Jacques Cartier
Biographical Facts
Jacques
Cartier was born in 1491 in the French seaport of St.Malo, and died in 1557.His
childhood wasn’t very eventful. Some people said that Jacques might have made
a voyage by 1527, but his first voyage to the New World was in 1534. He explored
during most of his adulthood. People started to hear and learn about him right
before his first voyage when he became famous.
Cartier's big highlights were in the St. Lawrence River area. He
discovered the river and also went down it a few times. He explored the Gulf of
St. Lawrence also. His main goal was to find a short route to Asia. He also went
to Newfoundland and explored there a little bit. He was in many different areas
of what’s now Quebec and Canada. He also explored Anicosti Island.
Country
Jacques Cartier was picked for the journey because he had already been
on a few expeditions, such as to Brazil and Newfoundland. His main missions were
to find a quick route to Asia, riches, and later sailing routes. He was born in
France sailed for France and lived in France for all of his life, except when he
was on his expeditions. Cartier had a few expeditions, which was a little
unlikely for most explorers back then. On his first voyage, France financed him
two ships.
Jacques Cartier was very fortunate with the natives living in the New World, compared to other explorers and countries. He had Indian friends to trade with and to count on instead of having to fight with. The tribe he was friends with was the Iriquois. These natives helped them survive scurvy, which is a disease caused by not enough vitamin C. The Indians helped him by teaching him how to make a tea with a lot of vitamin C.
My reaction to exploration and Jacques Cartier is that I think if they had not done what they did, things might not be the way they are today. I think Cartier was very successful even though he did not meet his main goal. I think he traded very well with the Indians. However, I also wish he treated the Indians better when he arrived in the New World. I was impressed with how well he survived during the cold winters in Canada. Overall, I think Jacques Cartier was a good explorer.
1. (Encyclopedia) The New Book of Knowledge
2. (Book) Explorers and Discovery By Cass R. Sandak
3. (Encyclopedia) Explorers and Discoverers Volume A-Ca By Peggy Saari and Daniel B. Baker
4. (Internet) Discovers Web: Jacques Cartier