NEW YORK

         In 1611, Henry Hudson was sent by the Dutch East India Company for a third voyage in search of a westward passage to the Americas. Dutch claims to the region were established when Hudson entered the harbor of what is now New York City, and sailed up the river that would one day be named after him. By 1621, the Dutch West India Company had been formed for trading in West Africa and the Americas). This entity colonized New Netherlands, which included areas that would later be known as New York, Delaware, New Jersey, and Connecticut.  From its beginning, New Netherlands was a diverse society with people from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. From the Dutch perspective, New Netherlands was valuable to its fur trade, but not a major aspect of their colonial empire.  After three naval wars between the Dutch and the English during the period from 1652 and 1674, the English won rights to New Netherlands from the Dutch and the colony was renamed New York, in honor of James, the Duke of York. Under both Dutch and English rule, New Netherlands had problem with conflict between ethnic groups, political turmoil, and ongoing Indian warfare.  The Duke of York initially refused to permit a representative assembly but one was finally established in 1863.

          

           Peter Stuyvesant, a Calvinist minister’s son was born in the Netherlands. At age 22, he joined the Dutch West India Company and was eventually appointed as director of the company’s colonies in the Caribbean. Stuyvesant’s right leg was amputated after he was injured during an attack on the island of Saint Martin.  He was called “Peg Leg Pete” because of his wooden leg. Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam in 1647 and promptly enacted his agenda of limiting liquor sales.  He also was known for promoting his own Dutch Reformed Church while persecuting Lutherans, Jews and Quakers.  Ol’ Peg Leg Pete had a reputation of being a ruthless tyrant but remains a prominent figure in the establishment of New Netherlands.

         Another source of resentment by the colonial New Yorkers was "Patroons", which were large estates rented to tenant farmers by the Dutch West India Company. These "Patroons" had control over the settlers’ property and matrimonial rights and would be colonial America’s wealthiest residents by the eighteenth century.

             The Dutch influence is still present in modern-day New York City architecture and culture.  Dutch names remain on well-known streets, neighborhoods, and boroughs, such as Brooklyn, Broadway, Harlem and the Bronx. Soft pretzels are an example of a popular snack that is a nod to New York's early Dutch influence.

Source: Mintz, S. (2007). The Middle Colonies:  New York. Digital History. Retrieved 07 November, 2010, from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=682

Post Written By Tamra H.