This year it is 400 years ago the Dutch (with an English captain though ...) discovered Manhattan ....
New Amsterdam (Dutch: Nieuw Amsterdam) was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that later became New York City.
Thetown developed outside of Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in the NewNetherland territory (1614-1674) which was situated between 38 and 42degrees latitude as a provincial extension of the Dutch Republic as of1624. Provincial possession of the territory was accomplished with thefirst settlement which was established on Governors Island in 1624. Ayear later, in 1625, construction of a citadel comprising FortAmsterdam was commenced on the southern tip of Manhattan and the firstsettlers were moved there from Governors Island.
Earlier, theharbor and the river had been discovered, explored and charted by anexpedition of the Dutch East India Company captained by Henry Hudson in1609. From 1611 through 1614, the territory was surveyed and charted byvarious private commercial companies on behalf of the States General ofthe Dutch Republic and operated for the interests of private commercialentities prior to official possession as a North American extension ofthe Dutch Republic as a provincial entity in 1624.
The town wasfounded in 1625 by New Netherland's second director, Willem Verhulstwho, together with his council, selected Manhattan Island as theoptimal place for permanent settlement by the Dutch West India Company.That year, military engineer and surveyor Krijn Frederiksz laid out acitadel with Fort Amsterdam as centerpiece. To secure the settlers'property and its surroundings according to Dutch law, Peter Minuitcreated a deed with the Manhattan Indians in 1626 which signified legalpossession of Manhattan. He was appointed New Netherland's thirddirector by the local council after Willem Verhulst returned home inNovember 1626.
The city, situated on the strategic, fortifiablesouthern tip of the island of Manhattan was to maintain NewNetherland's provincial integrity by defending river access to thecompany's fur trade operations in the North River, later named HudsonRiver. Furthermore, it was entrusted to safeguard the West IndiaCompany's exclusive access to New Netherland's other two estuaries; theDelaware River and the Connecticut River. Fort Amsterdam was designatedthe capitol of the province in 1625 and developed into the largestDutch colonial settlement of the New Netherland province, now the NewYork Tri-State Region, and remained a Dutch possession until September1664, when it fell provisionally and temporarily into the hands of theEnglish.
The Dutch Republic regained it in August 1673 with afleet of 21 ships, renaming the city New Orange. New Netherland wasceded permanently to the English in November 1674 by treaty.
The1625 date of the founding of New Amsterdam is now commemorated in theofficial Seal of New York City (formerly, the year on the seal was1664, the year of the provisional Articles of Transfer, ensuring NewNetherlanders that they "shall keep and enjoy the liberty of theirconsciences in religion", negotiated with the English by PetrusStuyvesant and his council).
