A School History of the United States
A School History of the United States
Book Excerpt
e King sent out three ships in charge of
Americus Vespucius. Vespucius sighted the coast somewhere about Cape St.
Roque, and, finding that it was east of the line of demarcation,
explored it southward as far as the mouth of the river La Plata. As he
was then west of the line, and off a coast which belonged to Spain, he
turned and sailed southeastward till he struck the island of South
Georgia, where the Antarctic cold and the fields of floating ice stopped
him and sent him back to Lisbon.
The results of this great voyage were many. In the first place, it secured Brazil for Portugal. In the second place, it changed the geographical ideas of the time. The great length of coast line explored proved that the land was not a mere island, but that Vespucius had found a new continent in the southern hemisphere,--off the coast of Asia, as was then supposed. This for a time was called the "Fourth Part" of the world,--the other three parts being Europe, Asia, and Africa. But in 1507 a German professor published a lit
FREE EBOOKS AND DEALS
(view all)Popular books in History
Readers reviews
0.0
LoginSign up
Be the first to review this book