The World’s Greatest Explorers

1. Samuel de Champlain The World’s Greatest Explorers Robert Jackson June 22, 2010

2. Word Bank • Explorer p. 9 • One who searches for food and safety • One who seeks to be able to trade with others • One who seeks to conquer others • One who seeks to spread religion • One who was curious about undiscovered places

3. Word Bank • astrolobe p. 51 • A device used for reading the position of the sun which helps travelers determine their position on the earth’s surface

4. Word Bank • canal p. 52 • A man-made waterway connecting two bodies of water

5. Word Bank • Acadia p. 55 • The original French name for Canada

6. Word Bank • scurvy p. 55 • A disease caused by a lack of Vitamin C. Scurvy article in Encyclopedia Brittanica

7. Summary The French explorer Samuel de Champlain has been called the “Father of Canada.” After getting out of the army in his early 30’s, he set out on expedition to see some of the Spanish colonies. He recorded everything he saw in diaries. This sparked his interest in further discovery as well as his desire to help his country France gain some of the wealth that Spain had acquired through establishing some of their colonies.

8. Continued… The next time Champlain set-out he stayed in Canada for 3 months and spent a portion of this time talking with the Alqonquin Indians learning all he could about this “new” land. On his next trip back to Canada, he set about exploring and claiming this land for France. He did become the governor of Acadia (Canada) and helped establish the long term viability of this new colony.