"The Coming of the First White Man" . . . 3

Christopher Columbus . . . 15

Alonso de Benavides . . . 27

Jacques Marquette . . . 39

Thomas Harriot . . . 51

John Smith . . . 65

William Bradford . . . 77

William Penn . . . 89

Per (Peter) Kalm . . . 101

Explorers and settlers from four European nations—Spain, France, the Netherlands, and England—arrived in North America during the early stages of the colonial period. From the outset, the presence of Europeans had a devastating impact on Native Americans who had been living on the continent since 30,000 B.C "The Coming of the First White Man" is a Tlingit story that gives a vivid description of the confusion and fear Native Americans experienced upon encountering Europeans. Although the story dates from the 1700s, it is considered the earliest Native American account of meeting white settlers for the first time.

Italian explorer Christopher Columbus opened the way for European exploration of the New World. His report to Spanish...