New York Colony

The New York Colony was one of the original thirteen British colonies in North America. However, unlike the other British colonies, New York began as a Dutch colony called New Netherlands. When Great Britain went to war with the Netherlands, the British military took control of New Netherlands. The people of the colony offered no resistance and the colony was renamed New York.

As tensions grew between the colonies and Great Britain after the French and Indian War (1756-1763), the New York Colony at first wanted to remain loyal to the British. When the representatives from the colonies voted to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776, New York was the only colony to abstain from the vote. Despite their objections, the representatives eventually signed the declaration. New York was a key battleground in the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Once the war was won, New York officially became part of the United States of America, ratifying the US Constitution in 1788 and becoming a state.

Background

In 1609, the powerful Dutch East India Company hired British explorer Henry Hudson to find an ocean route westward to the Pacific Ocean. Hudson sailed along the east coast of North America and eventually made his way up a large river in what would become New York. The river—which would later be named the Hudson River—took him as far as modern-day Albany before he had to turn back. Hudson never found a route to the Pacific, but though his explorations, the Dutch claimed the land along the Hudson River. The Dutch created the West India Company to manage the new colony and settlers began arriving in 1624.

In 1626, the Dutch struck a deal with the local Native Americans, purchasing the entirety of Manhattan Island. They called the area New Netherlands and began to encourage families to settle in the new colony. However, many Dutch citizens were wary of undertaking a long and dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean. To entice settlers to move to the colonies, the Dutch government offered generous land grants. Many Dutch citizens accepted the offers and moved to New Netherlands. The largest Dutch settlement in the colony was New Amsterdam near the mouth of the Hudson River. This settlement would later be known as New York City. The Dutch colony often came into conflict with both the nearby English settlers and the local Native American tribes, but usually managed to maintain an uneasy peace.

In 1638, the Dutch government named William Kieft as manager of the colony. Kieft’s oppressive governing style led to disputes with the Dutch settlers and conflict with the local Native Americans. Kieft was relieved of his duties in 1647 and replaced by Peter Stuyvesant. During Stuyvesant’s administration, the Netherlands went to war with Great Britain. When a powerful British fleet arrived off the shores of New Netherlands in 1664, Stuyvesant did not have the military strength to take on the British. He surrendered the colony without a fight and New Netherlands became a British colony. It was renamed New York in honor of the Duke of York, James II, who would become king of England in 1685.

Overview

At first, British officials in charge of New York decided to merge the colony with the northern colonies of New England. In the past, the people of New York had been promised governmental independence, and were outraged at the idea of merging with another colony. After briefly asserting its independence, New York soon returned to British control.

The New York Colony was one of the original thirteen colonies that would eventually form the United States of America. The colony was one of the Middle Colonies that connected the New England Colonies with the Southern Colonies. Most of the colony’s population was concentrated in the city of New York. New York was not as large it is in the modern era, however it was still one of the largest cities in Colonial America. It was a diverse city that was home to numerous religious faiths and social classes. New York City was also known for being a city of immigrants that was home to people of many different ethnicities and backgrounds.

The British colonies in North America were drawn into a larger worldwide conflict in 1756 with the onset of the Seven Years’ War (1754-1763)—a battle for economic and political dominance in Europe. The primary enemy of Great Britain was France, which was also competing for territories in North America. The conflicts fought between the British and French in North America were known as the French and Indian War. Many important battles in the war were fought in the Adirondack Mountain region of upstate New York.

The British emerged victorious in the conflict and vastly increased the size of their territory in North America. However, they had borrowed heavily to finance the war and depleted the British treasury. The British government decided to raise taxes on the American colonies as a means to help its finances recover.

The colonies despised the idea of being taxed without representation in the British Parliament, and began to chafe at being governed by a power across the Atlantic Ocean. Tensions between the two sides continued to rise, eventually leading to the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 and the drafting of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Twelve of the thirteen colonies voted in favor of signing the declaration, but New York initially abstained. The colony—and New York City in particular—had a reputation for being predominately loyalist. Many of its citizens were reluctant to defy the British Crown. By mid-July, however, the colony’s four representatives, Lewis Morris, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, and William Floyd, agreed to sign the document.

New York’s geographical location made it strategically important to the British during the war. British generals believed that if they could capture New York, they could cut New England off from the rest of the United States and easily win the war. In October 1777, American forces won a significant victory at the Battle of Saratoga in upstate New York. Many historians believe the battle turned the tide of the war in America’s favor and eventually led to victory in 1783. With independence secured, American leaders began forming a new government. The US Constitution was approved by the representatives from the states in September 1787 and sent to the individual state governments for approval. On July 26, 1788, New York became the eleventh state to ratify the Constitution and officially joined the United States of America.

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