Amerigo Vespucci by Nina Brown Baker
Amerigo Vespucci, as depicted by Nina Brown Baker, is a compelling figure in the history of exploration, whose life spanned from his early years in Peretola, Italy, to his death in Seville, Spain. The biography is structured in twelve chapters, chronicling Vespucci's journey from a curious boy fascinated by astronomy to a significant player in the Age of Discovery. Baker highlights Vespucci’s dual talents as a scholar and businessman, detailing his early mentorship by his uncles and his pivotal role as a Medici representative in the trade sector. His interactions with Christopher Columbus, including a notable refusal to join Columbus on a voyage, set the stage for Vespucci's own explorations.
Through his voyages to the New World, he became the first to recognize that Columbus had discovered a new continent rather than the Asian lands he had sought. Vespucci's insights and detailed letters to patrons, which later influenced cartographers, ultimately led to the continent being named "America" in his honor. Despite his contributions, Vespucci faced challenges and did not embark on additional voyages after 1512 due to illness. The biography reflects on Vespucci's legacy of knowledge and exploration, contrasting his approach with that of Columbus, and emphasizes his pursuit of understanding over conquest.
Subject Terms
Amerigo Vespucci by Nina Brown Baker
First published: 1956; illustrated
Subjects: Educators and explorers
Type of work: Biography
Time of work: 1463-1512
Recommended Ages: 10-15
Locale: Peretola, Florence, and San Marco, Italy; Seville, Spain; Venezuela; Haiti; Lisbon, Portugal; and Brazil
Principal Personages:
Amerigo Vespucci , an explorer whose life is followed from age twelve to his deathUncle Giorgio , a scholar and priest who guides young Amerigo into true learning at a monastery in San MarcoDr. Toscanelli , in Amerigo’s youth the world’s greatest geographer and one of Amerigo’s teachers at San MarcoUncle Guido , a representative for the Medicis who brings Amerigo into the Medici businessChristopher Columbus , an explorer who comes to Vespucci’s company to obtain ships and supplies for his second voyage to the New WorldJuan de la Cosa , a ship’s pilot who teaches Vespucci the practical side of navigationGiovanni Vespucci , Amerigo’s nephew, who is taught by Amerigo and who accompanies him on his voyagesAlonso de Hojeda , a Spanish nobleman who investigates charges against Columbus
Form and Content
In twelve chapters, Nina Brown Baker sketches Amerigo Vespucci’s life from age twelve in Peretola, Italy, to his death forty-nine years later in Seville, Spain. Through third-person narration, Baker puts in chronological sequence the major events that led Vespucci to be the man with the knowledge to perceive what Christopher Columbus and others did not know—that, in sailing west, they had come to a vast, unknown continent.
The first chapter of Amerigo Vespucci establishes the young boy’s interest in charting the constellations. An incident also establishes his natural ability in business. In the second and third chapters, two of Amerigo’s uncles help him become both scholar and businessman. By the fourth chapter, the adult Vespucci is a Medici representative in the import-export trade in Seville. In this position, Vespucci, in chapter 5, meets Columbus, who comes to Vespucci’s company to outfit seventeen ships for his second voyage to the land that he believes is India. As Columbus leaves Spain for Hispaniola (now called Haiti), Vespucci is urged to come along but refuses.
In the sixth chapter, Vespucci is asked to investigate rumors of Columbus’ cruelty as royal governor of Haiti. Vespucci sets forth on his first voyage to the land believed to be the Asian continent in 1499. The next three chapters recount Vespucci’s explorations along the coast of what would become known as South America. Vespucci studies the changing positions of the known constellations as his ship moves south of the equator. After months of exploring, Vespucci arrives in Haiti to find that Columbus is to be returned in manacles to Spain. In chapter 10, Vespucci makes a second voyage to explore the land that he reached on his first voyage, sailing under the Portuguese flag. As master pilot, Vespucci plots the course of the fleet. On his second voyage, he concludes that the earth must be much larger than any mapmakers have ever calculated. Vespucci is the first to know that Columbus had not reached Asia but had landed on an unknown continent. In the eleventh chapter, Vespucci returns to Lisbon with much knowledge for the Portuguese king and the European world. Vespucci writes of the new continent to Lorenzo di Pier Francesco de’ Medici. After the death of Medici, Vespucci’s letters are published in Vienna. Cartographers agree with his new view of the world as it is expressed in the letters, and, when cartographers revise their maps, they name the new continent “America.” The closing chapter reveals that although Vespucci had hoped to make other voyages, he was not destined to do so. He died in 1512, his health undermined by the malaria that he had contracted while in the New World.
Paul Valentino’s illustrations show Toscanelli’s map as it misled Columbus and others, as well as the route traveled along the South American coast by Vespucci on his second voyage. Valentino’s pen-and-ink drawings also depict the sailing ships and the instruments used by mariners of Vespucci’s time.
Critical Context
Amerigo Vespucci carries a clear message: Vespucci contributed to knowledge. Nina Brown Baker contrasts Columbus, who sought riches and power, with Vespucci, who practiced tolerance and sought the truth. Columbus lost all, while Vespucci kept his wealth and gained honor.
American writer Baker acknowledged that she wrote with a purpose and that she liked writing biographies. Out of the twenty biographies that Baker wrote, twelve feature heroes from nations other than the United States because, through their lives, she could promote an understanding of other cultures. Her first biography, He Wouldn’t Be King (1941), celebrates Simón Bolívar. It won the Intra-American Award of the Society for the Americas. Her other biographies of foreign heroes include Juarez: Hero of Mexico (1942) and Bruce: King of Scots (1948). Baker’s biographies of Americans include Nickels and Dimes: The Story of F. W. Woolworth (1954) and Nellie Bly (1956), which was reissued in 1972.
Baker’s sixteenth biography, Amerigo Vespucci, exemplifies her method of writing. After reading from a number of authoritative sources, she made an outline of dates of significant events. In Amerigo Vespucci, the first event portrayed is Amerigo’s being alone at night so that he can study the constellations. Other events that show his eagerness to learn make up much of the biography. In old age, he reaps the benefits of his learning: Continents are named for him and the king appoints him pilot major. Through this position, he passes on his knowledge to people who continue to explore and to contribute to knowledge.