Why Did the Dutch Give Up Manhattan for Nutmeg?
The spice must flow
There’s an old song by They Might Be Giants (originally by Canada’s The Four Lads, in 1953) that goes:
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it, I can’t say
People just liked it better that way
It’s a catchy tune, but rock bands aren’t known for their historical accuracy. It’s not like the citizens of New Amsterdam held a town meeting and said, “Hey, let’s rename the settlement.”
The real story of Manhattan’s switch from New Amsterdam to New York is somewhat more complicated. A little bloodier, too. And much, much spicier.
Going Dutch, colonial style
Chances are you already know that the United States started out as a small group of colonies called New England. What’s less well-known, though, is that the English weren’t the only ones with dreams of colonial grandeur. The Dutch Republic wanted some of that action, too.
Around the time English settlers were putting down roots in places like Virginia and Massachusetts, there was another colony taking shape in what is now New York. Or, as they called it back then, New Netherland.
New Amsterdam, the capital of this Dutch colony, was on the southern tip of an island called…
