 | Dutch colonization of the Americas: Encyclopedia II - Dutch colonization of the Americas - North America
Dutch colonization of the Americas - North America
In 1602, the government of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands chartered the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC) with the mission of exploring for a passage to the Indies and claiming any unchartered territories for the United Provinces.
In 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson attempted to find a northwest passage to the Indies, instead discovering areas of current United States and Canada, among others giving his name to the Hudson River and Hudson Bay and claiming the surrounding land for the VOC.
In 1614, Adriaen Block led an expedition to the lower Hudson in the Tyger, and then explored the East River aboard Onrust, becoming the first known European to navigate the Hellegat (now called Hell Gate) and to enter Long Island Sound. Block Island and Block Island Sound were named after him. Upon returning, Block compiled a map, the first to apply the name "New Netherland" to the area between English Virginia and French Canada, where he was later granted exclusive trading rights by the Dutch government.
After some early trading expeditions, the first settlement was founded in 1615: Fort Nassau, on Castle Island in the Hudson, near present-day Albany. The settlement served mostly as a trade post for fur trade with the natives and was later replaced by Fort Oranje (in English: Fort Orange) at present-day Albany. Both forts were named in honor of the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau.
In 1621, a new company was established with a trading monopoly in the Americas and West Africa: the Dutch West India Company (Westindische Compagnie or WIC). The WIC sought recognition for the area in the New World - which had been called New Netherland - as a province, which was granted in 1623. Soon after, the first colonists, mostly from present-day Belgium and Germany, arrived in the new province.
In 1626, Director-General of the WIC Peter Minuit "purchased" the island of Manhattan from Indians and started the construction of fort New Amsterdam. In the same year, Fort Nassau was built in the New Jersey area. Other settlements were Fort Casimir (Newcastle) and Fort Beversrede (Philadelphia). In 1655, the main settlement of New Sweden, Fort Christina, was captured after the Swedes had briefly occupied Fort Casimir. Large numbers of the inhabitants of these settlements were not Dutch, but came from a variety of other European countries, including England.
A significant number of immigrants to New Netherland were Protestants of English or French Huguenot background, including the Louis Dubois colony, which settled New Paltz, making a private treaty with the local Native Americans to purchase a large tract of land from the Hudson River to the mountains. Later, under English rule, this self-governing colony, ruled by Dubois and 11 others on their unique duzine, continued to prosper and today the village boasts the oldest street in North America with the original stone houses.
In 1664, English troops under the command of the Duke of York and Albany (later James II of England) attacked the New Netherland colony. Being greatly outnumbered, Director-General Peter Stuyvesant surrendered New Amsterdam, with Fort Orange following soon. New Amsterdam was renamed New York (from James's English title), Fort Orange was renamed Fort Albany (from James's Scottish title).
The loss of the New Netherland province led to the Second Anglo-Dutch War during 1665-1667. This conflict ended with the Treaty of Breda in which the Dutch gave up their claim to New Netherland in exchange for Suriname.
From 1673 to 1674, the territories were once again briefly captured by the Dutch in the Third Anglo-Dutch War, only to be returned to England at the Treaty of Westminster.
Other related archives1602, 1609, 1614, 1615, 1620, 1621, 1623, 1626, 1643, 1650s, 1655, 1664, 1665, 1667, 1673, 1674, 1683, 1799, 17th century, 1816, 1975, 1986, Tyger, Adriaen Block, Africa, Albany, Americas, Amsterdam island, Anegada, Aruba, Barbados, Belgium, Berbice, Block Island, Block Island Sound, Bonaire, Canada, Ceylon, Chile, Colonization of the Americas, Coromandel Coast, Curaçao, Demerara, Deshima island, Duke of York and Albany, Dutch, Dutch East India Company, Dutch East Indies, Dutch Guiana, Dutch West India Company, Dutch colonial empire, Dutch colonies, Dutch empire, East River, England, English, English Virginia, Essequibo, Essequibo River, Fort Albany, Fort Christina, Fort Nassau, Fort Orange, Fort Oranje, France, French Canada, French Protestants, Germany, Hell Gate, Hendrik Brouwer, Henry Hudson, History of New York City, History of the Netherlands, Hudson Bay, Hudson River, Indies, James II of England, Johan Maurits, July 31, Louis Dubois, Malabar Coast, Malacca, Manhattan, Napoleonic Wars, Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands New Guinea, New Amsterdam, New Holland (in Brazil), New Jersey, New Netherland, New Paltz, New Sweden, New York, New York City, New York history, New Zealand, Newcastle, Onrust, Orange-Nassau, Peter Minuit, Peter Stuyvesant, Philadelphia, Recife, Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, Saba, Second Anglo-Dutch War, Second Battle of Guararapes, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Smeerenburg, Spanish, St. Croix, Suriname, Swedes, Taiwan, Third Anglo-Dutch War, Tobago, Tortola, Treaty of Breda, Treaty of Westminster, United States, Valdivia, Virgin Gorda, Virgin Islands, city, gold, natives, slavery, sugar
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "North America", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
