Amerigo Vespucci By Difan Li

 Amerigo Vespucci

By Difan Li

If Christopher Columbus first discovered and claimed the New World for the European powers, why exactly was America given the name “America” after Amerigo Vespucci, and who exactly was the man for whom this land is named?

Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer who voyaged to the New World on behalf of Spain and Portugal, and was first to determine that South America was a new continent not connected to Asia. He figured out a system to calculate exact latitude which then allowed him to get a very close estimate of the earth's circumference

Vespucci was born on March 18, 1454, in Florence, Italy. His studies were supervised by his uncle, who sparked his interest in astronomy and the study of the universe. He was trained in business, and studied philosophy at the University of Pisa. Following this, he served as a secretary to his uncle (the Florentine ambassador of France) then became the manager of a trading firm, a business owned by the Medici family. In 1492, Amerigo Vespucci was sent to Seville to help the Medici company, which gave provisions for Spanish ships sailing out of Seville on voyages. He outfitted the 2nd and 3rd expeditions of Columbus to the New World. In May 1499, Vespucci interested the court in his own expedition to new lands across the Atlantic. 

Vespucci sailed from Cadiz in southern Spain with four ships commanded by Alonso de Ojeda. He was representative of the financial interests backing the expedition. When the fleet reached the northern coast of South America after 24 days, Ojeda and Vespucci went separate paths. Vespucci traveled south and became the first person to see the Coast of Brazil on June 27, 1499, as well as the first to explore the mouth of the Amazon River. He sailed north to Rinidad, traveled along the coast of Venezuela to the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo to get more supplies and provisions. He returned to Cadiz June, 1500. 

Vespucci believed there still might be a passage to Asia through the New World so sailed again in May, 1501 with Portugal’s service. During his crossing, he met the ships of Pedro Cabral who was returning from a voyage to Brazil and India. Vespucci reached land near eastern the tip of Brazil, entered the harbor of Rio de Janeiro, and was considered the discoverer of Rio de la Plata. Based on Vespucci’s accounts, he went as far south as present day Argentina. During his explorations in South America, he developed a system to calculate longitude and correctly estimated circumference of earth, only being 50 or so miles off. 

When Vespucci returned to Lisbon in June, 1502, he claimed they discovered a new continent between Europe and Asia. His letter about the “Mundus Novus” (New World), caused a widespread sensation and was translated into many languages. Vespucci’s name was given to South and North America because of an account of his travels where he is represented as having discovered and reached the mainland in 1497. This led geographer Martin Waldseemuller to regard him, not Columbus, as the discoverer of the New World and suggest the land be named America in honor of his voyages. Vespucci was later appointed “pilot major of the kingdom,” an important and respected position to be in charge of training and examining pilots. He died of malaria in 1512, having suffered from it during expeditions, though he had been planning another trip to South America. 

Works Cited

History.com Editors. “Amerigo Vespucci.” HISTORY, 2 Nov. 2018, www.history.com/topics/exploration/amerigo-vespucci.