A Voyage Around the World
On September 20, 1519, five ships left Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain, and sailed into the Atlantic Ocean. Their crews hoped to reach the Spice Islands in Southeast Asia by traveling west. Nearly three years later, just one of the ships returned to Sanlúcar. Its voyage had traced a path around the world, but the expedition’s original commander, Ferdinand Magellan, was not aboard.
A westward plan
Cloves were valuable in Europe as a flavoring and trade good. They came from Asian trade networks that Europeans wanted to enter and control. Magellan, a Portuguese sailor working for the Spanish Crown, proposed reaching the Spice Islands by sailing west across the Atlantic and beyond the Americas.
Europeans already knew Earth was round. What they did not know was the full size of the Pacific Ocean or how difficult a westward sea route to Asia would be. Magellan’s plan depended on finding a passage through or around South America. The expedition also served Spain’s ambitions to claim territory and expand its power overseas.
- expedition:
- A journey made for a particular purpose.
- Crown:
- The ruler and government of a kingdom.
- navigation:
- The process of planning and following a route.
- revolt:
- An attempt to challenge or overthrow authority.
- Indigenous:
- Having origins in a place where a people lived before later arrivals.
- alliance:
- An agreement to cooperate for a shared purpose.
- detained:
- Held by authorities and not allowed to leave.
- colonial:
- Related to one country controlling territory and people elsewhere.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1How did trade and political ambitions both shape the expedition’s westward plan?
- 2Why did navigation tools not guarantee that the sailors knew their exact location?
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About this explanatory article passage for Middle School
“A Voyage Around the World” is a explanatory article reading passage about The Magellan-Elcano expedition, written for Middle School. It takes about 6 minutes to read (883 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.