Research Resources

Resource One: French Colonization

Source Summary

When finding information about the French colonization of the Americas, I chose the online version of the Britannica Encyclopedia. This source was about a page long and contained information only on the French colonies in America, Not British or Dutch colonies. I found this source to be very helpful and factual, providing a basic and complete summary of France's expansion of the Americas. This source went into detail about each colony that France obtained in the Americas, including the Caribbean Islands. I particularly liked how the source explained how France obtained these colonies in America, and then how they eventually lost all of them. All in all I found the Encyclopedia Britannica online to be a very good source.

Source Citation

"The Era of Colonization: The French Colonies." Encyclopedia Britannica. 24 Sep 2008 <http://student.britannica.com/comptons/article-196273/discovery-and-colonization-of-America>.

Resource Two: Dutch Colonization

Source Summary

When finding information about the Dutch colonization of the Americas, I found the Encyclopedia Britannica to be most helpful. the encyclopedia has an entire page on Dutch expansion and colonization throughout the world, but only a paragraph on it's settlements in America. I found this source essential because it provided detailed descriptions of Dutch Activity in America, including settling and creating the city which is now New York. The encyclopedia explained where the Dutch settled in America, and how it was eventually lost. I particularly enjoyed how the source explained how the Dutch obtained Manhattan Island from the Native Americans, by simply paying them $24. Although it was only a paragraph, I still found the Encyclopedia Britannica to have enough information about the Dutch in America. It was very factual and helpful.

Source Citation

"European Overseas Exploration and Empires." The New Encyclopedia Britannica . 15th ed. 1998.

Resource Three: English Colonization

Source Summary

The book New World in the Tropicsis a well written work on the history of the Portugese in the Americas. It has a special emphasis on the Portugeuses only colony in South America, Brazil. The book makes interesting notes on that of Portugeuse multiculturalism in Brazil as well the emergence of a distinctive Brazilian culture that fuses, African, Indian and Iberian influences together. It covers a wide span of history ranging from the early foundations of the Portugese Empire to The arrival of King João IV of Portugal in 1808. The book comes to a close in 1822 with the breakaway of Brazil from Portugal with the crowning of Prince Pedo II. Overall it is a very good resource for further investigation into Portguese history.

Source Citation

Freyre,Gilberto New World in the Tropics. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1980