The origins of colonial New York lie in the Dutch Republic’s search for commercial opportunity during the seventeenth century. In 1609, the English navigator Henry Hudson, sailing on behalf of the Dutch East India Company, explored the river that now bears his name. Although he failed to discover the long-sought passage to Asia, his voyage revealed a region rich in natural resources and ideally situated for trade.
Sources
Wikipedia. "Henry Hudson." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Hudson.
Further Reading
Bick, Alexander. Minutes of Empire: Dutch West India Company Politics, 1618-1648. Oxford University Press, 2026.
Bown, Stephen R. Merchant Kings: When Companies Ruled the World, 1600-1900. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2010.
Hancock, James. From John Cabot to Henry Hudson: Early European Arrivals in Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic North America. McFarland, 2025.
Hunter, Douglas. Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World. Bloomsbury Press, 2009.