The Discovery of America

The Discovery of America is a trilogy written by the German author and educator Joachim Heinrich Campe (1746-1818). It was originally published in 1781/82 as Die Entdekkung von Amerika - ein angenehmes und nützliches Lesebuch für Kinder und junge Leute and deals with the discovery, early exploration and conquest of America by focusing on one explorer in each volume: Christopher Columbus is treated first, followed by Hernán Cortés and finally Francisco Pizarro. The work is counted among the first books of specific children's literature, directly targeting children and adolescents as its main audience, and Campe said to have "set the standard for German children's literature." The trilogy is defined by its author's involvement in the German educational movement of philanthropinism and has been a great success, also being translated into several languages.

Volume I follows the explorer Christopher Columbus (Kristoff Kolumbus in the German edition) from his hometown Genoa and his first voyages to his encounter with Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. After a description of the voyage towards the West and the discovery of the New World, the narrative relates Columbus’ first encounter with Native Americans as well as the first military conflicts.

In the second volume the reader is introduced to the conquistador Hernán Cortés (Ferdinand Kortes) and his exploration and conquest of Mexico. The explorations of the Central American mainland are followed by encounters with Native tribes, some of which become Cortés’ allies in his later conquest of the Aztec empire. After the death of the Aztec emperor Montezuma and the takeover of the empire’s capital Tenochtitlan, the narrative gives a summary of the following subjugation of the rest of Mexico and of Cortés’ troubles with people envious of him.

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