Hernando De Soto was conquistador and an explorer from Spain. Hernando is documented as the first European to reach Mississippi. Hernando De Soto who was a daring adventurer and a fine horseman, This was while he led the European expedition deeper towards the modern day territory. This expedition was the very first in Europe. Therefore, this essay will compare and contrast two articles based on Hernando and his discovery of Mississippi river. . Comparing and Contrasting two articles
According to Galloway, Hernando landed into the Mississippi region as a result of his search for silver and gold. He had 400 troops who joined him in his flatboats in crossing the river. They did so at night, so that the night cover would hide them from the Native Americans who were armed. This armed Americans conducted a daily patrol on the river using war canoe. However, this document does not mention De Soto’s passage through China. This was still in the course of Silver and gold haunted. This article makes it clear that the search is the motivation which made him reach the Mississippi (Galloway 1).
Hernando De Soto was born to his parents who hailed in a region of hardships and poverty. Many young people therefore, had to find means of uplifting their lives. It was the desire for a better life that led Hernando to becoming the first European to reach Mississippi. In Galloway’s article, De Soto was a daring young adventurer and a horseman. It has also indicated that De Soto had accumulated lots of wealth courtesy of the slave trade in India. This was during his exploration mission in Central America (Galloway 1). This source hence contrasts how Jacobson brought out De Soto as young man driven to success by necessity.
May 1539, De Soto landed on Florida at the west coast. He landed there as a very rich man. He had servants, 600 troops and 200 horses trailing behind him. He amassed this wealth after having a hand in conquering Peru. De Soto and his army gave the natives no peace as they seized whatever valuables they came across. The region was due to be colonized by the Spanish and De Soto was a tool for this preparation. Instead of ending up with the silver and gold that he had been searching for, he found valuable pearls. Contrary to what Galloway depicts, Jacobson goes ahead to picture him as a determined young man. Together with other young men, from Portugal and Spain, De Soto found himself sailing together with the governor of Pedrarias Davilla to New world. His tools for success in this source are hard work and loyalty (Jacobson 1).
However, the two sources show him as a notorious man in torturing natives. According to Jacobson, the First Panama governor liked his clever schemes, which he applied in extortion of natives. This is very unlikely of a person who had undergone hard
times as a kid. Instead of fighting for justice of the poor or better still helping them, De Soto compressed them. He is also described as a lover of fame (Jacobson 1). Both sources concur that De Soto was in search of Wealth, that he Encountered Indians who did not prove that friendly to him and later waged war against him and his troop; He discovered the river Mississippi and that he died in 1542.
It was on May 8 in the year 1541 that De Soto reached Mississippi. De Sato want for more reaches was becoming more than a determination. Instead of marching with his troop to the Gulf coast he headed to America for more reaches. After crossing the Mississippi, he travelled through Louisiana, today’s Arkansas. He still had a few of his gains to mark and display his efforts. Juan Ortiz who was their interpreter died. His death made them face difficulties in continuing with their journey (Jacobson 1). It was had to locate sources of food. After a fight with the dangerous Tula, and being declared as very skilled, they made their return to Mississippi. Both sources indicate that De Soto died at the bank on Mississippi fever.
Hernando De Soto was a great man, and had good intentions. It was honestly hard for me to choose a topic, but since I found something based off of something where I’ve been near and know halfway about (the Mississippi river) I just decided to do something about Hernando De Soto. This concludes my comparing and contrasting essay.
Work cited
Galloway, Patricia K. The Hernando De Soto Expedition: History, Historiography, and “discovery” in the Southeast. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2005. Internet resource. Jacobson, Judy. Alabama and Mississippi Connections: Historical and Biographical Sketches of Families Who Settled on Both Sides of the Tombigbee River. Baltimore, Md: Clearfield, 1999. Print. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/de-soto-reaches-the-mississippi retrieved 2nd November, 2012
