Were there any peaceful and humane voyages made to the early Americas ?

by nonicinco

We always hear of Europeans coming to the Americas ending with hella slaughtering, enslavement, or other forms of violence. Were there any quests that were all for good intentions? Like someone who was woke and wanted to experience the new culture and land?

Sabrowsky

Pedro Alvares Cabral's expedition, widely recognized as being one of the first portuguese expeditions to have reached Brazil was quite peaceful, it consisted mostly of mapping the shores and a priest saying mass.

Cabral made a point of not being hostile to the inhabitants of the region he reached, probably partially over pragmatism, as being surrounded by angry tribes is generally not a good idea.

His story and Pero vaz de Caminha's letter (Caminha served as Cabral's scribe) to the king detailing the lands they reached are considered to be important parts of Brazilian history, as Cabral was the first portuguese commander to set foot in Brazil and Caminha's letter is considered to be the first ever european description of Brazil.

I know of this particular story due to it being taught in brazilian schools, like the one I attended, but if you'd like, encyclopedia Brittanica's article on Cabral is quite interesting.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pedro-Alvares-Cabral

https://exploration.marinersmuseum.org/subject/pedro-alvares-cabral/

A pdf of Caminha's letter to el-rei Manuel I of Portugal