Columbus's trip, jumped at the chance, provided Cabot could find some financial backing. In exchange for promises of an import monopoly from the Crown, a group of Bristol merchants underwrote Cabot's voyage, and the King issued a letter of patent authorizing Cabot to claim any lands he found for England.

What none knew was that Cabot had made the same error as Columbus; he believed what he read, and his reading said that the world was actually only 17, miles 27, km around, not the 24, miles 38, km we now know it to be. Between England and Asia lay not only one ocean, but two, and a continent as well. Cabot set sail for Asia in the spring ofmaking landfall on June 24 of that year.

The exact place of his landing is not known; convincing cases have been put forth for virtually every reasonable location between Maine and Labrador.

Who discovered america for england: It was, in fact,

What is known for certain is that he realized he had discovered a new continent, that he was the first European to land in North America since the Vikings, and that he claimed the territories he found for England. Upon his return to England, Cabot announced his discoveries and immediately found backing for a larger expedition the next year.

With five ships this time, he again set sail and again landed on the shores of the New World. This time, however, he traveled some way to the south in search of Japan or China. Failing to find them again, he returned to England. On his way, his small flotilla crossed a part of ocean swarming with fish, what is now known as the Grand Banks. Although he did not realize it at the time, this discovery alone justified his trip, for the Grand Banks has been one of the world's most productive fishing grounds for several centuries.

When he returned to England, Cabot reported his failure to prove he had landed in Asia and, from there, faded from history. In fact, it is not even certain when or where he died. However, his discoveries were to have a profound and lasting impact on England and the world. Although Cabot, like Columbus and so many others, was unsuccessful in discovering a short and easy route to Asia, his voyages were significant for a number of reasons.

Among these are:. The letter of patent Cabot received from Henry VII allowed him to take possession of lands "which before that time were unknown to all Christians" for the English Crown. North America certainly qualified, and Cabot claimed everything he could for England. The next claim, based on Jacques Cartier 's explorations of the Saint Lawrence River, established France as a colonial power along this river and into what is now Quebec.

Thus, the future of Canada was set, even though England did not pursue its claim to these new lands for nearly a century. One result of these competing claims was the French and Indian War in which George Washington gained most of his early military experience. Another outcome is still seen today, in Canada's perennial conflict between the French-speaking Quebecois and the English-speaking populations that settled the rest of Canada.

There is some irony, too, that this territorial claim not only helped give England its North American colonies, but at the same time set in motion events that would eventually lead to training the man who would help take them away.

Who discovered america for england: Later European exploration of North America

However, at the time of Cabot's landing, none of this could even be envisioned. Although it is interesting to speculate about how world history might have changed had Cabot not landed in North America, this is more properly the realm of speculative fiction. It is entirely likely that England would have found some pretext to launch her settlements in precisely the same locations as in fact occurred, though possibly without the strategic advantage granted by also possessing the port of Halifax in Nova Scotia.

Although these claims may have been contested more vigorously, the history of North America probably would not have changed much because England's rivals were largely interested in different parts of the Americas. From there, he worked to convince the British crown that England did not have to stand aside while Spain took the lead in exploration of the New Worldand that it was possible to reach Asia on a more northerly route than the one Columbus had taken.

Who discovered america for england: Eric the Red was Scandinavian and

InKing Henry VII issued letters patent to Cabot and his son, which authorized them to make a voyage of discovery and to return with goods for sale on the English market. After a first, aborted attempt inCabot sailed out of Bristol on the small ship Matthew in Maywith a crew of about 18 men. Reports about their exploration vary, but when Cabot and his men went ashore, he reportedly saw signs of habitation but few if any people.

He took possession of the land for King Henry, but hoisted both the English and Venetian flags. Cabot explored the area and named various features of the region, including Cape Discovery, Island of St. John, St. These may correspond to modern-day places located around what became known as Cabot Strait, the mile-wide channel running between southwestern Newfoundland and northern Cape Breton Island.

He returned to Bristol in August with extremely favorable reports of the exploration. Among his discoveries was the rich fishing grounds of the Grand Banks off the coast of Canada, where his crew was allegedly able to fill baskets with cod by simply dropping the baskets into the water. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience.

Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. At age 11, the family moved from Genoa to Venice, where Cabot learned sailing and navigation from Italian seamen and merchants.

Who discovered america for england: › wiki › British_colonization_of_the_Americas.

Cabot officially became a Venetian citizen in and began conducting trade in the eastern Mediterranean. Records indicate that he got into financial trouble and left Venice as a debtor in November During this time, Cabot became inspired by the discoveries of Bartolomeu Dias and Christopher Columbus. InCabot traveled by sea from Bristol to Canada, which he mistook for Asia.

Like Columbus, Cabot believed that sailing west from Europe was the shorter route to Asia. Hearing of opportunities in England, Cabot traveled there and met with King Henry VII, who gave him a grant to "seeke out, discover, and finde" new lands for England. In early May ofCabot left Bristol, England, on the Matthewa fast and able ship weighing 50 tons, with a crew of 18 men.

Cabot and his crew sailed west and north, under Cabot's belief that the route to Asia would be shorter from northern Europe than Columbus's voyage along the trade winds. On June 24,50 days into the voyage, Cabot landed on the east coast of North America.