The North-West Passage

It is believed that Greek explorers were the first to sail to islands in the far north, c. 300 B.C. Europeans thought the north was completely covered by ice until the 1400s, when John Cabot suggested there must be a direct link from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean via a route that became known as the North-West Passage. During the 16th century, Europeans began to investigate a passage in the Northwest that would provide a convenient, safe sea route to the Orient. Known routes were open to attacks from sea powers Spain and Portugal operating in those waters. The search for the North-West passage lasted over 300 years, and exposed seamen to some of the worst weather conditions in the world. Many explorers lost their lives from sickness, starvation, and sometimes from attacks by Natives living in the region. This primary source portfolio with essays, facsimiles of historic maps, charts, as well as highly relevant documents, tells the story of the search for the North-West Passage. This portfolio includes a Study Guide with reproducible student activities. 5 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * Passage to Cataia * A Fool's Errand * By Sun & Moon * Into the Bay * Maps & Bearings 9 Primary Source Documents: * Northwest section of globe by Gemma Frisius, 1527 * John White's painting of Frobisher's party attacked by Eskimos, 1577 * Map of archipelago of "Meta Incognita" from George Best's True Discourse, 1578 * Map inscription written by Dr. John Dee for Queen Elizabeth, 1577 * Letter from John Davis to Francis Walsingham reporting on first northwest expedition, Oct. 3, 1585 * A new 1599, version of map of world by Edward Wright * Hessel Gerritz's printed version of Henry Hudson's chart, 1612 * Ships of the Sea Dogs: Illustrations of ships and ship construction * James Robin's drawing of route map for search of North-West Passage, 1576 to 1631