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Henry Hudson Entering New York Bay, September 11, 1609, from a Painting by Edward Moran

Henry Hudson Entering New York Bay, September 11, 1609. From painting by Edward Moran. New National Museum, Washington
Henry Hudson Entering New York Bay, September 11, 1609. From painting by Edward Moran. New National Museum, Washington
New York State Archives, NYSA_A3045-78_A14494
 
Document Description
Henry Hudson entering New York Bay, September 11, 1609. From a painting by Edward Moran.
 
Questions
Where could you travel in such a boat?
What are some difficulties of exploratory boat travel on a river?
What do you think the Native Americans in the painting are thinking? How would this boat affect them?
 
Historical Challenges
Where did Henry Hudson travel on his four voyages of exploration?
 
Interdisciplinary Connections
English Language Arts: What happened to Henry Hudson? Finish his story. Start your historical fiction account when he was sent adrift in Hudson Bay with seven companions, one gun, some powder and shot, an iron pot, some meal, and a chest of carpenter’s tools.
 
Resources
Fradin, Dennis B. The New York Colony. Chicago: Children's Press, 1988. ISBN: 0516003895
Gleason, Carrie. Henry Hudson: Seeking the Northwest Passage. New York: Crabtree, 2005. ISBN: 0778724085, 0778724441
Goodman, Joan Elizabeth. Beyond the Sea of Ice: The Voyages of Henry Hudson. New York: Mikaya Press, 1999. ISBN: 0965049388.
Linehan, Stephen. New Netherland: An Exploration of Past and Present: An Interdisciplinary Curriculum for the 4th Grade. Albany, NY: New Netherland Museum, 2004. ISBN: 0974822302. (Available at http://www.newnetherland.org)
Petrie, Kristin. Henry Hudson. Edina, Minn.: ABDO Pub. Co., 2007. ISBN: 159679741X.
Smalley, Carol Parenzan. Henry Hudson. Hockessin, Del.: Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2006. ISBN: 1584154799
West, Tracey. Voyage of the Half Moon. New York: Silver Moon Press, 1993. ISBN: 1881889181
 

About this Activity

 

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Instructional Videos

Historical Context
Henry Hudson was the first European explorer to travel up the Hudson River to Albany and to leave detailed accounts of his journey. Unfortunately, little is known about his early life and death. He was born near London, but the date is unknown. He had a wife and children and may have been a member of a prominent family. He made four major voyages of exploration for both England and Holland. The last record of him is on June 22, 1611, on his fourth and last voyage in Hudson Bay. A mutinous crew forced him overboard with seven companions and very little supplies. His ultimate fate is unknown.

In 1608, Henry Hudson was hired by the Dutch East India Company to find an all-water route to Asia by sailing northeast from Holland. The Dutch East India Company had already established strong relationships with the traders of Asia, but wanted to find a shorter route than the one that was being used, which required a journey around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.

Henry Hudson’s ship, the "Half Moon," was an eighty-ton ship with a crew of eighteen to twenty English and Dutch sailors. The "Half Moon" left Amsterdam in April of 1609 and headed northeast across the Atlantic Ocean. Hudson landed along the coast of Maine and then continued south to Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. After deciding that these were not the passageways he was looking for, Hudson turned north, discovering and exploring the Hudson River along the way.

 

 
Essential Question
How does geography influence the development of a society?
 
Check for Understanding
Describe the scene in the painting and explain the significance of this event in New York history?