Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York And Shaped America, Shorto - B

              "The episode of our early history that gave New York its name helped set not only the city's but the country's destiny."  This is story of how New Amsterdam became New York. The English and the Dutch were rivals, but at peace, in 1664 when Richard Nicolls led a fleet to New Amsterdam. The English had realized that the harbor, and its access to the interior, was the key to the continent and they did not wish to leave it in Dutch hands. The city was a global trading outpost of 1,500 diverse souls under Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant. On August 28, four English ships anchored in Gravesend Bay at the tip of what is now Brooklyn. Nicolls was joined by John Winthrop, Jr. the governor of Connecticut. 

            A committee was sent by Stuyvesant to Nicolls to ask his intentions, and the English response was that the king wished their surrender. Neither side desired violence. The Dutch had neither the men nor the arms to resist. The English did not wish to damage the valuable trading businesses of the city. Stuyvesant pointed out that the English had no more claim than the Dutch, and that the Dutch had purchased the land from the native inhabitants. Nicolls told the Dutch he would attack in 24 hours. Although the Dutch soldiers would fight, the business community informed the English of the public's desire for a peaceful solution. Nicolls sent Winthrop to Manhattan under a white flag, as Winthrop and Stuyvesant had been working together as neighbors for fifteen years. The two friends sat down in a tavern. 

            The agreement reached was less a surrender and more of a merger. The Dutch were encouraged to continue their lives as freemen conducting sophisticated trade and financial businesses. "The Articles of Transfer were in essence a bill of rights for the people of the former New Netherland." The city was now able to trade with both the Dutch and English empires, and "was set on a course of global power." 

            The Dutch influence on New York has been profound and recognized by historians for decades. New York is incredibly diverse and tolerant, as were the 1500 people from around the world in the triangle of New Amsterdam. New Amsterdam was the home of aggressive traders, businessmen, and most importantly, creative financiers. New York has always been about pursuing profits, accepting and incorporating newcomers, growing, creating, building and paying as little attention as possible to the central government and the rest of the country. New York is different because it is a blend of the two creating cultures. It is the glue of "pluralism and capitalism" that holds the city together.