Home > History > U.S. History > I. Age of Exploration and Colonial Settlement

I. Age of Exploration and Colonial Settlement

On this page:

1. Christopher Columbus
2. Discovering Lewis and Clark
3. Henry Hudson
4. Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette
5. Prince Henry the Navigator
6. Prince Henry, the Navigator

Christopher Columbus
http://www1.minn.net/~keithp/

Did you ever wonder what Columbus really discovered? In kindergarten you probably learned that he discovered America. Well, that isn't exactly correct. He actually discovered Cuba, the Bahamas, the Canary Islands, Trinidad, Santo Domingo and the Mosquito Coast. This website by Keith A. Pickering, a historian, has a complete timeline and biography of Christopher Columbus or Cristoforo Colombo, including all of his voyages and what happened to him. On a scale of one to ten we give this web site aten because it provided all the information we were looking for and more.

• Student Author: E.B., V.H. and Alison R.
• Teacher: Jim Rouse
• This site helped Jim Rouse's class answer the question(s) "Who were some of the first European explorers to arrive in North America? What technological advances did they use? What did they discover? And, what was the significance of their journeys?"
• Librarian: Julie Weis
• School: Velma Hamilton Middle School
• Year: 2001-2002

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Discovering Lewis and Clark
http://www.lewis-clark.org/index.htm

If you need a site for Lewis and Clark information, go to the site that makes it feel like you're on the trail with them. There's great graphics, even a program at the beginning of the web site that allows you to travel the trail from a bird's eye view. As you go along the trail it gives you information on each important part of the trip and a neat picture to go along with it. This site also provides parts of the journal used, with Quicktime movies to illustrate. In short, this site provides great information on Lewis and Clark and the trail they chose.

• Student Author: Breckken G.
• Teacher: Karen Vieth
• This site helped Karen Vieth's class answer the question(s) "Who were the people involved in the Westward Expansion in the United States and how did their stories and experiences compare?"
• Technology Teacher: Jill Cohan
• School: Ray F. Sennett Middle School
• Year: 2001-2002

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Henry Hudson
http://www.ianchadwick.com/hudson/

Have you ever wondered how the Hudson River was named? Visit this site to find out about Henry Hudson and his four Voyages. Learn what happened to Hudson and his crew on each voyage. You can look at maps of his voyages and ships and a family tree. This informative website has many pictures and is a great resource for a report on Henry Hudson.

• Student Author: Peggy L.
• Teacher: Jim Rouse
• This site helped Jim Rouse's class answer the question(s) "Who were some of the first European explorers to arrive in North America? What technological advances did they use? What did they discover? And, what was the significance of their journeys?"
• Librarian: Julie Weis
• School: Velma Hamilton Middle School
• Year: 2001-2002

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Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette
http://www.win.tue.nl/~engels/discovery/jolmar.html

I bet you don't know who Jolliet and Marquette are, do you? Well, they are two explorers who led the French to discover Louisiana. But, I'm supposed to be talking about the page. There aren't any graphics, but there are a lot of links that are good for research on any explorer. Unfortunately, it is a personal page, but we compared the information given to other sites and they were basically the same words. I trust the site because they seemed like facts instead of opinion, the spelling and grammar was perfect, and it was very easy to read. I would definitely recommend this site.

• Student Author: Gianna K.
• Teacher: Jan Tuccinardi
• This site helped Jan Tuccinardi's class answer the question(s) "Who were some of the first European explorers to arrive in North America? What technological advances did they use? What did they discover? And, what was the significance of their journeys?"
• Librarian: Julie Weis
• School: Velma Hamilton Middle School
• Year: 2001-2002

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Prince Henry the Navigator
http://www.mrdowling.com/610-henry.html

Did you know that Prince Henry the Navigator was very important in the world of exploration, yet seldom left his home in Portugal? If you have ever visited this site, you know that. This is a good place to visit for information on countries and continents and their histories. There is a lot of information in a relatively small space, and it is organized well with good graphics. The links are easy to navigate, and the format is very easy to understand. It was recently updated, and looks very professional. This site is not really related to explorers, but focuses on world history. However, it is very useful when looking for facts on wars, countries, or continents. It is a good place to go to get accurate information. There are colorful maps and the writing is very informative. I would recommend this site to people that are looking for history on geographic locations, and for information on Prince Henry.

• Student Author: Stephanie S.
• Teacher: Jan Tuccinardi
• This site helped Jan Tuccinardi's class answer the question(s) "Who were some of the first European explorers to arrive in North America? What technological advances did they use? What did they discover? And, what was the significance of their journeys?"
• Librarian: Julie Weis
• School: Velma Hamilton Middle School
• Year: 2001-2002

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Prince Henry, the Navigator
http://www.mariner.org/age/princehenry.html

If you're interested in an extraordinary explorer who actually never left his home in Portugal, then this site is for you! This site includes some very important information, and a lot of dates. It explains many of Prince Henry's achievements and for the most part makes sense. However, it has no pictures at all. It is a trustworthy site, sponsored by the Mariners Museum in Virginia.

• Student Author: Emily L.
• Teacher: Jan Tuccinardi
• This site helped Jan Tuccinardi's class answer the question(s) "Who were some of the first European explorers to arrive in North America? What technological advances did they use? What did they discover? And, what was the significance of their journeys?"
• Librarian: Julie Weis
• School: Velma Hamilton Middle School
• Year: 2001-2002

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Internet Detectives is a publication produced by Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) middle school students as a resource for other K-12 students. It is an ongoing, cooperative effort of middle school Social Studies classrooms. Students find, evaluate and recommend Internet resources related to the curriculum. This project is supported by MMSD's Teaching and Learning Department and Library Media Services.

These Internet resources were evaluated on the basis of Site Selection Guidelines. Questions and comments regarding specific sites can be sent to the classroom teachers listed with the student author and school.

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