Final answer:
The statement about New Netherland being a private business venture for the fur trade is true. The Dutch West India Company and the New Netherland Company were instrumental in establishing and managing this fur trading enterprise, which included alliances with Native American tribes to expand trade and build wealth.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that New Netherland had been conceived as a private business venture to exploit the North American fur trade is true. The Dutch West India Company established the colony focusing primarily on the fur trade, aiming to improve access to the trade, control valuable port locations, and solidify their claims in the region. Families arriving in New Netherland hoped to become rich through fur trading, and the Dutch Republic became a major commercial power with the fur trade as a critical component. However, the colony did not just limit itself to fur trading; they also sought additional sources of wealth, which culminated in a competitive and often conflicted economic environment.
The fur trade was the linchpin of the colony's economy, with the Dutch East India Company and later the New Netherland Company playing pivotal roles. They fostered alliances with Native American tribes, such as the Iroquois, and leveraged these relationships to expand their trading reach. Settlements like Beverwijck (present-day Albany) became bustling hubs where Native Americans traded furs for European goods.