As a result of the voyages of Giovanni da Verrazano, the French

Verrazano explored the Atlantic coast of North America for France in the 1520s. His voyages helped France assert claims to land in North America, so A, “began to claim land in North America,” is correct. He did not find a Northwest Passage, and Henry Hudson and the Dutch East India Company were associated with Dutch exploration and trade, not the results of his voyages.

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