Essay on The Discovery of Amerigo Vespucci - 2518 Words

The Discovery of Amerigo Vespucci Who was Amerigo Vespucci? This is a question I asked myself as I was researching the man credited with the discovery of the new world. Much information has been written about Christopher Columbus and very little about Amerigo Vespucci. To understand who Amerigo Vespucci was is to look at his life and times in that time period. This paper is an attempt to look at his history and try to get a better understanding of his life in the â€Å"Age of Discovery†. To have an understanding of Vespucci is to remember that to the day of his death, Columbus persisted in claiming he was in parts of Asia. This is part of the old world mentality and shows that Columbus never fully comprehended the achievements of his†¦show more content†¦The cultural environment of Florence and the availability of printed books with many opportunities led Amerigo Vespucci to the sea and to complete the voyages Columbus failed to complete in the discovery of the mainland now know as the America’ s. Amerigo Vespucci was born on March 9, 1454, the first year of the new age of printed material. He was the third son of Ser Natasagio Vespucci and was named for his grandfather. â€Å"The Vespucci family was considered one of the most cultured and respected aristocratic families of Florence.†[Pohl 14]. Amerigo was influenced by his uncle, Giorgio Vespucci a scholar and collector of manuscripts. His uncle taught him the physical sciences which included the teachings of Aristotle and Ptolemy. This included astronomy, cosmography and geography which will mold Amerigo into a well rounded person of the times. Amerigo acquired a love for Vergil, Dante, and Petrarch under the watchful eye of his uncle and became very skillful in mathematics and Latin. This education would also spark the investigation and inquiry into the voyages of Columbus in his search for the spice trade to the west. Amerigo’s father wanted his son to enter the commercial life of the mercantile career that w as a custom for a son in those days. based on his aptitude and educational training, Amerigo had the qualities to become the next Vespucci to advance family business. â€Å"Fifteenth-Century intellectuals were more disposed to respect learning of the pastShow MoreRelatedSailing with Vespucci546 Words   |  2 PagesSailing with Vespucci If I were to ride aboard the ship in the age of exploration, I would choose Amerigo Vespucci. Amerigo was born in Florence, Italy on March 9, 1951. He was one of the first Europeans to believe that the land Columbus had discovered was not the Indies, but rather an entirely new continent. Because of this, the new land would be called the Americas, a feminized version of Amerigo. Amerigo was born in Florence, Italy, his parents, Ser Nastagio and Lisabetta Mini, were friendsRead MoreEffects Of European Expansion On America1407 Words   |  6 PagesIndians, as he had originally thought that he discovered a new passage to India. Soon new discoveries had occurred left and right after Columbus and his expedition for new lands, especially as explorers sought for a new northwest or southwest passage around the Americas. Other explorers pertaining to this sort of nature include John Cabot, Jacques Cartier, Hernan Cortez, and Amerigo Vespucci. Amerigo Vespucci was a skilled navigator that had sailed to the Americas. 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Based upon research, it is clear thatRead MoreHow Oceanography Is An Study Of The Oceans Through Mapping And Exploring Unknown Sea Routes1577 Words   |  7 Pagesmapping, exploring, charting, and discovery and its birth is congruent with the birth of boats and voyages. Originally, sailors and explorers would go on expeditio ns for mercantile purposes. However, it evolved into mapping and exploring unknown sea routes. Oceanography is a science in the essence of studying the ocean in its entirety, which is more than mapping and knowing sea routes. Oceanography contributes to the scientific community with its new discoveries and developing information, includingRead MoreFinding the Secrets of the World: Chirstoper Columbus845 Words   |  3 Pageswould make the discovery for him. They did not study the high seas, though, which forced them to return. Columbus was very upset when this happened followed by other reasons. His wife Felipa had died around the same time and also found himself in debt, because he did not have steady work. Him and his five year old son, Diego, had walked to a Franciscan monastery, where they took Diego in and gave him a good education. While Christopher Columbus was on his third voyage, Amerigo Vespucci sailed withRead MoreWhere Would We Be Without Them?1444 Words   |  6 PagesExplorer†, John Edwards Caswell argues that â€Å"A river, a strait, and a bay in North America is named for him† â€Å"Sailing from London on April 17,1610, in the 55-ton vessel Discovery, Hudson stopped briefly in Iceland, then proceeded to the â€Å"furious overfall. †Passing through it and entering Hudson Bay in early August† â€Å"his discoveries formed the basis for the Dutch colonization of the Hudson River and for English claims to much of Canada† (Encyclopedia Britannica). Based upon research, it is clear thatRead MoreThe Revolution And The Reformation1432 Words   |  6 PagesExplorer†, John Edwards Caswell argues that â€Å"A river, a strait, and a bay in North America is named for him† â€Å"Sailing from London on April 17,1610, in the 55-ton vessel Discovery, Hudson stopp ed briefly in Iceland, then proceeded to the â€Å"furious overfall. †Passing through it and entering Hudson Bay in early August† â€Å"his discoveries formed the basis for the Dutch colonization of the Hudson River and for English claims to much of Canada† (Encyclopedia Britannica). Based upon research, it is clear thatRead MoreThe European Expansion Of Europe1286 Words   |  6 PagesIndians, as he had originally thought that he had found a new passage to India. Soon new discoveries had occurred left and right after Columbus, especially as explorers sought for a new northwest or southwest passage around the Americas. Other explorers pertaining to this sort of nature include John Cabot, Jacques Cartier, Hernan Cortez, and Amerigo Vespucci, whom the Americas were named after. Amerigo Vespucci was a skilled navigator that had sailed to the Americas. As a trader, he was most interested