Title: Soto, Hernando de | Encyclopedia.com
Headings: Soto, Hernando de
Soto, Hernando de
Hernando de Soto
Goes to the Americas
Longs for adventure
Enslaves Native Americans
Follows visions of gold

Content: The Spanish king made him governor of Cuba and captain-general of Florida, which had been initially explored by Juan Ponce de León in 1513. De Soto's mission was to explore the entire region of the present-day southeastern United States, start settlements, and conquer and convert the native peoples to Christianity. For de Soto, though, the most important thing was to find gold. De Soto left Spain in 1538 with an army of six hundred men and two hundred horses. They landed on the site of present-day Tampa Bay, Florida , in May 1539. Finding no gold, de Soto and his men headed northward along the western coast through the swamplands, and fighting mosquitoes, insects, alligators, and snakes. They set up winter camp in the area of present-day Tallahassee, Florida, and in the spring of 1540, headed northeast. Their search for gold proved worthless, though in present-day Georgia , they did gather about 350 pounds of freshwater pearls. Enslaves Native Americans
At first, many of the Native North Americans of the Southeast welcomed and befriended the Spanish visitors. De Soto, on the other hand, conquered, destroyed, and enslaved many of the Native Americans who trusted him.