After Henry Hudson's explorations in 1609, it was not immediately clear what kind of colony should come here:an overseas trading post or a settlement area for farmers and workmen? The trade-off between the two options was a constant factor in New Netherland's forty-year history.
In the early years of the colony, the focus was mainly on the trade in beaver hides, supplied by the local Indians. The expeditions set up factories, small trading offices where a few Dutchmen lived temporarily. One of them was Adrian Block. He first used the name New Netherland on a map he made in 1614.
In 1621 the situation changed. After the Twelve Years' Truce, the war with Spain continued. The States General founded the West India Company for trade and privateering in America. In order to carry out this task well, a more permanent peasant population in the colony was necessary. Not only to supply the trading posts and forts, but also to reinforce the Dutch claim. The territory claimed by the WIC in 1624 extended some 250 miles inland from the mouths of the three great rivers Hudson, Delaware, and Connecticut. England and France also preyed on this area, which was sandwiched between their colonies.
Freedom of movement
The first permanent settlers, some thirty families, arrived at Noten Eylant (Governors Island) in 1624 and were dispersed from here in groups. The board was in the hands of a director-general employed by the WIC. He had a council of residents next to him, but their say was negligible.
The originally claimed territory turned out to be too large to defend. Along the borders, settlers advanced from neighboring colonies. Inland it was dangerous because of the wars between rival Mahicans and Mohawks. This demanded more soldiers than the WIC was willing to pay. Over time, the colony shrank to Manhattan – with the capital New Amsterdam
In 1664, when it was handed over to England, New Netherland had about 8,000 inhabitants, spread over a number of places. The largest were Nieuw Amsterdam with about 2500 people and Beverwijck with 1000; in addition there were almost twenty villages, each with 125 to 200 inhabitants. More than half of all inhabitants were farmers, almost a third were soldiers, and a quarter were craftsmen. Besides tobacco, beaver fur was an important export product – the company had a monopoly on this for a long time. There was a large port in New Amsterdam through which the English and French also shipped their goods to Europe.
Half of the settlers in New Netherland were not originally from the Dutch Republic. Sometimes they had fled to the Netherlands because of religious persecution and then made the crossing to America. Compared to the English colonies in America, New Amsterdam had a striking diversity of nationalities and religions. The tolerance mainly had a practical background. The board couldn't be too picky. The Reformed religion was by far the preferred choice, but in order to stimulate population growth and economic activity there had to be a certain economic and religious freedom of movement. There were no guilds and the inhabitants almost all had the status of citizens with associated legal rights – another difference with New England.
Participation
The WIC was equipped for trade and war. Colonization remained a neglected child, a lot of money was not invested in it. Even when private investors were allowed to set up patronage outside Manhattan from 1629 (land was bought from the Indians for which settlers could apply), the enthusiasm in the Republic to emigrate did not remain great.
This changed in 1640 when the company lifted its monopoly on the fur trade and released the establishment. In addition, the economy was in bad shape in the Republic at the time. So moving to America became more attractive. Rapidly, the colony did not grow right away. This was mainly due to the Indian Wars at that time. Director-General Willem Kieft, who regarded the Indians as an obstacle, ordered them to be attacked. In response, the Indian tribes banded together. The bloody conflict lasted for several years. The settlers, who wanted to keep the Indians friendly as trading partners, did not support Kieft's approach and wanted more say.
Under the directorship of Peter Stuyvesant, who started to restore order from 1647 after Kieft's performance as a potentate, this conflict of interests erupted to an even greater extent. The case was fought in 1652 before the States General. Initially he deposed Stuyvesant, but turned it back because the First Anglo-Dutch War broke out. Relations between the countries remained unsettled and eventually led to the downfall of New Netherland. During the Second Anglo-Dutch War, the colony was transferred to England as change for Suriname. For decades it remained noticeable to language, institutions and church that this part of America had been colonized by the Dutch, but New Amsterdam plus hinterland was henceforth called New York.