Racing to Colonize the New World

Gr 4–8—In Early Explorers, the author begins by describing the challenges faced by the first European explorers: rudimentary navigational aids, nil or nearly nil foreknowledge of non-European regions, and the general danger of travel by sea. The author also describes what drove them—curiosity, wealth, competitiveness, etc. As the author traces the origins of European exploration from the early days of the Vikings in the 11th century to the last voyage of Henry Hudson in the early 1600s, facts about the Silk Road, the spice trade, and advances in navigational science are woven in. In Racing to Colonize the New World, the author summarizes the content of Early Explorers, then describes in depth the conflict that arose when Europeans fought each other and Native Americans in order to claim territory for their own respective countries. In addition, the author explains how contact among different cultures fostered the exchange of ideas and goods. In each book, maps appear periodically to show the reaches of exploration and trade.