Author Hampton Sides does his research/homework thoroughly, reading, talking to known experts on many related topics be it weather, oceanography, anthropology, ship construction of a period, cultural characteristics, and others. All components of a story - a narrative- combine to embrace the interest of a reader. In this case, the story of a prominent figure already known by generations of historians, anthropologists, and maritime authorities who traced the history of the Age of Exploration.
Sadly, in the 21st Century, sociologists and historians have turned against the explorers, against the navigators, against the seekers and intrepid sailors. Christopher Columbus has been relegated: sent down from his lofty pedestal to a dark place -scorned as the colonizer who destroyed native culture(s) in the western hemisphere. Spaniards and Italians and Portuguese join the British and the Dutch as those "colonizers" who brought disease, death, and slavery to the New World. By 1776, when Capt. Cook set sail from England on his 3rd voyage, much of the globe had been traversed, but many voids remained to be filled in by cartographers. And Cook would do his part again.
To be continued:
.jpg) |
| Capt. Cook's 3rd Voyage |
No comments:
Post a Comment