Opening Up North America, 1497-1800 (Discovery and Exploration)

Cox, Caroline; Albala, Ken

ISBN 10: 1604131969 ISBN 13: 9781604131963

Publisher: Chelsea House Pub, 2009

Synopsis

Opening Up North America, 1497–1800, Revised Edition integrates in a chronological narrative the voyages taken from Florida to Newfoundland, covering the first recorded contact of John Cabot in 1497 through Alexander Mackenzie's journey across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific in 1793. Through these stories, the geography of northeastern North America is pieced together and the impact European exploration had on Native American society continues to be felt today.

 Coverage includes:

• The importance of cod fishing in the North Atlantic
• Beaver hats and the role played by the fur trade in exploration of the continent's interior
• Spanish, French, and English claims to territory in the southeast in the 16th century
• Exploration by Jacques Cartier, Samuel de Champlain, Henry Hudson, Étienne Brûlé, René-Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle, and others.

About this title

About the Author

Caroline Cox is assistant professor of history at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up–These titles focus on broad areas of the history of exploration. Opening Up North America examines the spread of Europeans across the continent, while Exploring North America continues with the expeditions of John Wesley Powell, John Frémont, and other 19th-century figures. Coastal voyages and the exploration of South and Central America are the focus of Discovery. Pacific features the travels of Europeans such as Ferdinand Magellan and James Cook, but also looks at early Polynesian voyages and more recent explorers. Middle Ages covers 1000 years–a period that includes the Vikings and Marco Polo as well as less frequently covered explorers from Asia. All titles emphasize the political, cultural, and economic influences on exploration, along with the varied and complex effects they had. Well-presented information offers readers a deeper understanding of the events, including negative impacts on native peoples that sometimes resulted from the explorations. Though portions are necessarily dense with facts and dates, the writing is clear and generally engaging. Quotations from firsthand observers enliven the narratives, with the source information usually included within the text. Black-and-white maps are clear and useful; archival photos and reproductions appear throughout. The tables of contents are slightly confusing, with maps and fact box titles listed below chapter headings. Nonetheless, this rich set will be particularly useful for research that goes beyond the basic facts of exploration history.–Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
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Edition details

• Publisher: Chelsea House Pub
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1604131969
• ISBN 13: 9781604131963
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 139
• Editor: Bowman John S., Isserman Maurice