Final answer:
When considering to sail with Vasco da Gama, Christopher Columbus, or Ferdinand Magellan, a sailor should weigh factors such as proximity to home, new trade routes, working conditions, and overall risk. Each explorer's journey had its unique set of challenges and opportunities, greatly impacting both the sailors and the world.
Step-by-step explanation:
If you were a sailor considering whether to sign on with Vasco da Gama, Christopher Columbus, or Ferdinand Magellan, several factors should be taken into account. Proximity to home, potential for discovering new trade routes, working conditions, and risk are key considerations. Columbus offered a route to the New World or the supposed East Indies, but his voyages were based on a fundamental misunderstanding of geography, and his crew sometimes included prisoners. Magellan aimed to find a westward route to the Spice Islands, and although he died during the voyage, his expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe, albeit at a great cost to his crew. Da Gama succeeded in reaching India, thus winning the race to the spice trade, which could mean a more straightforward and potentially profitable journey with known destinations.
Choosing to sail with these explorers would depend on one's appetite for adventure, the desire for wealth, religious convictions, and willingness to face immense challenges and risks at sea. Each explorer's journey had profound consequences, not only for the sailors but also for the inhabitants of the lands they encountered, contributing to a dramatic period of global exploration, conquest, and exchange.