Books with title Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier was the first European explorer to travel the St. Lawrence River as far as Montreal. He named Mont Real or Montreal from a summit that rose above the Indian village of Hochelaga that stood on the present site of Montreal. Historians and enthnohistorians regard Cartier's Voyages as among the most accurate descriptions of the St. Lawrence region and Canada's northern coast to come out of the 16th century. Much different than the Spanish conquests the discoveries of Cartier and his French crew were carried out with respect to the indigenous people who had already settled the region that is now Canada.

Jacques Cartier was born at a time when people were just beginning to wonder about he world. Was it flat or round? How large was it? Was there a Northwest Passage a way to travel from Europe to Asia without having to sail around Africa? Cartier was a French navigator who was familiar with the sea from a young age, and he wanted to learn the answers to these questions. In 1534, Cartier was given a commission by King Francis I to find the Northwest Passage from Europe to Asia. Instead, he discovered a new land Canada- and the mighty river that flows through it the St. Lawrence. Although it has been over four hundred years since Cartier made his discoveries, Canada, and its people, continue to feel the influence of this great explorer.