Henry Hudson was born into a rich family circa 1565 in London, England. In his early life, he learned the trades of astronomy, mathematics, cartography, navigation, and seamanship. His father was very wealthy, and was a member of the Skinners and Tanners, meaning that he was in high esteem of merchants. In his childhood, he was exposed to much sea travel and arctic exploration, and developed an interest in them.
In 1607, Hudson attempted to find a sea route through the arctic to China and Japan on behalf of the Muscovy Company, based in England. He sailed with a crew of ten men and one boy, on his eighty-ton ship the Hopewell. After encountering unexpected polar ice near Greenland, he returned to England. Shortly after that, in 1609, the Muscovy…show more content… Like all of his previous voyages, his specified route was blocked by ice and he could not continue. Ignoring his sponsor’s instructions, Hudson tried to find the rumored passage to the west through North America. According to information passed down to him from John Smith and Samuel de Champlain, Hudson guided his ship west. On July 2nd, Hudson and his crew reached the coast of Newfoundland. They encountered native peoples, who frequently traded with the French, but they did not trade; instead favoring to assault the local peoples and to drive them out of their village. He sailed down to and around Cape Cod, and then down to the Chesapeake bay. Following that, he sailed back up north into what is today called the Hudson River. The Hudson River was originally discovered by Giovanni da Verrazzano, in 1524, but Hudson furthered the discovery and sailed all the way to current-day Albany. After exploring the full extent of the river, Hudson decided to return to England. Upon arrival, he was detained by the authorities, but he managed to pass his ship’s log to the Dutch Ambassador who sent it to Amsterdam. This voyage helped to kindle the beginnings of the Fur Trade, as well as Dutch claims to the area. Later, in 1625, New Amsterdam became the capital of New Netherland (on Manhattan