Dutch Subversion, British Aggression, the First US Ambassador

In ‘This Week in History,’ the Dutch and English battled for land, a revolution broke out, and a headstrong statesman became the first U.S. ambassador.

View of New Amsterdam, the Dutch colony on the North American continent, by Jacob van Meurs. Dutch National Library. Public Domain

In 1624, exactly 400 years ago, the Dutch founded the colony of New Amsterdam within the colonial province of New Netherlands along the eastern seaboard of the American continent. After winning independence from Spain in the 1580s, the Dutch Republic (also known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands) experienced its financial “golden age” during the 17th century, becoming the financial capital of the world.

During this era, however, the Dutch colonists struggled to make New Amsterdam a success. Poor management and the threat of violence from native tribes forced many colonists to flee their homes for Fort Amsterdam. Along with these issues came competition from other colonial powers, like the French and Spanish, but none more so than the English. In a fight over shipping and trading rights, the first of the four Anglo-Dutch Wars (three would take place in the 17th century) took place from 1652 to 1654.

New Amster…York

Before the war broke out, New Amsterdam received a new governor, Petrus Stuyvesant, in 1647. The man with a wooden right leg had proven himself a successful leader for the Dutch Republic’s West India Company. When he arrived, he found New Amsterdam in disarray and quickly worked to organize and, literally, clean up the colony. A decade after the First Anglo-Dutch War ended, however, New Amsterdam would be faced with a direct English threat.