Henry Hudson - New World Explorer for Kids
For Kids
Henry Hudson was born in England. He started working as a cabin boy and worked his way up to ship's captain. He loved the sea. He loved exploring. Henry Hudson was hired by England to find a sea route to from England, through the North Pole, to reach China and India. Hudson tried. But he did not find a way to China. What he found were found seals and whales and other wildlife in the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean. England paid for a second trip. Again, Hudson was unsuccessful. England refused to pay for a third trip.
Henry Hudson turned to the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch and the English were rivals for discovery of new lands. They both wanted to find a sea route to China and India. The Dutch made Hudson a commander of the ship the Half Moon. Again, ice put a stop to his attempt to find a northwest passage to China. He turned his boat south, and discovered the Hudson River. He claimed all the land along the Hudson River for the Dutch.
On the way back to the Netherlands (Holland), Hudson stopped in England for supplies. There, his ship, and any English men among the crew were seized and arrested. England was not happy that Henry Hudson was exploring for the Dutch. They treated it as treason. To avoid prison, Henry Hudson had to promise not to work for the Dutch again. Any new lands he discovered on his adventures had to be claimed for England.
Hudson found some English investors to pay for a trip to the New World. He took one of his sons with him on this voyage. This time, when he reached New World, it was winter. According to the story his crew reported when they returned to England without him, was that once again Hudson could not find a way to China. Angry, hungry, and freezing, they had put Henry Hudson, his son, and a few crew members into a small boat and sailed away without them. They were put on trial, but they were acquitted of any wrong doing.
As for Henry Hudson, his son, and a few crew, they were never seen again. It is assumed they froze to death, but no one knows for sure. It remains a history mystery.
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