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cassiope_fastigiata's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely delightful book found in a second-hand book shop in Carson City, NV, and which I coincidentally started reading while staying at a house on a street called Manhattan Way, in a small Nevada town, far from the topic of this book.
goblue22's review against another edition
4.0
As a recent resident of NYC, this was a fascinating look at an unheralded part of American history, the Dutch influence on Manhattan and the early colonies.
Their legacy is still found across the city. Wall Street was the original outer wall of New Amsterdam. Broadway sits on top of a 400 year old trading route. Brooklyn (Breukelen), Bushwick (Boswijk), Harlem (Harleem), Long Island (Lange Eylandt) are all names with Dutch roots.
And unlike the puritan colonies in New England, the Dutch viewed their outpost as a trading post, and fostered free-trade, religious tolerance, and a melting pot attitude. An imprint New York still feels to this day.
Their legacy is still found across the city. Wall Street was the original outer wall of New Amsterdam. Broadway sits on top of a 400 year old trading route. Brooklyn (Breukelen), Bushwick (Boswijk), Harlem (Harleem), Long Island (Lange Eylandt) are all names with Dutch roots.
And unlike the puritan colonies in New England, the Dutch viewed their outpost as a trading post, and fostered free-trade, religious tolerance, and a melting pot attitude. An imprint New York still feels to this day.
dlabau's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book partly because I had a bunch of ancestors come here during the time the Dutch were settling Manhattan and Long Island. One of the most interesting books I have read in a long time. This isn't the history they taught in my schools.
bioniclib's review against another edition
3.0
This is the story of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, what is now New York.
The author presents a culture of acceptance. Founded by the West India Company, it was primarily a trading port. Because it was business, people of different races and religions were tolerated. While that’s a step up from the you’re-either-with-us or you’re-banished Puritans of New England, I don’t think tolerance is the same as acceptance.
The Dutch may have eventually lost the colony, but their mark was left on Manhattan. Brooklyn, Yonkers, Harlem, are but three names that come from Dutch. Apart from names of places, the aforementioned tolerance is reflected in the melting pot of cultures we see in New York today.
If the origins of names and cultures aren't enough to whet your appetite, how about a peg leg? One of the leaders of the colony had one of those. It was something out of a movie. Or if you’re like me and interested in knowledge, the author visits Holland to show us that place was the center of controversial thought. The big thinkers of the day, like Descartes, had to travel there to get their works published.
While dry at times, this book is a great read for people interested in the hidden history of the United States. Because the English beat out the Dutch for the colony and because history is written by the victors, Dutch contributions to the founding of America are often overlooked. This book rectifies that.
The author presents a culture of acceptance. Founded by the West India Company, it was primarily a trading port. Because it was business, people of different races and religions were tolerated. While that’s a step up from the you’re-either-with-us or you’re-banished Puritans of New England, I don’t think tolerance is the same as acceptance.
The Dutch may have eventually lost the colony, but their mark was left on Manhattan. Brooklyn, Yonkers, Harlem, are but three names that come from Dutch. Apart from names of places, the aforementioned tolerance is reflected in the melting pot of cultures we see in New York today.
If the origins of names and cultures aren't enough to whet your appetite, how about a peg leg? One of the leaders of the colony had one of those. It was something out of a movie. Or if you’re like me and interested in knowledge, the author visits Holland to show us that place was the center of controversial thought. The big thinkers of the day, like Descartes, had to travel there to get their works published.
While dry at times, this book is a great read for people interested in the hidden history of the United States. Because the English beat out the Dutch for the colony and because history is written by the victors, Dutch contributions to the founding of America are often overlooked. This book rectifies that.
zuomiriam's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book as an early Christmas gift, so I was extra excited to read it. Though dense, the story of New Netherland grabs you from the start -- Henry Hudson's voyage to the island of Manhattan -- until the very end -- the English takeover of New Netherland and the colony's subsequent impact on early America. Over the course of just over 300 pages, Shorto takes readers from 1608 to the surrender of 1664 in close detail, gracefully introducing characters as they step up to the historical stage and phasing them out as they retreat into normalcy (or, in one notable case, mysteriously disappears). He also makes a compelling case for how Manhattan's early tolerance and trading power has contributed to the development of New York and to the settlement of the West. I enjoyed Shorto's writing style a lot; reading this book took me a good deal of focused attention, but I think the rich, lesser known narrative of Dutch Manhattan readers take away is well worth the effort.