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FOURTH GRADE HISTORY
Part Two: The Explorers

Imagine if you got on a rocket ship and went to a far-away planet. Think of how you would prepare for the journey. Think of how excited you'd be. Think of how scared you'd be.
A statue of de Soto
Go back nearly 500 years. As far as Europeans are concerned, the New World might as well be another planet. No one knows what lies over the horizon in the land Christopher Columbus has discovered. Meanwhile a Spanish explorer named Hernando de Soto, who has already made expeditions into South America, thinks he can find gold in America.

Let’s talk about de Soto, because there are a couple of things about his expedition that are important to remember. For one thing, he wasn’t alone. De Soto landed near what is now Tampa, Florida, with about 600 people. They had lots of weapons, such as axes, swords, and cross-bows. Most of them were wearing armor. They also brought cattle and hogs -- the first domesticated animals ever in America.

For a Tennessee History for Kids-style virtual tour of the De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton, Florida, click here.


de Soto's route
The other thing to remember about de Soto and his army is that theirs wasn't a short trip, but one that lasted more than two years. De Soto and his army moved through Florida, then Georgia, then South Carolina, and made their way to the present location of Chattanooga, where they rested for three weeks. Then they headed across what is now Alabama, where they fought with groups of Cherokee and Chickasaw along the way. They also enslaved many of the Native Americans that they met, forcing them to carry their things or to help them navigate.
This cross in Memphis represents de Soto's arrival at the Mississippi River
De Soto is credited with being the first explorer to "discover" the Mississippi River on May 8, 1541, when his army arrived at or near the location where the city of Memphis is today. Somehow they managed to cross the river (still looking for gold) and made their way into what is now Arkansas, where de Soto died. By this time many of the original party had passed away as well. Finally, de Soto's remaining army built rafts, floated down the Mississippi River, and worked their way to Mexico.
De Soto's army wasn't the only group of Spaniards who came through Tennessee during this era; there was another explorer named Juan Pardo who passed through with several hundred men about 25 years later. For the next 200 years, there was the occassional explorer, trader or missionary from England or France. For the most part, few white people made their way into the land we now call Tennessee until the mid-1700s.

 This was not, however, a time of prosperity among Native Americans here. When people began arriving in the New World they unwittingly brought with them illnesses from Europe that devastated Native American populations. De Soto's army was the first to notice this; diseases that they spread apparently wiped out entire villages, sometimes in advance of their arrival. This onslaught of disease was a problem for successive generations of Native Americans; in fact, we estimate that half of the Cherokee population died from smallpox in 1738 and 1739.

QUIZ

(TRUE OR FALSE) De Soto and his army came to North America to look for his brother Edwardo.

(TRUE OR FALSE) De Soto is believed to be the first white explorer to discover the Mississippi River.

What are some of the things about de Soto’s men that made them different than the Native Americans?

For quiz answers, click here.


Want to learn about long hunters, settlers, warriors, and bloody battles? Thought so. Click here for the next part.

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