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Henry Hudson

Henry Hudson
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 6 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.24

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    shortcut, starvation, remainder, navigator, penalty, northwest, armed, during, adrift, waterway, defeat, value, century, decisive, route, exploration
     content words:    Henry Hudson, Spanish Armada, Muscovy Company, Half Moon, Native Americans, Hudson River, Hudson Strait, James Bay, In September

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Henry Hudson
By Mary Lynn Bushong 		  
1     In Europe during the sixteenth century, most people lived and died within just a few miles of the place where they were born. Can you imagine what it might be like to never travel as far as the distance you might go to the mall? Only a small percentage of people were able to see the world. These men were sailors, merchants, and explorers. One of the most famous explorers was Henry Hudson.
 
2     Very little is known about Henry Hudson, not even the year of his birth. It could have been anywhere between 1550 and 1570. Certain clues help us to learn things about him. He could read and write in both English and Latin. He could also speak French. That tells us that he had a reasonable amount of education. That pointed to his family being well to do.
 
3     Some people think that Hudson was one of the sailors who helped defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588. He is not mentioned by name, but it is possible. The first time his name appears officially, it is as the captain of the Hopewell in 1607.
 
4     The Muscovy Company hired him to explore arctic waters in an effort to find a short route to China. It was believed by many men of the time that the ice caps would melt in the heat of the sun during the long summers of the far north. This was later proven false by the explorers.
 
5     In April 1607, Hudson sailed the Hopewell north to Greenland. In mid June they turned northeast toward Spitzbergen. The way was blocked by ice, but Hudson saw many large whales in the area. He returned home to England, and his report of the whales sparked great interest.

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