
Back in the early 17th century, the Dutch discovered what we now know as New York when they were searching for a way to Asia through the States. The Dutch settled in the region, set up trading posts, and gave the region the name New Amsterdam. The history surrounding the Dutch settlement
Dutch Empire
The Dutch colonial empire comprised the overseas territories and trading posts controlled and administered by Dutch chartered companies and subsequently by the Dutch Republic, and by the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands after 1815. It was initially a trade-based system which derived most of its influence from merchant enterprise and from Dutch control of international maritime shippin…
Why was New Amsterdam such a strong colony?
Why was New Amsterdam such a strong colony? It had an excellent harbor and a thriving river trade. Which group of people helped found Pennsylvania. the Quakers. Which document granted colonists the right to elect representatives to the legislature of Pennsylvania? The Charter of Liberties.
Why did the British want to take over New Amsterdam?
What reasons did the British have for wanting to take over New Amsterdam? Settlers Come to new York The company wanted the settlers to trade furs with Native Americans. New Amsterdam had a good harbor. That was one reason England wanted New Amsterdam. In 1664 England took control.
Why did England want to take over the Dutch colony?
When Great Britain went to war with France in 1793, both countries tried to capture the Cape so as to control the important sea route to the East. The British occupied the Cape in 1795, ending the Dutch East India Company ’s role in the region.
Why did New Amsterdam became economically successful?
The year 1640 marked a turning point for the colony. The West India Company gave up its trade monopoly, enabling other businessmen to invest in New Netherland. Profits flowed to Amsterdam, encouraging new economic activity in the production of food, timber, tobacco, and eventually, slaves.

Hudson River
As famed English explorer Henry Hudson began his exploration into North America, never would he imagine what he would soon discover. After joining the Dutch East India Company in 1609, he became the commander of one of the richest colonizing companies in all of the world. After crossing the Atlantic… Read more
Peter Stuyvesant Statue
One of the most iconic figures from the beginning of New York City’s history, Peter Stuyvesant was a Dutchman whose ambition for power drove him into joining the Dutch West India Company. Upon joining the company in 1632, he looked to tackle expeditions and lead settlements. By July 1646, Stuyvesant was… Read more
Bowling Green
Bowling Green has always been a monumental part of the history of the Dutch New Amsterdam. Before the director of the Dutch West India Company, Peter Stuyvesant was able to acquire it from the Lenape in 1624, this area was a resting ground for the Native American population in Manhattan.… Read more
City Hall
City Hall, also known Stadt Huys, was the original grounds of where the city hall was. Just like any city hall, the Stadt Huys was the center of the settlers’ lives as it served a variety of purposes. This city hall would become a representation of the unity that would… Read more
Wall Street
Wall Street, although now known for its booming financial industry and the stock market, simply started out as just a wall. “Fearing attack from New England during the first Anglo-Dutch War, [Peter] Stuyvesant built a high stockade fence (later Wall Street) along the northern border of the city in 1653. [i]”… Read more
What was the New Amsterdam settlement?
The settlement was to be called New Amsterdam, and it would serve as headquarters of New Netherland , which stretched from New England to Virginia. The Dutch had claimed the vast territory — a claim the English refused to recognize — after Henry Hudson in 1609 sailed the Half Moon up the river that would bear his name.#N#Hudson and subsequent explorers described the newly discovered land as a Garden of Eden filled with all sorts of resources ready for the picking: fish and oysters; berries, grapes, and nuts; and forests dense with timber, supplies of which were by then dwindling in Europe. The Indians grew corn and squash. There was also an abundance of game for hunting as well as otters and beavers to supply fur, which Europeans especially coveted. On the Continent, fur, like trees, had been overharvested. It was the mention of fur that had most caught the attention of investors in Holland, leading to the incorporation of the Dutch West India Company. But so far there were only a handful of people — perhaps a hundred adventurous immigrants from the Netherlands — who were engaged in fur trading. They lived scattered in the wilderness along the Hudson near the Mohican tribes who sold the foreigners pelts, which were then shipped downriver, to be loaded onto ships that crossed the Atlantic to Holland. The intersection of the Hudson and the Atlantic, then, was a natural hub where business could be transacted, including privateering, the Company’s biggest source of income, against Spanish ships en route to the Caribbean.
What was the name of the Dutch settlement in Manhattan?
(They had also started a settlement in the northern wilds of Manhattan Island, which they called Nieuw Haarlem, after the city where its inhabitants came from.) They believed that they had conducted the purchase of Manhattan with the utmost integrity. The Company had sent specific instructions on how to acquire land in the new colony, and Minuit had followed them to the letter:
Why did Fredericks consider the proximity of the Manhate settlement a real bonus?
Fredericks considered the proximity of the Manhate settlement a real bonus: the native peoples, he thought, would help clear the forest and show the new farmers how to cultivate the land. Fredericks set to work. He had slaves and Indians widen the footpath to accommodate carts and animals.
How did the Dutch government try to spurn settlement?
In 1628, the Dutch government tried to spurn settlement by giving patroons (wealthy settlers) large areas of land if they brought immigrants to the area within three years. While some decided to take advantage of the offer, only Kiliaen van Rensselaer followed through.
Who organized New Amsterdam?
Peter Stuyvesant Organizes New Amsterdam. In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant became director-general of the Dutch West India Company. He worked to make the settlement better organized. In 1653, settlers were finally given the right to form a city government. 06.
How many Africans were in New Amsterdam in 1640?
In fact, by 1640 about one-third of New Amsterdam was made up of Africans. By 1664, 20% of the city was of African descent. However, the way that the Dutch dealt with enslaved people was quite different from that of the English colonists.
What is the Dutch colony now called?
7 Interesting Facts About the Dutch Colony Now Known As New York. Martin Kelly, M.A., is a history teacher and curriculum developer. He is the author of "The Everything American Presidents Book" and "Colonial Life: Government.". Between 1626 and 1664, the main town of the Dutch colony of New Netherland was New Amsterdam, now called Manhattan.
Why did the English surrender to the Dutch?
In August 1664, four English warships arrived in the New Amsterdam harbor to take over the town. Because many of the inhabitants were not actually Dutch, when the English promised to allow them to keep their commercial rights, they surrendered without a fight.
Why was Fort Orange established?
They established Fort Orange at present-day Albany to take advantage of the lucrative fur trade with the Iroquois tribe. Beginning with the "purchase" of Manhattan, the town of New Amsterdam was founded as a way to help protect trading areas further upriver while providing a great port of entry. 01. of 07.
When did the Dutch take over New York?
The English held New York until the Dutch recaptured it in 1673. However, this was short-lived as they ceded it back to the English by treaty in 1674. From that point on it remained in the hands of the English.
Why did the Dutch move to New Amsterdam?
For safety purposes, the families elsewhere in the colony also moved to New Amsterdam following a war between the Mohawk and Mahican Indians that the Dutch became involved in on the losing side. From that point forward, the city was New Netherland’s largest and most important settlement. pinterest-pin-it.
What did the Dutch claim for the New Netherland?
Based on his voyage, however, the Dutch claimed parts of present-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut and Delaware for the colony of New Netherland.
How many languages did New Amsterdam speak?
As early as 1643, a Jesuit missionary reported that New Amsterdam’s few hundred residents spoke 18 different languages between them. The various groups did not always get along. In 1654, for instance, Peter Stuyvesant, the peg-legged director-general of New Netherland, attempted to turn away a boatload of Jewish refugees, ...
What were the Dutch's names in the American vernacular?
As a result, the Dutch maintained a cultural and linguistic presence, with words like “cookie” and “coleslaw” creeping into the American vernacular. Their distinct architectural style also lived on, as did place names, such as Brooklyn (Breuckelen), Harlem (Haarlem), Coney Island (Conyne Eylandt) and Broadway (Breede Wegh).
Why did the Dutch rent out Manhattan?
Due in part to such cultural misunderstandings, the Dutch repeatedly found themselves at odds with various Native American tribes, most notably in the brutal Kieft’s War of the 1640s.
How much did the Dutch buy Manhattan?
As part of their settlement of Manhattan, the Dutch purportedly purchased the island from the Native Americans for trade goods worth 60 guilders. More than two centuries later, using then-current exchange rates, a U.S. historian calculated that amount as $24, and the number stuck in the public’s mind.
What happened to Hudson in 1611?
Hudson, meanwhile, died in 1611 following a mutiny in which he was set adrift on a small lifeboat in the Canadian Arctic. 2. The Dutch settled tiny Governors Island before Manhattan. Fur-trading expeditions up the Hudson River got going almost immediately after Hudson’s voyage, but the colony grew at a snail’s pace.
Where did the Dutch settle?
As well as Dutch families, in time Jews, French Huguenots and other Europeans settled in New Amsterdam, which became a busy trading centre between North America, the Caribbean and Europe. Settlers started farming Manhattan Island, imported black Africans as slave labourers and began farming further up the Hudson Valley, ...
What was the Dutch settlement in New York City?
A plan of New Amsterdam, 1661 New York City started its glittering history in a modest way as the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. The story begins in 1609 when Henry Hudson, an English sea captain working for Dutch merchants, was trying to find a north-west passage to Asia. Exploring along the Atlantic seaboard of North America, he came to the island of Manhattan and then sailed north for 150 miles or so up the river later named after him. Returning to Europe, he reported that there was a good prospect of profitable trading in furs there and in 1614 the Dutch established a trading post called Fort Nassau, later Fort Orange, near today’s city of Albany.
What colony did the Dutch colonize?
The post had only a tiny Dutch population of some 50 traders and soldiers, but Dutch ships sailed regularly up the Hudson to collect furs and more Dutch expeditions explored the area, which became the colony of New Netherland, run by the Dutch West India Company.
How many English soldiers were on the New Amsterdam ship?
The details vary from one account to another, but on August 27th, 1664 three or perhaps four English warships carrying 300 or maybe 450 English soldiers arrived at New Amsterdam.
Where did the Dutch trade furs?
Returning to Europe, he reported that there was a good prospect of profitable trading in furs there and in 1614 the Dutch established a trading post called Fort Nassau, later Fort Orange, near today’s city of Albany.
Where did the English build their colonies?
The English had been building up their own trade with the New World, founding their own colonies in Virginia and New England. Some English from New England had infiltrated onto Long Island. Charles II decided to seize New Netherland, take over the valuable fur trade and give the colony to his younger brother James, ...
Who bought Manhattan Island?
Peter Minuit of the Dutch West India Company, who was in charge from 1626, decided to buy Manhattan Island from a group of local Indians for goods worth 60 Dutch guilders, which later legend valued at US$24. It has been rated the best real estate deal in history.
When did the Dutch claim New Amsterdam?
While the Dutch were pleased with the settlement, and New Amsterdam was thriving by the time the mid-1600’s arrived, in 1664 , the British claimed the territory as their own. New Amsterdam, soon to become New York City, and New Netherlands soon to become New York State, became one of the thirteen colonies under British control.
Which countries were interested in New Amsterdam?
However, due to it being a popular location, it was also the target of other countries. The British, Spanish, and French were among the countries that would have liked to have the ideal location for a port. While the Dutch were pleased with the settlement, and New Amsterdam was thriving by the time the mid-1600’s arrived, in 1664, the British claimed the territory as their own. New Amsterdam, soon to become New York City, and New Netherlands soon to become New York State, became one of the thirteen colonies under British control.
What were the two new settlements?
The two new settlements proved to become very busy trade areas. The north was an important fur trading area, and the south with its location on the water became an important port for trade. New Amsterdam started to become an important port and started doing business with many trade partners.
What was the name of the settlement in the New World?
The settlement was called New Netherland and was a settlement and fur trading center in the new world. In 1621, the West India Trading Company was formed by the Dutch government and given the task of expanding the presence in the area. The company expanded north to create Fort Orange / Beverwijck, which is now known as Albany ...
When was New York City discovered?
The story of New York City goes back to 1524 when Giovanni da Verrazzano discovered New York harbor for the first time. Verrazzano was on an exploration journey of the coast of the new world when he came upon the harbor. During the logs of his trip it was noted that he found a great stream of water, which later was known as the Hudson River.
What was the name of the city that Verrazzano discovered?
Verrazzano Discovers New York Harbor. The Voyage of Verrazzano. Written Record of the Verrazzano Voyage of 1524. Verrazzano Discovering the Hudson River. In 1609, the first settlements in North America by the Dutch were established. These settlements were in the area north of what is now known as New York City.
