John Cabot's 1st voyage to north America

Fra Soncino: Letter to Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, Regarding John Cabot's First Voyage to north America, 1497

[Colby Introduction]: Fra Soncino was the representative in England of Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, and the information with which he supplied his master concerning John Cabot's voyage was sent off shortly after the latter's return to Bristol. Cabot himself was an Italian. . . His landfall on the coast of North America disclosed a new sphere of English influence, and opened a new era in English history.

What strikes me about this source is the assumption that this new land is there for the taking despite the native people already there.'he came at last to main land, where he planted the royal banner, took possession for his Highness, made certain marks and returned'.This is an incredibly arrogant assumption of the European people. There is also a emphasis on the resources this new land has to offer, and again the idea that these new resources are now owned by the English king (Henry VII) 'they affirm that there the sea is full of fish that can be taken'. This seems rather absurd to claim a place and its resources are now property of a king who is thousands of miles away who never even saw America! Fra Soncino also says that the kings plan is 'his Majesty will arm some ships, and will give him all the criminals, so that he may go to this country and plant a colony there'.To be able to establish a colony you need people, the idea they were going to send criminals as numbers for the colony suggests they perhaps couldn't find enough people to go over and willingly live in america.