Under Van Twiller, the interests of the colony considerably advanced; with the exception of controversies occasioned by the encroachments of the English on the eastern end of Long Island and western part of Connecticut began. In , Van Twiller was succeeded by Sir William Kieft, a man of enterprise and ability, but impetuous and imperious.
From this time, the history of the Dutch is little less than a chronicle of struggles and contentions with English, Swedes, and Indians. About the same time that Kieft began his administration, a colony of Swedes, under ex-Governor Minuits, had arrived, and formed a settlement on Christiana Creek, near Wilmington, in the present State of Delaware. To this movement Kieft opposed; but the Swedes gradually extended their settlements, a length occupying the territory from Cape Henlopen to the Falls of Delaware, opposite Trenton.
This territory was called New Sweden. But the Dutch were destined to troubles far more serious. For some time dishonest traders had overreached the Indians of Long Island and New Jersey, and they sought revenge. In , they ruined the settlement on Staten Island. In consequence of this, the Dutch fitted out a roving expedition, south of the Hudson River, against the Indians; but it proved fruitless.
Then, a Hollander was killed by the son of a chief. The Indians expressed their grief, but refused to surrender the murderer. Kieft was irate, and united with a party of Mohawks, just then arrived from the north, in an expedition of blood and death against the neighboring tribes. In the stillness of a dark winter's night in February , the united forces crossed the Hudson, and the work of destruction began. Nearly a hundred of the Indian men, women and children, perished in the carnage.
No sooner was it discovered by the surrounding tribes that the Dutch united with the Mohawks in this midnight attack, but they were seized with the frenzy of revenge. And their revenge was seemingly full. Villages were laid waste; the farmer was murdered in his field, and his children swept into captivity. It was on this occasion that the celebrated Anne Hutchinson, who was banished from Massachusetts , perished with her family. So greatly were the Dutch pressed, and so imminent became their danger, that they were compelled to sue for peace.
Fortunately, that peace-maker Roger Williams , then in Manhattan, on his way to England, intervened, and a truce between the contending parties was effected. But harmony and confidence were not restored. The Indians found themselves not satisfied. They thirsted for further revenge, and the war was renewed. The Dutch, however, had no competent leader.
They therefore engaged the services of Captain John Underhill, one of the bravest men of his day, but who had been banished from Massachusetts for his religious eccentricities. With one hundred and twenty men, Underhill met and attacked and routed the Indians, on Long Island, and at Strickland Plains, Horseneck.
At length, after the war had continued two years, both Dutch and Indians became weary of the contest. At this time, the Mohawks stepped In, and claimed sovereignty over all the tribes in the neighborhood of Manhattan, and through their influence, these tribes made peace with the Dutch in Such was the joy diffused through the colony at this event, that a general Thanksgiving was observed.
Kieft, the author of much of the blood which had been shed, had infamy is attached to his life. His conduct was reprobated both at home and abroad. Facts about the New York Colony.
Fact 1. Fact 2. Fact 3. Geography: Mountains in the northeast, lowlands from Lake Ontario along the Canadian border. Atlantic coastal plain. The general geography of the Middle Colonies had a mix of the New England and Southern features but had fertile soil and land that was suited to farming. Fact 4. Climate: The Middle Colonies had a mild climate with warm summers and mild winters that were suited to farming and agriculture. Fact 5. Religion: Not dominated by a specific religion which gave way to religious freedom for Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jews and others.
This soon became the capital of New Netherland. In August , New Amsterdam was threatened with the arrival of four English warships. Their goal was to take over the town. However, New Amsterdam was known for its heterogeneous population and many of its inhabitants were not even Dutch. The English made them a promise to let them keep their commercial rights.
Due to this, they surrendered the town without a fight. He was given control of the colony of New Netherland. New York did not sign the Declaration of Independence until July 9, , as they were waiting for approval from their colony. However, the British took control of the city with the arrival of General Howe and his forces in September New York was one of the three colonies that saw the most fighting during the War.
New York served as the major base of operations for the British for most of the war. The war finally ended in after the British defeat at the Battle of Yorktown. However, the war did not end formally until the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, The first British governor of the colony was Colonel Richard Nicolis. He met with the settlers in what became Long Island and Westchester.
Nicolis promised the colonists both religious freedom and limited local autonomy. In Thomas Dongan became the governor. Before the Charter could be put into effect the Duke of York became King. He decided to combine New York with the royal colony of New England.
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