Timelines

Migration is a natural part of living systems, and human history is no exception. Yet it remains one of the most debated public issues of our time.

Both people and borders move. Who is allowed to move, and who is granted rights, lies at the heart of how nations define belonging. In Germany and the United States alike, these debates have been deeply intertwined with evolving ideas of race and ethnicity.

These timelines trace how citizenship and belonging have been constructed, challenged, and redefined through laws, social movements, global events, and cultural works — and how those histories continue to shape the present.

1621

1664

Dutch Colonize Modern-Day New York City

From 1621 to 1662, the Dutch West India Company controlled New York’s Hudson River Valley with little regard to the native Iroquois population. Following the establishment of the West India Company and after the Dutch struggle to control the land for over a decade, the Dutch Parliament bought Manhattan from the Iroquois Nation in 1626 (for twenty-four dollars or the equivalent of $1,000 today).

The company organized Dutch trade ventures, establishing trading posts, routes, and towns that are still prevalent today. The Dutch also traded their products for food, and most importantly, furs with the Iroquois Nation. By 1641, a war broke out between the native population, who hoped to regain control of Manhattan, and the colonists, resulting in over 1,000 deaths. However, the Dutch continued to control their established colony, New Amsterdam, until 1664 when it was passed over to British control and renamed New York. In addition to its disregard for the native population, the Dutch West India Company brought the first eleven slaves to New Amsterdam in 1626. Moreover, the English greatly expanded the use of slavery and by 1703 more than forty-two percent of households had slaves. The epicenter of the economy that was established by the Dutch continued on into the twenty-first century. New York remains one of the most active centers of finance and economy in the world.

New York Historical Society Library

New Amsterdam

A map, drawn in 1916, depicts the Castello Plan of New Amsterdam in 1660.

The Dutch West India Company brought the first eleven slaves to New Amsterdam in 1626.

United States

Sources

Dutch Colonies. National Park Service. Date accessed: August 12, 2015.
New Amsterdam becomes New York. History. Date accessed: August 12, 2015.
Louis Jordan. A Brief Outline of the History of New Netherland. The Coins of Colonial and Early America. Date accessed: August 12, 2015.

Additional Resources

Historical Calendar. http://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org. Date accessed: September 14, 2015.
Lesson 4: Why did the Dutch Decide to Settle New Netherland?. New Netherland Museum. Date accessed: September 14, 2015.
Oliver A. Rink. Holland on the Hudson: An Economic and Social History of Dutch New York. Ithaca, NY: Cornell.

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