Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage contributed to Dutch claims to which area?

• A. Great Lakes
• B. Gulf of Mexico
• C. Hudson River and New York Harbor
• D. Pacific Northwest

Answer: (C)

Henry Hudson’s voyage for the Dutch East India Company showed that a navigable waterway existed from the Atlantic into a wide river valley that would become a hub for trade and settlement. He reached the estuary of the river that would bear his name and traveled up toward what is now New York. That discovery provided a practical basis for Dutch claims to the land along the Hudson River and the harbor at its mouth, shaping Dutch control over New Netherland and enabling early settlements like New Amsterdam. The other regions listed aren’t connected to this voyage or its resulting claims—Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Northwest were not what Hudson’s voyage established.