The colonization of North America paved the way or the first real stirring pot of various global cultures in a relatively enclosed space. After the Spaniard’s initial colonization of the Americas, many other European countries followed suit. Of these European countries, including the likes of Portugal and France, mainly situated by the eastern shore that did not penetrate much into the mainland of the Americas. Seen as an opening for economic expansion and a viable opportunity to partake on becoming a global power. Investor backed voyages and expeditions in the early 17th century proved an integral role in developing prosperous and populated colonies. Of these original colonies, a Dutch funded voyage landed a stake in the area now known as New York alongside the New England colonies. The Dutch’s impact and essentially rule over early New York can be seen through its cultural persistence and economic status prevalent to this day.
Dutch control of the Hudson River Valley originated with the start of economic interests, initiated by the Dutch East India Company. Established in 1602, the Dutch East India Company emerged to control and preserve all Asian instances of colonial commerce and trade, specifically in areas such as the Indian Ocean, amongst other fierce European competitors. In the search for a shorter and more profitable passageway through the northeast region around Norway, the Dutch East India Company enlisted Henry Hudson, an avid sailor and explorer born near the mid-16th century. After a few fruitless voyages (around three attempts) to find such a passageway, the focus was shifted towards finding a northwest passage across the Atlantic. Traversing across the Atlantic, eventually reaching the shores of modern day Mass...
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...merce, modern New York still shows alarming similarities to its 17th century self.
Works Cited
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Cronon, William. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England. New York: Hill and Wang, 1983. Print.
Horsmanden’s journal provides a wealth of information about eighteenth century New York if one is willing to analyze it critically and ignore the bias present in it. If one does this they catch fascinating glimpses of a divided world, one where people are partitioned by race, economic status, homeland and religion. A world filled with fear and suspicion caused by the tension inherent within such societal division. The same tensions that either gave rise to a massive conspiracy to destroy the town of New York or gave credence to a nightmare constructed by the minds of the people and fed by individuals’ self-serving nature. Regardless, eighteenth century New York was a troubled place and Horsmanden’s Journal of the Proceedings gives us a partial but valuable insight to the lives and interactions of colonial New York’s peoples.
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Cronon, William. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England. New York: Hill and Wang, 1983. Print.
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Lemak, Jennifer A. "Albany, New York and the Great Migration" The Free Library 01 January
In general we can say that the Dutch had “some” influence when New Amsterdam was grounded. Later the Dutch came to the conclusion that the reason we established the outpost New Amsterdam, to trade and earn money, was not what we expected of it. More and more people sailed to New Amsterdam and never came back. They settled and find their way into this big and endless country. Later the Dutch lost New Amsterdam to the English and they give it his new name “New York”. The bond with the Dutch and the America of today is still very good. In these day’s there is still some sort of understanding between the two countries, is this a leftover from history?
- Winthrop, John. "Winthrop's Journal." Original Narratives of Early American History. New York: 1908 Vol. 1
... Bobrick, Benson. Fight for Freedom: The American Revolutionary War. New York: Atheneum, 2004. Print.
After the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus, European Nations competed in a race against one another to claim pieces of the new land. Before Columbus found this land, the sea separating the New World from Europe seemed endless, and mundane. The Europeans were only interested in the land to the East. But with the New World as a new hat thrown into the ring, the Europeans tossed aside their old toy to go play with a new one. This time period of conquest over the New World was known as the Age of Exploration, and by the 1700s, they kept their pickings. A New World meant more land to build homes and plant crops, and more money to be earned by buying out new houses and selling new crops grown in foreign soil. Spain claimed Mexico, and the Southwest portions of what would be known as America. France got their hands on most of present-day Canada, as well as Louisiana. The Dutch set foot on land they called New Amsterdam, however, The English, who had settled their first colony in Jamestown, Virginia, drove the Dutch out and claimed New Amsterdam for themselves, later renaming it New York. The English claimed more land as time passed, and eventually they had formed 13 different colonies in the Eastern part of America. The English Colonies were separated into 3 different regions. The New England Colonies (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire), the Middle Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware), and the Southern Colonies (Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia). The New England Colonies were the earliest of the 3 regions, founded by English Settlers seeking religious freedom. The Middle Colonies were also founded by settlers seeking religious freedom. The Southern Colonies,...
George Browm Tindall, David Emory Shi. American History: 5th Brief edition, W. W. Norton & Company; November 1999
3. Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, Williams, eds., America Past and Present Volume II: since 1865 sixth edition (New York: Longman 2002).