The Province of New York

This image is of the original Castello plan of New Amsterdam

The Province of New York was one of the original thirteen British Colonies in America along the Eastern Seaboard. The area was originally settled by the Dutch who set up along the Hudson river in 1624. Later they would set up a colony on Manhattan island which was known as new Amsterdam. In 1664 the English took control of the area and it was renamed New York, after the brother of King Charles II, James II, who was the Duke of York at this point.

When New York was acquired by the English, a lot of Dutch and Belgian settlers did not leave as they had already established themselves in the community. This led to New York being one of the most diverse British colonies, a legacy which has lasted to the present day.

There is an urban legend that Manhattan Island was bought from either the Lenape or Delaware Native Americans for $24 worth of trade goods. This idea is thought to have started because of an account from 1626 where it is written Peter Minuit, leader of the Dutch East India Company in New Amsterdam bought Manhattan. In reality, the Native Americans had no idea of land ownership so did not mind that the settlers were there.

The success of New York could have been down to the Fur trade, which was set up under the Dutch and heavily expanded under English rule, there are other factors however as the English were just building upon the foundations left by the Dutch before them. Another factor for the success could be down to the exploitation of black slaves. New York was the biggest importer of Slaves in the 1690's and the slaves became a major element in both New York city and in upstate New York where they worked on the farms. These slaves also led to a new wave of ethnic and cultural diversity in the state of New York, this diversity makes New York what it is today, and shows how, even from the beginning of its colonial history, it has been one of the most diverse areas in the country.