AIM:
The History of New Netherland

In 1609, the Dutch East India Company hired an English navigator named Henry Hudson to find a route
through North America to the Pacific (the Northwest Passage)
o Hudson found a wide river, today known as the Hudson River.
o His report convinced many Dutch merchants that the Hudson River Valley was rich in fur-bearing
animals
 They claimed the region, calling
it New Netherland,
 The Dutch located their major
settlement, New Amsterdam, on
Manhattan Island.
 The Dutch allowed anyone to
buy land in the colony—soon
settlers from many countries
began to move there
Based on the map, which present day towns and cities
were influenced by the Dutch?





In England, King Charles II decided to repay those who had supported him by giving them land grants in
America—these proprietary colonies were awarded to loyal friends of the king, who became Lords
Proprietors of their colonies—that is, owners with executive powers.
One of Charles’s first grants was to his brother James, the duke of York, who ignored the fact that the
Dutch had already claimed the area between the Connecticut and Delaware rivers as New Netherland.
In 1664, English warships sailed into the harbor and demanded that New Netherland surrender—Peter
Stuyvesant, the unpopular governor of New Netherland, surrendered almost without a fight. James
renamed it New York.
New York was unusual in the diversity of its settlers—they included not only the English and Dutch but
also Scandinavians, Germans, French Native Americans, and enslaved Africans
o Allowed people to practice different religions freely—religious toleration
James gave a large piece of land south of the Hudson River to two proprietors Sir George Carteret and
Sir John Berkeley (from the Island of Jersey in the English Chanel), who named the land New Jersey.
What ethnic group settled permanently in New York in 1624
and ruled over the colony of New Netherlands until 1664?
1. French
2. British
3. Dutch
4. Spanish
What nation sent a fleet of warships to conquer
New Netherlands in 1664?
A) France
B) Netherlands
C) England
D) Spain
William Penn and the “Holy Experiment”
Admiral William Penn was a close friend of King Charles and often loaned him money and ships. Penn died
before the king could repay him, so in 1680, Charles granted Penn’s son (also William) a land grant between
New York and Maryland. William Penn was a member of the Quakers (they were urged by their founder to
“tremble or quake” at the name of the Lord), a religious group that believed everyone had their own “inner
light” from God and that there was no need for priests or bishops since everyone could communicate with God.
Instead of formal services with many rituals, Quakers held simple meetings in which members of the
congregation rose to speak. Other Quaker beliefs included:
 Equality for men and women
 Pacifism- opposition to war or violence as a means to settle disputes
Penn left for America in 1682 with a plan in mind for a “Holy Experiment” that would reflect his beliefs. He
would build a new city, with spacious streets laid out in an orderly grid pattern called Philadelphia, Greek for
“city of brotherly love.” Penn recognized the Native Americans’ right to the land and made an agreement with
the Delawares, who sold him land as a way of protecting themselves against the Iroquois.
““When the great and wise God had made the world, of all his creatures it pleased him to choose man his
deputy to rule it; and to allow him for so great a charge and trust, he did not only give him skills and power,
but with integrity to use them justly. I know some say, let us have good laws, and pay no attention to the men
that execute them: but let them consider, that though good laws do well, good men do better.
“That all persons living in this province, shall, in no ways, be [harmed] or prejudiced for their religious
persuasion, or practice, in matters of faith and worship, nor shall they be compelled [forced], at any time, to
frequent or maintain any religious worship, place or ministry whatever.”
What elements does William Penn see as necessary for good government?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Why do you think settlers wanted to go to Pennsylvania?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

Penn offered opportunities and land to
settlers at reasonable prices

Members of small German Protestant groups such as the Amish and Mennonites were happy to
find religious tolerance in Pennsylvania
o
Large numbers of Scots and Irish migrated there as well
The Carolinas:
King Charles and his advisors became very interested in the land south of Virginia. The year before he granted
New York to his brother James, Charles awarded a huge territory south of Virginia to eight other friends and
political supporters. The land was named Carolina from the Latin version of Charles. From the beginning,
Carolina developed as two separate regions. North Carolina was home to a small and scattered population.
Most of the settlers were farmers who began drifting into the region from Virginia in the 1650s. North Carolina
did not have a good harbor, and the coastline was very hard for ships to reach. In 1729, seven of the
proprietors sold their interests in the land back to the English king and it became a royal colony.
The proprietors who had been granted Carolina were never interested in the northern part of the colony.
South Carolina, on the other hand, was believed to be excellent for growing sugarcane. The first settlers arrived
in South Carolina in 1670 and named their settlement Charles Town, after King Charles. Sugarcane, it turned
out, did not grow well in this region. Rice and indigo became the two major crops of the region and were
shipped out of Charles Town for a large profit. Large plantations grew up along the rivers and aristocratic
landowners built prosperous estates along the rivers. After frequent Native American attacks, the king of
England took control of South Carolina and it became a royal colony.
Georgia:
In the 1720s, an English general named James Oglethorpe had investigated the horrendous conditions in English
prisons and was especially concerned about honest people who were thrown in prison for being unable to pay
their debts. He asked King George II for a colony south of Carolina where the poor could start a new life. The
king agreed to give Oglethorpe the grant because it would provide a strategic buffer zone between South
Carolina and the Spanish territory of Florida. Oglethorpe named the new colony Georgia, after the king. The
government of Georgia banned slavery and alcohol and limited land grants to 500 acres. The colony attracted
settlers from all over Europe, including Scots, Welsh, Germans, Swiss, Italians, and Portuguese.
Delaware and Maryland:
When William Penn received his original land grant in America, he was informed that it lacked access to the
Atlantic Ocean. So in 1682, he persuaded the duke of York to make him proprietor of an area along the
Delaware River and bay, which would later become the colony of Delaware. Control of these waterways
would provide a major trade route for ships going in and out of Pennsylvania.
When a man named George Calvert, the Lord of Baltimore in England converted to Catholicism, it ended his
political career. He sought land in America as a retreat for Catholics who were being punished in England and
to gain personal wealth. He asked King Charles I for land near the Chesapeake Bay but died before it was
granted to him. In 1632, his son, Cecilius Calvert received the rights to the land, and started the colony of
Maryland. In 1649, the government of Maryland passed the Toleration Act, which protected the right of all
people to practice their religions freely.
1. Why was North Carolina an unsuccessful colony at first?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What were the main crops grown in South Carolina?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why did James Oglethorpe want to create the colony of Georgia? Why did the king grant him the land?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What was the Maryland Act of Toleration?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________