New Netherland
5th Grade Informational Reading Texts
In 1624, the Dutch who were from the country of Netherlands in Europe joined the English in the colonization of the western hemisphere. The Netherlands is also referred to as Holland. This country is located just across the North Sea from England and the British Isles. In North America, their colony came to be called New Netherlands. The area included Long Island, Manhattan Island, land along the Delaware River, and the Hudson River Valley. Today this region is part of the state of New York.
A man named Peter Minuit is credited with founding New Netherland. He purchased Manhattan Island in 1626 from the local Native Americans. This purchase cost him 60 guilders which is valued today at about $24, although many historians feel the real value of this trade is nearly impossible to accurately calculate. Construction of a fort, as well as a town, began. The town was named New Amsterdam after a city in the European country of the Netherlands, and would eventually become the capital of New Netherland.
Dutch settlers were needed in New Netherland. There was little to motivate people to leave the Netherlands and move across the Atlantic Ocean. So, the Dutch opened their colony up to settlers from many countries throughout Europe. It was a religiously and ethnically diverse settlement and included the first Jewish settlers in North America. Large farms developed in the Hudson River Valley's rich soil, and enslaved Africans began to arrive in the colony to work these farms.
The Hudson River empties into a large deep water harbor. Dutch trade developed in the region. Ships from throughout the world began arriving in the region, adding to the diversity.
Peter Stuyvesant became the director general of all Dutch possessions in North America and the Caribbean in 1645. He created the first municipal government for New Amsterdam. It was under his leadership that the colony expanded. He took over a small colony called New Sweden and parts of what would later become New Jersey and Delaware. Difficulties began to grow within the colony. Growing controversy over Stuyvesant's leadership began to create dissent amongst the people.
Meanwhile, the king of England, Charles II, began feeling threatened by the growth and development of New Netherland. Fear grew over the expansion. In response to the growth, King Charles II declared war on the Dutch. He then "gifted" New Netherland to his brother, James, the Duke of York in 1664. A letter was sent to Stuyvesant that asked for the surrender of New Amsterdam. As James arrived in the harbor with four war ships, it was reported that Stuyvesant tore up the letter and then refused. Unfortunately for him, the residents were so angry with him that they did not support his refusal, and begged him to give up. The Duke of York took over New Amsterdam without firing a shot.
James renamed the settlement New "York". He further gave two friends, Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley, a grant for a proprietary colony in an area between the Delaware River and the Hudson River Valley. They renamed it New Jersey after the island of Jersey in England, and divided it into east and west. Religious freedom, land, and a representative government were offered to new settlers moving into the colony. East Jersey and West Jersey began to grow rapidly. By 1702 the colonies were reunited as a royal colony that was being governed by New York. By 1738 it had become its own independent colony.
A man named Peter Minuit is credited with founding New Netherland. He purchased Manhattan Island in 1626 from the local Native Americans. This purchase cost him 60 guilders which is valued today at about $24, although many historians feel the real value of this trade is nearly impossible to accurately calculate. Construction of a fort, as well as a town, began. The town was named New Amsterdam after a city in the European country of the Netherlands, and would eventually become the capital of New Netherland.
Dutch settlers were needed in New Netherland. There was little to motivate people to leave the Netherlands and move across the Atlantic Ocean. So, the Dutch opened their colony up to settlers from many countries throughout Europe. It was a religiously and ethnically diverse settlement and included the first Jewish settlers in North America. Large farms developed in the Hudson River Valley's rich soil, and enslaved Africans began to arrive in the colony to work these farms.
The Hudson River empties into a large deep water harbor. Dutch trade developed in the region. Ships from throughout the world began arriving in the region, adding to the diversity.
Peter Stuyvesant became the director general of all Dutch possessions in North America and the Caribbean in 1645. He created the first municipal government for New Amsterdam. It was under his leadership that the colony expanded. He took over a small colony called New Sweden and parts of what would later become New Jersey and Delaware. Difficulties began to grow within the colony. Growing controversy over Stuyvesant's leadership began to create dissent amongst the people.
Meanwhile, the king of England, Charles II, began feeling threatened by the growth and development of New Netherland. Fear grew over the expansion. In response to the growth, King Charles II declared war on the Dutch. He then "gifted" New Netherland to his brother, James, the Duke of York in 1664. A letter was sent to Stuyvesant that asked for the surrender of New Amsterdam. As James arrived in the harbor with four war ships, it was reported that Stuyvesant tore up the letter and then refused. Unfortunately for him, the residents were so angry with him that they did not support his refusal, and begged him to give up. The Duke of York took over New Amsterdam without firing a shot.
James renamed the settlement New "York". He further gave two friends, Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley, a grant for a proprietary colony in an area between the Delaware River and the Hudson River Valley. They renamed it New Jersey after the island of Jersey in England, and divided it into east and west. Religious freedom, land, and a representative government were offered to new settlers moving into the colony. East Jersey and West Jersey began to grow rapidly. By 1702 the colonies were reunited as a royal colony that was being governed by New York. By 1738 it had become its own independent colony.