Colonel Richard Nicolls leads an English naval squadron that compels Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant to surrender New Amsterdam, the capital of New Netherland. Although Stuyvesant aimed to resist the English, his unpopularity among the Dutch settlers meant they did not support him. After its capture, the name of New Amsterdam was changed to New York, in tribute to the Duke of York, who orchestrated the mission.
Founded by the Dutch West India Company in 1624, the colony of New Netherland eventually encompassed all of present-day New York City and parts of Long Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey. A successful Dutch settlement emerged at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, named New Amsterdam.
In 1626, to substantiate Dutch claims to New Amsterdam, Dutch governor Peter Minuit officially acquired Manhattan from the local tribe from which it derives its name. Legend has it that the Manhattans—Indians of Algonquian descent—consented to relinquish the island in exchange for trinkets valued at merely $24. However, due to their unfamiliarity with European concepts of property and contracts, the Manhattans soon found themselves in armed conflict with the encroaching Dutch settlement at New Amsterdam. Starting in 1641, a lengthy war erupted between the colonists and the Manhattans, leading to the deaths of over 1,000 Indians and settlers.
In 1664, control of New Amsterdam reverted to the English, leading to a period of peaceful coexistence between English and Dutch settlers. A brief interruption of English rule occurred in 1673, when the Netherlands temporarily regained control of the settlement. New York was returned to English hands in 1674, and in 1686 it became the first city in the colonies to obtain a royal charter. Following the American Revolution, it was established as the first capital of the United States.
