What Were John Cabot’s Accomplishments?
John Cabot successfully founded a portion of Canada, shortened the route that Christopher Columbus had taken to North America and was granted a pension by the King of England. He was a successful sailor and an explorer who was constantly looking for new routes to places that had not yet been discovered.
John Cabot was a Venetian citizen who came to be poor in the early years of his life. He was fascinated by the discovery of land by Columbus and other voyagers, but was more concerned about the fame and wealth they had gained as a result of these explorations. As he was poor, Cabot was interested in doing any type of exploring that could earn him money.
Like Columbus, he believed that there was a shorter route to Asia by bypassing the North American shores. He managed to get an appointment with the King of England and was granted permission to begin looking for new routes. The King sponsored his journey and paid him graciously when he returned from his first voyage. When he landed in Canada during the first voyage, he believed that he had reached Asia, but soon learned that he was on North American soil. He was granted permission to go on a second voyage and left for the trip, but was never heard from again.
