16th century in North American history 16th century in North American history The historical record in North America begins in the second half of the 16th century, with ongoing European exploration. Giovanni da Verrazzano explored the East Coast of North America from Florida to presumably Newfoundland in 1524. Jacques Cartier made a series of voyages on behalf of the French crown in 1534 and explored the St. Lawrence River. André Thevet's "The new found worlde, or Antarctike" is an English translation of Thevet's "Les singularitez de la France antarctique", first published in 1558. André Thevet was a Franciscan friar who accompanied Villegagnon in 1555 when he
Christianity in the 16th century of the 16th century, but Counter-Reformation efforts in the 17th century reconverted a majority of the kingdom to Catholicism. A significant Protestant minority remained, most of it adhering to the Calvinist faith. The Counter-Reformation, or Catholic Reformation, was the response of the Catholic Church to the Protestant Reformation. The essence of the Counter-Reformation was a renewed conviction in traditional practices and the upholding of Catholic doctrine as the source of ecclesiastic and moral reform, and the answer to halting the spread of Protestantism. Thus it experienced the founding of new religious orders, such as the Jesuits, the establishment of seminaries