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Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer who landed in Texas. He was the first person to record historical events about Texas when he wrote a book about his experiences after returning to Spain. Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was also the first European to trade goods in Texas when he traded with the Native Americans. For example, he received food for treating sick and injured natives. Watch this video about his travels.
ONE OF THE SURVIVORS,
A MAN NAMED ALVAR NUNEZ CABEZA de VACA,
LED THE MEN THROUGH BARREN LANDS
THAT ARE TODAY IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES.
FOR EIGHT LONG YEARS, THEY WANDERED ON FOOT
ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT
UNTIL THEY FINALLY REACHED SPANISH SETTLEMENTS IN MEXICO.
DURING THESE YEARS,
SOME OF THE NATIVE PEOPLE THE EXPLORERS MET
TOLD THEM STORIES ABOUT SEVEN CITIES
THAT LAY SOMEWHERE FURTHER NORTH
THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE FILLED WITH GOLD
AND OTHER TREASURES.
WHEN CABEZA de VACA RETURNED TO SPAIN,
HE VISITED THE KING HERE AT HIS ROYAL PALACE
AND TOLD HIM THIS STORY.
HE HOPED THE KING WOULD LET HIM LEAD A NEW EXPEDITION
TO SEARCH FOR GOLD IN NORTH AMERICA.
BUT THE KING HAD ALREADY DECIDED TO GIVE THIS JOB
TO ANOTHER MAN NAMED...
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Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was a French explorer who landed in present-day Texas by mistake. He was not very successful at claiming parts of Texas for France, but he did claim for France a large part of what later became the United States, including Lousiana. Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle tried to start a French colony called Fort St. Louis in present-day Victoria County. He died in Texas.
[MUSIC PLAYING] The year that Jacques Marquette arrived in New France was the same year that a wealthy Frenchman named Rene-Robert Cavelier arrived there too. Cavelier official title was the Sieur or Lord de La Salle, but he was known simply as La Salle. Shortly after coming to North America La Salle had explored the Ohio River region for France. After that King Louis XIV rewarded him with some land on the northern shore of Lake Ontario, where he established a successful fur trading outpost.
At that time La Salle, like Jolliet, had come to believe that the Mississippi River flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, and he was determined to lead an expedition to find the river's mouth, in order to see if he was right. Along the way La Salle planned to claim for France all the land through which every tributary of the Mississippi River flowed, and to solidify French claims to the Great Lakes region as well.
But first La Salle had to return to France and pay a visit to the royal palace of Versailles in order to explain his idea to the king and win his approval. The King liked Le Salle's plan, and said that if the expedition succeeded he would grant him a monopoly. That is, total control over the trade in valuable buffalo hides in the Mississippi region. However King Louis informed him that he would have to pay for the expedition himself.
La Salle decided to risk it, and before he began he constructed a good sized sailing ship on the shores of Lake Erie. In early August of 1679, La Salle's expedition set sail for the Straits of Mackinac in the new ship. When they reached Green Bay in what is now Wisconsin, the ship was loaded with furs to help pay for the expedition, but it sank on its way back to New France. After that the explorers had to travel by canoe.
In February of 1682, after overcoming many problems, Le Salle's expedition entered the Mississippi River. As the explorers floated south, La Salle explained to the Native Americans along the way that they would soon become subjects of the King of France, and he promised them French protection from the Iroquois tribes that they so greatly feared.
After two months on the river the expedition finally reached the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Then, as this sign explains, La Salle claimed the Mississippi Valley for France, christening it Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV, and the vast territorial claim that La Salle made for France stood right between the Spanish and English colonies, and took up most of the center of what is now the United States.
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Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman, who was born to poor sharecroppers in Atlanta, Texas, became the first African American pilot. Watch this video to learn more about her.
AND HERE WE SEE BESSIE COLEMAN,
A WOMAN WHO WOULD LET NOTHING STAND IN THE WAY
OF HER DREAM OF TAKING TO THE SKIES.
IN HER DAY, NO AMERICAN FLYING SCHOOL
WOULD ACCEPT AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
BUT INSTEAD OF GIVING UP HER DREAM,
BESSIE COLEMAN WENT TO FLYING SCHOOL IN FRANCE,
THUS OVERCOMING THE BARRIERS OF RACISM AND SEXISM
TO BECOME THE FIRST -- EITHER MALE OR FEMALE --
LICENSED AFRICAN-AMERICAN PILOT.
COLEMAN THEN TOOK UP STUNT FLYING
TO RAISE MONEY FOR ANOTHER DREAM SHE HAD --
TO OPEN A FLYING SCHOOL FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS
SO THAT OTHERS OF HER RACE WOULD NOT BE FORCED TO SUFFER
THE SAME HARDSHIPS SHE HAD EXPERIENCED.
HER PURSUIT OF THAT GOAL ENDED TRAGICALLY
WHEN SHE DIED IN A PLANE CRASH.
FORTUNATELY, HOWEVER, HER DREAM DID NOT DIE WITH HER.
THIS WOMAN, WILLA BROWN, KEPT IT ALIVE.
A LICENSED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND MASTER MECHANIC,
WILLA BROWN ESTABLISHED
THE FIRST GOVERNMENT-APPROVED FLIGHT SCHOOL
FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS --
A SCHOOL THAT HELPED TO TRAIN
SOME OF THE MOST-DECORATED PILOTS OF WORLD WAR II.
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Audie Murphy
Audie Murphy was one of the most decorated soldiers of World War II. He received combat awards from not only the United States, but from France and Belgium, too. Audie Murphy was only 19 when he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Watch this video to learn more.
Boston hails the National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Audie Murphy, honored as the hero of the VFW conclave, coinciding with the New England premiere of the film recreating his exploits as America's most-decorated combat soldier of World War II, To *** and Back. Half a million witnessed the VFW parade and premiere, and hailed the man of the day.
[MARCHING BAND MUSIC]
The occasion saw several citations and honors conferred on the war hero and movie star, including the creation of an Audie Murphy platoon, honoring a soldier who went to *** and back for his country.
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