New
Amsterdam Map
The
area that first became New Amsterdam, and eventually
New York City, was first referred to as Man-A-Hat-Ta,
by the local Indians. The name meant "Heavenly
land". It was first visited by the French explorer
Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. Verrazzano explored
much of America's northeast coast, including the
waters around New York City and Long Island. Today,
one of the world's longest bridges, the Verrazzano
Narrows Bridge, in New York City, is named for him.
The
first people to settle the area were the Dutch.
Henry Hudson explored the region and named the world's
largest tidal river, The Hudson River, after himself.
Hudson's explorations, from Albany to New York City,
provided the impetus for the Dutch to colonize the
region. The Dutch quickly built a settlement and
a network of roads. Some of the roads, such as Broadway
and Pearl Street are still in use today.
Peter
Minuet arrived the following year and bought Man-A-Hat
Ta from the local Indians for about 24 dollars worth
of beads and trinkets. Man-A-Hat Ta itself was not
inhabited by Indians. Nevertheless, Man-A-Hat Ta
became known as New Amsterdam and Minuet became
its first governor. New York's geographic location
made it a popular destination for many. New Amsterdam
welcomed settlers from all cultures and religions.
The first Jewish synogauge in the New World was
built at New Amsterdam in 1640. Dutch colonists
soon spread out to areas surrounding New Amsterdam
such as Long Island and parts of upstate New York.
Rapid growth and burgeoning populations resulted
in widespread chaos throughout New Amsterdam. In
1647, Peter Stuyvesant was elected governor. Stuyvesant
ruled the city in a stern manner for seventeen years
which quelled the chaos and brought much success.
Soon,
English Puritans emigrated from New England to New
Amsterdam. The industrious Puritans quickly gained
political and economic power and imposed strict
rules upon the population including fines for singing
and public whippings for more serious "offenses".
After a series of natural disasters and phenomena
struck such as a meteor, an earthquake, and unusually
warm weather through the winter of 1663, the Dutch
handed New Amsterdam over to the British when Charles
II declared that all lands between the Delaware
and Connecticut Rivers belonged to his brother James,
the Duke of York. The Dutch, totally unprepared
for war, immediately surrendered (signed the Anglo-Dutch
Treaty) when the English fleet entered the harbor
to take the city. New Amsterdam, henceforth became
New York.
