Essay On The Dutch Colony Of New England

The Dutch colony of New Netherland became the English colonies of New York and New Jersey through military conquest and treaties. It was created as a Dutch colony in the 1610’s. During this time, there was very little, if any, British presence in the United States. Over the next fifty years, the British presence of course grew. When the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy occurred in 1660, the British became more aggressive about colonial expansion and consolidation in North America. An expedition in 1664 by the Duke of York seized the Hudson Valley and Manhattan Island from the Dutch. New Amsterdam was then renamed New York. The already present Dutch settlers were treated equally and were allowed freedom of worship. From 1664, these territories remained British almost continually. They were retaken by the Dutch, but the colony was returned to Britain by treaty. The reason for the seizure of the colony was the British monarchy wanted to close the gap between their property along the Chesapeake and in New England.

Henry Hudson’s Dutch-sponsored voyage of 1609, which was trying to find a “Northwest passage to China” , revealed that it was possible to navigate farther inland. His men, like later visitors, noted the area’s climate and agricultural productivity were favorable for settlement. Robert Juet, one of Hudson’s seamen, found the land

As settler and native households found themselves in close quarters, they began to trade daily necessities and wares. “Food, drink, and firewood became mainstays of a frontier exchange economy reaching across the mid-Atlantic region”. Women were usually highly involved in these trades. Dutch wives usually oversaw the purchasing and processing of food. Additionally, they frequently played a crucial part in the production and distribution of quite possibly the two most profitable wares sought by their Native American neighbors: baked goods and