How the English took Manhattan

Welcome to the History Extra podcast. Fascinating historical conversations from the makers of BBC History magazine. The English takeover of Manhattan from Dutch colonists is often seen as the start of the island's history. Yet knowing what came before this moment and how exactly the takeover happened, is just as important in understanding the island's place in world history.

In today's episode, Russell Shorto tells the story of a peaceful yet transformative handover that turned a Dutch trading post into an English colony and set Manhattan on its path to becoming a global powerhouse. We are talking today about the taking of Manhattan in 1664 from the Dutch by the English. But Russell, before we go into this subject of your wonderful book, I wonder if we can backtrack and look at the first taking and what is commonly understood about this transaction and what would you like our listeners to understand before we move ahead in this story? Well, first of all, Eleanor, thank you very much for having me. And I think you are right to look at the first taking first, because it remains a part of the story and remains part of American history to this day.

Europeans took parts of the American continent from Native people and eventually took virtually all of it. In 1624, thereabouts, the Dutch came to set up a colony, which they called New Netherland, in and around the region that became New York City, and extending far beyond. The borders were always unclear. And they quickly settled on Manhattan Island, specifically the southern tip of Manhattan Island, because it juts out into the harbor just so in this world-class harbor and giving them access to the wider world. And they were meticulous business people.

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