The New Amsterdam (in Dutch ) was the name of the colony Dutchwoman established at the 17th century on the island of Manhattan, by the Compagnie of the Western Indies, and which was going to become later the town of New York.

History

First establishments

Giovanni da Verrazano is the first European to discover the site of future New Amsterdam/New York as of 1524. This Italian navigator was armed by the king with France François I {{er}} with the Valois-Angouleme house. He gives the name of News-Angouleme to formed bay of the delta of the river Hudson

In the search of a maritime passage towards Asia by the North-West, the English explorer Henry Hudson visit the bay of New York in 1609 and goes up Hudson, which carried, and this until the middle of the 17th century the Dutch name of Noort Rivier (river of North). To its return, it indicates the strong potential of the site, in particular as regards beaver S whose skin constituted goods very appraisal, in particular to manufacture waterproof hats. In 1614, Adriaen Block on the spot remains more than one year.

During the first fifteen years, the island of Manhattan east little used by the colonists of the New-Country-Low ( Nova Belgica , News-Holland ). The explorers prefer to be inserted in the giboyeuses forests, where they practice barter of the cheap European products against the furs brought back by the Indian hunters . One of the currencies of exchange used was the wampum , kinds of belts decorated with shells - bored and rounded - whose Indians raffolaient. They with the departure were manufactured by the tribes living close to the shore, and Europeans supplied those which could not manufacture some inside the grounds. Having metal tools, Dutch launches the production of such articles on the island of Long Island. The offer exceeds however the request quickly, and this market crumbles.

In 1624, the first families of settlers, called to manage the counters of trade, as a majority are sent upstream in the valley of Hudson. On the island of Manhattan, one does not find whereas some plantations and a little breeding.

The fortification (1625)

In 1625, under the growing threat of an attack coming from other colonial powers, the leaders of the Company Dutchwoman of the Western Indies decided to protect the mouth from the Hudson river, and to gather the activities of the commercial counters in a strengthened enclosure. Since 1620, there is trace of a letter of the English architect Inigo Jones, probably contacted by the company, which recommended to build a masonry work, according to a outline drawing of star traditionally used at that time.

The director of the company, Willem Verhulst, and engineer Cryn Fredericks chose a site appropriate to the south of the island, with the current site of a building of the American customs ( Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House ), close to Battery Park.

1626-1673

Willem Verhulst was an unpopular director, who treated the colonists like simple employees and correctly did not manage finances of the colony. In 1626, it is replaced by Pierre Minuit. This last proceeds to the importation of the first African slaves in New Amsterdam; the first arrival counts eleven slaves.

Midnight also negotiates the purchase of the island of Manhattan to the Indians Lenape S, for 60 guilders of goods. Even if this act became legendary (New York was bought to the Indians for 24 dollars), it is known now that Lenapes did not know a concept of permanent land and buildings (they were wandering), which decreases the range of the gesture.

During the construction of the fort, the war enters the Mohawks and the constrained Mohicans the company to precipitate the displacement of the colonists inside Fort Amsterdam. The urgency and the lack of means (the company was overdrawn), involve a revision with the fall of the initial plans of fortification. One was satisfied with a simple fort surrounded by a wood palisade. A sawmill was installed on the island which is currently called Governors Island. The colony then counts 270 inhabitants, children included/understood. In 1992, one found in the files of the Austrian national library, a watercolour representing the colony of New Amsterdam about the middle of the 17th century.

The April 20th 1657, New Amsterdam grants freedom of worship the Juifs. The twenty-three first sépharades of the old possessions Dutchwomen of the Brésil arrive at New Amsterdam as of 1624. In 1658 is founded the colony of Nieuw Haarlem .

During the second Anglo-néerlandaise war, which opposes the England to the United Provinces, the New-Countries-Low are conquered by the English. The managing director Peter Stuyvesant delivers New Amsterdam the September 24th 1664. The colony is renamed New York, in the honor of the duke of York, brother of the king Charles II.

In 1667 the Netherlanders give up their claims on this portion of the American territory, at the time of the Traité of Breda, and obtain in return sovereignty on the Surinam. However, at the time of an other war opposing the English to the Netherlanders, the latter briefly take again the colony in 1673 (renamed News-Orange ), before the English do not recover it with the treated of Westminster, the February 19th 1674.

The heritage and recognition

Occupation Dutchwoman, it remains today a certain number of place names New Yorkean, such as Coney Island ( Konijnen Eiland ), Brooklyn ( Breukelen ), Harlem ( Nieuw Haarlem ), Flushing ( Vlissingen ) and Staten Island ( Staaten Eylandt ).

  • the bay of Gowanus draws its name from Owanus (Ohain, village of the Brabant-Walloon).
  • the bay of Wallabout, to the north of Brooklyn, wants to say Walloon bay in Dutch ( Waal bocht ).
  • the name of Hoboken, in the New Jersey, comes from a commune of the agglomeration of Antwerp in Flanders.
  • Communipaw, with Jersey City, is the contraction of Community off Pauw .

May 20th, 1924, at the time of the tercentenary one of the foundation of New York, a memorial is set up in the honor of the Walloon colonists, on the site of Battery Park, with the southern point of Manhattan. A silver coin of 50 hundreds, as well as postage stamps of 1,2 and 5 hundreds are emitted to commemorate the arrival of the Walloon and Flemish colonists.

Simple: New Amsterdam

Random links:Lee Hazlewood | Trip hammer with white belly | Beuvron | Liu Kang | Glaucous macaw