Organize famous European explorers by nationality. Placing the explorers in their national context provides insights into the motivations, resources, and political dimensions of their expeditions. The major European powers between the 1400s and 1600s each had their own famous explorers. England, Spain, and France were the most dominant powers in the New World. The English explorers focused on the eastern seaboard of the North American continent. The French explorers concentrated on Canada and the Mississippi River valley in North America and the Spanish explorers focused on the southwestern part of North American as well as Central and South America. The Dutch and Portuguese were also heavily involved in exploring and staking claims in the New World as well.
Read histories and biographies about the explorers. Numerous books about famous explorers such as Ferdinand Magellan, Sir Francis Drake, Vasco da Gama, Jacques Cartier, Hernado De Soto, and Sir Walter Raleigh are available at your local bookstore or library.
A more complete understanding is provided by reading books about the political and economic climate, the evolution of money and military power, and other topics related that were crucial to the Age of Exploration. More recent historical literature has presented a critical analysis on the relation between the European powers and the native peoples they confronted in the New World.
Visit online sites devoted to famous explorers. Virtualogy.com provided detailed biographies about the lives of famous explorers arranged in alphabetical order. Library.thinkquest.org is an interactive site geared to teachers and students. Using the site simply requires setting up an account with a user name and password. The site offers interactive lessons on famous explorers, expeditions, navigation tools, the search for new horizons that motivated the explorers.
Visit museums dedicated to famous explorers. American history museums in major cities feature exhibitions on famous explorers and expeditions. Many states also have museums as well as historic sites and buildings dedicated to famous explorers and expeditions. Censusfinder.com has a list of history museums throughout the United States.