What were the Dutch colonial holdings in the New World?
Dutch-claimed territory in North America was called New Netherlands. This area consisted of the lands surrounding the Hudson River (present-day New York), and later the area along the lower Delaware River (in present-day New Jersey and Delaware). Dutch explorers settled the territory in 1610, and in 1624 the Dutch West India Company started the New Netherlands colony. Company official Peter Minuit (1580?–1638) bought the island of Manhattan from the Native Americans and founded the capital, called New Amsterdam (present-day New York City). In 1664 the English Duke of York, King James II (1633–1701), conquered New Netherlands to consolidate English holdings. Further Information: “Discovery and Colonization of America.” Compton’s Encyclopedia Online.
