What Is New York's Colonial History?

Settlers from Europe came over to make the land what it is today. In 1614, the Dutch constructed Fort Nassau in what is now known as Albany. The English took over and soon German settlers were permitted to buy land in that region.

Beginnings

New York's colonial history started around 1524, when Giovanni da Verrazzano (for whom the Verazzano Bridge is named after today) first discovered New York. We use the term "discover" loosely, since there had been natives living here for quite awhile.

Over 80 years later, in 1609, Henry Hudson was searching for the Northwest Passage when he stumbled upon New York. He decided to settle the land, and soon afterwards, the land belonged to the Dutch. Six years later, in 1614, the Dutch constructed Fort Nassau in what is now known as Albany, hence a major reason for the location of the state's capital.

In 1626, the Dutch made a historic move of great importance. They built Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island, and the town of New Amsterdam came about as a result. This town was the largest colony in New Netherland, laying the groundwork for Manhattan as we know it today.

Moving Forward

Peter Stuyvesant was a director of the area within the next 30 years and the colony flourished under his rule. They were the main exporter of wheat, lumber, and tobacco, further laying the foundations for Manhattan as a major center of commerce. Despite the fact that this colony was so successful, they could not stand up against the English forces. In 1664, New Netherland was conquered by the English in a surprise attack.

After the English took over, the named the capital the name that it is called today-Albany, and they renamed the colony as New York. These two names were chosen for James the Duke of York and Duke of Albany.

New York Under the English Rule

In 1664, a charter was established that named the land the Province of New York. There was quite a region of land that lay in between Lake Erie and the Mohawk River. The charters for both New York and Massachusetts provided them with unlimited westward expansion, so the two areas were in competition over this section of land for quite some time. Furthermore, there were not a lot of Iroquois living in the area, so the debates belonged primarily to the Dutch and English. Eventually, German settlers were permitted to buy areas of land in that region.

While the English were occupying the colony of New York, the state continued to grow. In 1673, the Duke of York purchased Long Island, which is, as the name suggests, a very long island that is still part of New York today. Some parts of the island are more on the rural side, although others touch boroughs of the city and are all major areas of commerce. As aforementioned, Germans arrived in the area as well. In 1710, Queen Anne's government sent 2800 Germans to the region. They begin settling in the area.

As we know, soon after the turn of the 18th century, tensions started to flare between the colonies and England, and the American Revolution soon broke out.