Francis Drake was born sometime around 1540 in Tavistock,
England. His father was a farmer and preacher. At the young age
of thirteen, he joined the crew of a cargo ship. He was a quick
learner and had command of the ship by the age of twenty after
the death of the ship's captain. In 1563, Drake sailed to North
America on a voyage financed by the Hawkins family. He then
embarked on the first English slave-trading expedition with his
cousin, John Hawkins. Soon after, they sailed West to the coast
of Mexico, where he was involved in a fight with Spanish
soldiers. The incident caused the Spanish to label him a pirate,
although the English considered him a heroic privateer. A second
voyage, he once again fought the Spanish, earning him the favor
of Queen Elizabeth. In March of 1573, Drake managed to capture
the Spanish Silver Train at the city of Nombre de Dios. For the
mission, he had enlisted the help of French privateers and
escaped African slaves who despised the Spanish. After finding
the train of treasure,