The Lasting Dutch Influence in New York - Assignment Example

DUTCH INFLUENCE IN NEW YORK Dutch influence in New York December 20, 2008 Table of Contents Dutch influence in New York December 20, 2008 Introduction 3 Conclusion 8 References 9 Introduction Netherlands seafarers and explorers had attempted to colonize America much before the British and the French increased their activity. Many of the Dutch explorers have left their marks in the history of America and their influence in the colonization are still apparent even today, especially in New York and other cities and areas. This paper examines the Dutch influence in New York and contends that the Dutch played a very important role in the early history of America. 1.1. Story of Henry Hudson During the early part of 1600’s, European countries had embarked on rapid expansion plans and voyages to colonize the newly discovered lands of America, South America and India. The British had already created a small settlement at Jamestown while the French had settled at Quebec and the Spaniards had started colonizing South America. At this point of time, the Dutch formed the Dutch East India company to take up colonization of India. They hired a British sailor and explorer named Henry Hudson who wanted to find a sea route to India from the North West. He sailed on hi ship called Halve Maen and explored the regions of Newfoundland and the Cape Cod regions. Avoiding Jamestown, he sailed to the south of the river named Chesapeake and then sailed into the narrow regions of the present-day Upper New York Bay. Hudson thought that there would be route through the continent and sailed by a river that was named later as Hudson River. Hudson found the narrow too narrow for a safe crossing and he turned back and returned to Netherlands after claming all the territories in the name of Netherlands. The lands he had discovered were fertile, filled with game and wild animals whose fur could be harvested and sold as pelt. The land had abundant food and settlers could easily live off the land. The Dutch made their settlements in the present day Manhattan and named the region as New Netherlands and the capital was called as New Amsterdam. This was the first beginning of the New York but the name was changed later when the British took over the region (Wroth, 1970). 1.2. Dutch colonies in the New York Region The Dutch government floated a company called the New Netherlands Company and it was awarded the right to carry out trade for three years. The company established a small colony and undertook the survey of the Delaware region. A number of small trading posts were formed in the region and these posts had a few soldiers who guarded the outpost and helped the traders who traded with the peaceful local Indians. There were about 110 tradesmen, apprentices, craftsmen and soldiers in the post. The Dutch took up the construction of windmills, streets, and farmhouses and tried to make the outpost look like a mini Amsterdam. In the meantime, the Dutch sent an expedition to find a route to China, believing that the river would ultimately join the sea on the other side and they had no idea of how huge the country was. They also took up surveying the area of Massachusetts and New Jersey and attempted to colonize the regions. Till the British made their appearance felt, the Indians and the white man were friends and lived in peace and harmony. The Indians were content to let the Dutch take up farming and they traded meat and pelts of otter, foxes and other such animals. By 1624, New Netherlands was regarded as a province of the Dutch government and they named a number of rivers and regions in the native language. The area in which the Dutch had settled was infested with mosquitoes and so the Dutch governor Peter Minuit decided to move to another location, an island, the present day Manhattan. The Dutch bought the region of present day New York from the Canarsie Indians for the sum of 60 guilders and quickly, the island became a hub of activity for trader and a point of transit for other ships. To encourage people of Netherlands to immigrate, the Dutch offered large land grants in the form of Patroon and the size of the lands was about 128 square miles. The person who had ownership of the Patroon was allowed to raise armies, levy taxes, form a government and the ownership was in perpetuity. The owner was required to bring in at 50 families as tenants in four years (Jacobs, 2005). 1.3. Colonies of Dutch in the New York region New Netherlands grew in size as more and more settlers arrived from Netherlands and larger areas along the Hudson River were turned into colonies. Some of the names that the Dutch gave still exist and some examples are Breuckelen formed in 1646 and now called as Brooklyn, Nieuwe Haarlem called now as Harlem and many other outposts that were later renamed by the British. The Dutch settled in Fort Goede Hoop, Fort Nassau, Gravesend, New Amersfoort called now as Flatlands and many other areas. New Netherlands soon became large and a Director was appointed to oversee the region. Willem Kieft was one of the first Director who took over in 1638. The colony had stagnated, it was not producing more profits, and Willem was under pressure to show profits. He started collecting tributes from the local Indians but the tribes of Wecquaesgeek and Tappan decided to ignore his demands and the Director took up the excuse of a settler who had been murdered because he had actually killed a number of people, to wage war on the local Indians who he thought had to be taught a lesson. He attempted to organize the local leaders to form an army and hunt out the Indians but though the local Indians attempted to dissuade him, Willem ignored their advice and attacked the Indians. Over 130 Indians were killed in the attack. The nearby Indians revolted against this outrage and attacked the outposts, driving hundreds of settlers into the forts and chaos descended into the region for two years. Finally in 1645, the war ended and a treaty was framed by Hackensack Sagamore Oratam (Fiske, 1899). 1.4. Arrival of Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant came to New Amsterdam and took the role of Director General of the region of New Netherlands. He was a military statesmen and brought in many reforms that helped the region to see huge growth in revenues. He was a strong administrator and quickly brought law and order among the Dutch, some of who regarded themselves as free entrepreneurs and who could dictate their own terms. He made peace with the local Indians and clamped down on taverns and other illegal activity that had begun to flourish in the region. After some time, he became interested in a settlement that had sprung in the fertile plains between New Amsterdam and Fort Orange and this region would later be called as Kingston. The land was very good but the neighboring Esopus Indians carried out small raids and wars with the settlers. Realizing the strategic importance of the region, the decided to build a fort and a wall of 12 foot height was built and enclosed 40 houses. The fort helped to ward off the Indian attacks and the men could farm the fields. A treaty was signed in 164 and the fight with the Esopus Indians was finally over. Recently, remains of the fort were discovered when construction work was going on on Clinton Avenue (Bart, 2001). 1.5. How New Netherlands became New York The success of the New Netherlands region made many European nations jealous. Most of the settlers from England were adventurers and criminals who had fled England to escape persecution. France, England and even the Swedes coveted the land but the Dutch were too powerful and in huge numbers and had the support of the local Indians and nothing could be done except indulge in petty skirmishes and wars. The British under the rule of Charles II of England in 1664 decided to bring all the territories of the Americas under British rule. He sent four frigates, armed with sailors into the New Amsterdam bay and demanded that the city be surrendered to the British. The Dutch India Company neither sent any reinforcements nor warships for rescue and the colony was defenseless without cannons or gunpowder and fell easily to the British. Peter attempted to salvage some areas and the Dutch pride and gained some concessions from the British. The first and second Anglo Dutch war resulted in the total surrender of the region to British and soon New Amsterdam was named to New York in memory of the Duke of York from England. 1.6. Lasting influence of the Dutch on New York There are many places and streets that retain their Dutch names and some examples are Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, Hoyt-Schermerhorn Street, Spuyton-Duyvil, Gansevoort Street and many others. Claes van Roosevelt who came to Americas in 165o started his Roosevelt lineage that gave USA two presidents. While many of the old structure s built by the Dutch are long gone, the legacy of well laid out streets, law and order and stately farmhouses that later became a part of the Western Settlements were all a part of the Dutch culture. Santa Claus is a contribution from Netherlands and many literary characters such as Rip Van Winkle were based on Dutch stories. There are strong suggestions that the American Declaration of Independence was strongly influenced by the Dutch (Barbara, 1998) Conclusion The paper has examined the Dutch influence in New York. The Dutch were the first settlers of New York and the area was discovered by Henry Hudson. Dutch colonies were established in the region and the Danes left their influence on the city that lasts to even this day. The region was taken over by the British who renamed the area a New York. References Barbara Wolff. 1998. Was Declaration of Independence inspired by Dutch?. PHd Thesis. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Bart Plantegna. April 2001. The Mystery of the Plockhoy Settlement in the Valley of Swans. Mennonite Historical Bulletin. Fiske John. 30 September 1899. Dutch and Quaker Colonies of New York and Pennsylvania" New York Times review. Retrieved 20 December 2008 from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9801E3DC133DE633A25753C3A96F9C94689ED7CF Jacobs, Jaap. 2005. New Netherlands: A Dutch Colony in Seventeenth-Century America. Brill Publications. Shorto, Russell. 2004. The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America. Random House. Wroth, Lawrence. 1970. The Voyages of Giovanni da Verrazzano, New Haven : Pierpont Morgan Library by Yale University Press Read More