Image: Reuters
In the 16th century, European sailors like Henry Hudson discovered the area around the island on the east coast of what is now the USA. Shortly afterwards, the first trade began – with a monopoly from the Dutch company. The first immigrants came from the Netherlands, Belgium and France in 1624 and settled on the island. This year, i.e. 2024, New York celebrates its 400th birthday. It has expanded its urban area to include two other islands and the American mainland and has become a major global metropolis with around eight million inhabitants.
The first years still shape the metropolis today. “The Dutch brought capitalism and a groundbreaking policy of tolerance and thus laid the foundation for the most dynamic city in the world,” says scientist Russell Shorto from the New Amsterdam Project. It is named after the city’s first name, New Amsterdam. The immigrants initially all settled on the southern tip of Manhattan, today’s financial center. Allegedly, co-founder Peter Minuit bought the island of Manhattan from the natives in 1626, according to legend for pearls and other small things. Scientists today argue that the concept of land ownership did not exist among the indigenous people at that time. In 1653 New Amsterdam received city rights.
Once even the capital of the USA
The relationship between the newcomers from Europe and the natives was characterized by trade and efforts for mutual understanding – but also brutal repression by the Europeans, writes Shorto in his book “The Island at the Center of the World”. To protect against raids, the Europeans built a protective wall that would later become Wall Street. The former native trade route through Manhattan became Broadway. To this day, New York is characterized by its port location on the Atlantic; the city is considered a center of world trade and a “sanctuary city” in which, at least on paper, people of all origins, religions and identities can live safely. In 1664, New Amsterdam passed to the English and became New York, but remained controversial until the United States became independent in 1774. In the early years of the USA, New York was even briefly the capital; the first president, George Washington, was sworn in in Manhattan. Along with Washington, New York remained the capital of tolerance. “We can trace our ideals of individual freedom here,” says Shorto. “They made us who we are and they give us hope for the future.”
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Source: Nachrichten
