Q: Was the Half Moon expedition considered a success?

A: Despite Captain Hudson's supposed failure in finding the northwest passage in 1609, his voyage is considered a success, as it resulted in the establishment of trade relations with Native Americans. This began during his stay in the New World, and continued as trading posts were soon established by Europeans who settled in the region. Hudson and his crew encountered several Native American cultures, including the Lenape and the Mohicans. Many were based on hunting for survival, and later became more so, but for trading purposes with Europeans, Native Americans traded corn, pumpkins (called pompions in Juet's journal), tobacco, and furs for European metal knives, hatchets, cooking kettles, and cloth. Because of the extensive and favorable trade which developed with Native Americans, particularly for beaver furs, and the raw natural resources in the area — such as good harbors and rivers, vast forests, and fertile soil — Hudson's exploration of the river that would later bear his name was a success.

Hudson's 1609 voyage was one of many that originated from the exploration and trade craze of the era. European powers, including the English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch, were competing for controll of passages to worldwide trade destinations, mainly in the Orient and East Indies. This race later expanded to include control of the New World. Colonies could financially benefit their mother countries by providing raw materials and new markets for European goods. The competition between the Spanish and the Dutch became especially heated because the Dutch were still fighting Spain for their independence (the Eighty Years War) when Hudson sailed in 1609.