Explorer: John Cabot Created by Mr. Roper

John Cabot was born in ________________ around Cabot’s family were _____________________ and traders.

Traders from the ___________________ such as Tunisia, Egypt, and Turkey controlled the trade routes to the Indies. These traders charged a very high _____________ for things such as spices, silk, and other goods to the Europeans. John Cabot wanted to get goods from the ________________ himself and not deal with other traders.

Like Columbus, Cabot believed he could reach the Indies by sailing ___________. He thought it would be shorter to first sail north and then head west. Cabot needed _______________ for his expedition and asked King Henry VII of England. The king wanted wealth and new lands for England. In May 1497 Cabot sailed from __________________ on the ship “Matthew”.

On June 24, 1497 Cabot reached North America. He believed that he had landed on ___________________. He named this area _________________. He claimed this land for England. He never saw any Native Americans while exploring this land, but saw signs of human life. He discovered shallow waters called _________________ that contained many fish.

Cabot returned to _________________ believing that he had found a route to Asia. The next year Cabot sailed again with five ships and several hundred men. One ship returned to England after being damaged in a _________________ and the other 4 ships were never seen again. It is a mystery to what happened to Cabot and his crew.

Cabot died never realizing that he had actually found a new _____________________. He did discover good ________________ waters in the Atlantic that are still used today. He also claimed land for England that allowed them to begin ___________________many years later.