What's Left of New Amsterdam? (And the Origins of the USA)

This video is about what is left of the Dutch colonial settlement in North America, New Amsterdam. In 1664 the British took New Amsterdam and renamed it New York City. What is left of the old settlement and how did in influence the United States?
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Sources
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"The Island at The Center of the World" by Russell Shorto
www.history.com/topics/us-sta...
www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...
www.britannica.com/place/New-...
founders.archives.gov/documen...
www.metro.us/when-wall-street...
blog.mcny.org/2016/04/19/smok...
www.nps.gov/jame/learn/histor...
www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/sto...
www.history.com/topics/coloni...
www.history.com/topics/britis...

[@GeographyGeek]

Every Monday, I send out an email with new videos. This way, I can reach people even if the KZbin algorithm isn't working for my videos. If that's for you, click here and put in your email address - eepurl.com/hSeKpj

[@ericlineback3540]

I have alot a low dutch ancestors

[@tijnmoer9136]

Nobody loves videos about the Dutch more than the Dutch

[@danielvh5933]

True

[@TayyebK]

Netshonalism, yeah

[@frits8986]

Very true, I am proud of it

[@JustaGuy1250]

@TwinTurbo Ray boneappletea

[@Loesters]

True

[@sach046]

Als de Engelsen niet waren gekomen konden de Amerikanen dit nu lezen.

[@dirkkruisheer]

Nederlanders doen alles voor geld

[@rubenverheij4770]

@@dirkkruisheer ................................ NY zgn weggedaan, maar wel de straten houden. Slimme zet.* ♟️ ♟️ ♟️ ♟️ ♟️ ♟️ Wel alle luste, maar niet alle lasten van NY. Plus plantages** (in Suriname). Ruil was eiiigenlijk, een prachtige deal! 🧂 .............................. * 1 van die straten is [ Wallstreet ]. **Suiker-plantages

[@ReneF1R]

🤣🤣🤣

[@lilian846]

en waren we allemaal ieta rijker

[@juliaboskamp9666]

En wisten wat echte kaas is

[@tallyboyle9148]

As a British historian... thank you. The influence of the Dutch upon what was to become the United States is seriously under represented in the historical record. Worth considering that when America won their independence the blame for the loss in Britain was not placed on the French for their involvement in the war, but the Dutch. They were the ones responsible for the fighting to spread to three continents, and tied up most of the Royal Navy after all. Great stuff.

[@GeographyGeek]

I appreciate it! I actually talk a little bit about the Dutch impact on the revolutionary war in this video. - kzbin.info/www/bejne/apK7mmaihNJ8eas

[@juwebles4352]

Don't forget how the US was politically speaking inspired by the united provinces of the Netherlands especially the stadtholder whos executive powers inspired that of the presidents own executive powers

[@tallyboyle9148]

@@juwebles4352 true but the stadtholder at the time was a relative of George III. In a delicious irony, the rebellion of the American colonists inspired elements of the Netherlands to push back against the power/decisions of the then stadtholder, leading to them slowly dragging themselves into the war. It was their attempts to join the Russia inspired League of Armed Neutrality that led the English to go 'nope' and declare war, citing Dutch support of the colonists as their reason for it.

[@1LSWilliam]

You nailed it. The Dutch were settling and old score even if they had no realistic hope to succeed Spain's position.

[@mikelabora3470]

;;;;;;;;;;;;;

[@MarkDDG]

Broadway - > Breede weg Wallstreet - > Waalstraat Harlem - > Haarlem Brooklyn - > Breukelen Coney Island - > Conyne Eylandt Hempstead - > Heemstede Long Island - > 't Lange Eiland Staten Island - > Staten Land Wyckoff - > Wijck Hoff Flushing - > Vlissingen

[@rasenche4562]

no Heemskerk? XD

[@jorisessen8410]

Isnt conyne = konijnen? Meaning bunny Funny how its spelled so different but sounds the same

[@pedrovascodeoliveiraveriss6293]

Isn't Wallstreet derived from Walstraat, as it was the street inside the wall? In severel Dutch cities there are "Walstraten", all along former city-walls.

[@weetikissa]

@@pedrovascodeoliveiraveriss6293 Yes, it's literally "Wall" street as in the edge of the city and where the fortification was.

[@tiaxanderson9725]

I might be mistaken but isn't it also; dollar -> daalder

[@charlescorbee9498]

Also the money system is of Dutch origine: Daalder became Dollar Kwartje became Quarter Dubbeltje became Dime Cent stays Cent They did not use: Pound or Shillings

[@rasenche4562]

sadly when it comes to measurements they did went with the BS Imperial one.

[@Snaakie83]

Both the Dutch Daalder and the US dollar's names have derived from the Joachimsthaler.

[@rogerwilco2]

@@rasenche4562 That's because the Metric system was introduced by the French Revolution, after 1776.

[@corbeau-_-]

still, the rest of the world adopted the system -.- And it can be seen in many things, also in Potassium (which does have the symbol K in the US, thank god). A kind of stubborn identity, opposed against foreign influences, I suppose Capitalism is Dutch in origin, like the stockmarket and making war a profitable investment... Basically the thingies 'we' used to conquer the world as a small nation. The whole reason there is a new Amsterdam to begin with. The English and later the Americans took it to new and absurd levels... At any rate, that is far more impactful as a legacy, than some cities/areas which still carry 'our' names. Oja, GEKOLONISEERD (moetje).

[@corbeau-_-]

Together with the English, we made it possible for banks to lend out over 10 times the money they actually had (to wage war) - also a mental development in our global 'banking' system...

[@sm3675]

Lower Manhattan litterally doubled in land area. Very Dutch indeed

[@TayyebK]

😂😂

[@murderboytje]

@@hansanders4983 New Holland?? New Netherlands. Holland is something different than the Netherlands.

[@Anders4Anders]

@@murderboytje Anything after Utrecht is Germany, what are you talking about?

[@murderboytje]

@@Anders4Anders Funny point, only fails as Utrecht isnt Holland either xD.

[@joskaemck5784]

@@murderboytje Heel veel Nederlanders noemen NL Holland. Die zouden misschien beter moeten weten. Maar buiten Holland ;) vind ik het al knap als ze één van de twee noemen.

[@FearTheOldB]

Man the Dutch basically started the world we know today. Such a small country with such a huge impact.

[@FearTheOldB]

@Van Slede Design The Netherlands is like the 60th smallest country in the world out of +- 200, after all the land reclamation. It was smaller. So it is, and was, definitely relatively small.

[@majesthijmenii1976]

The English started the world we know today. The Dutch were just kind of... Around.

[@FearTheOldB]

@@majesthijmenii1976 What about the VOC? The stock market? Capitalism? Why was it called New Amsterdam and not New London?

[@majesthijmenii1976]

@@FearTheOldB it was called New Amsterdam because the Dutch found it first. The English, however, were the ones to make it a sprawling city. It's called New York now for a reason. I agree that the Dutch have meant a lot to modern day society but New Amsterdam is just a pretty horrible example of that because they didn't really do anything meaningful for that settlement compared to the English.

[@FearTheOldB]

@@majesthijmenii1976 What about the other examples?

[@woutehr5416]

Fun fact: the Brits in New Amsterdam made up a swearword to use when referring to the Dutch. The word is a combination of two typical Dutch names: Jan and Kees. That’s how the word ‘Yankees’ was born

[@jjstewart4341]

Holy shit

[@653j521]

Extremely unlikely.

[@jjstewart4341]

@@653j521 is true lol

[@chrislaarman7532]

Even funnier: "Jan Kees" (like similar abbreviations of "Johannes Cornelis") is still very common in the Netherlands. I know one who tends to react to remarks or questions with "Ja! - Nee!" (Yes! - No!) so I have dubbed him "JaNees".

[@chrislaarman7532]

@@kevinrussell6530 1) "John Cheese" would have been "Jan Kaas" - but I have never heard that in my 65 years in Amsterdam. (To self: no "Cheese shop sketch" involved, no "Cheese shop sketch" involved, no...) 2) Obviously, Dutch does have expressions for not too bright people, expressions containing the name "Jan", and some expression matching both categories. The one most often used may be "Jan Lul" ("John dick" with a lowercase d) in agitated talking about being idle or doing things in vain. Like "Heb ik dat voor Jan Lul gedaan?" ("Did I do that for John dick?", meaning "Did I do that in vain?"). "Jan Doedel" ("John Doodle"?) may be in second place, in expressions like "Wat een jandoedel!" ("What a clumsy person!"). Then there is "janhagel" ("John Hail", hail as precipitation), meaning people of lower social standing (in a British attitude). No brightness qualification, just looking down. Getting carried away (bitter pun accepted): "jandoedel" used to have a Jewish (but not Jiddish, I think) match in "bijgoochem". "Goochem" means "clever", so "by-clever" would mean "next-to-clever". But that belongs to "What's left of Old Amsterdam (Mokum Aleph)?"

[@beeniemen]

Dutch are engineers such a small country but with a insanely powerful economy hard working people and free spirit enterprise culture love the Netherlands

[@MusicJunky3]

You may stay young man, Dutch greetings

[@KMCDM]

Hard working? Ze lopen alleen maar te zeiken en er komt niks van terecht.

[@jeroen3631]

@@KMCDM Jij loopt misschien de hele dag te zeiken en uit je neus te vreten de meesten doen wel gewoon hun werk en zeiken af en toe eens😂

[@tijmen131]

@@KMCDM said no one ever

[@ProvidenceNL]

@@KMCDM Je doet er wel goed in mee gelijk.

[@skyblueo]

As a New Yorker I thank you for this very well done piece. I work in a college here in New York where over150 languages, aside from English, are also spoken by our student body. And it works. Currently 40% of New Yorkers were born outside the USA. Additionally many New Yorkers moved here from all other states and territories. And it works. I think that acceptance of diversity is one of the great legacies that the Dutch gave New York. BTW, the colors of the flag of New York City are the orange, white and blue of the Dutch flag of the 1600s.

[@phillipsanchez4192]

Great post. Aside from a deep dislike of the Yankees I have, a relic of my youth and likely born of sour grapes because I am an Angels fan, I have found that my life experience overseas for the better part of 30 years now has made New York the most likely place for me to return to if I should decide to return 'home'. I have only been to NY a few times, but I am always impressed with the diversity of languages and people, the edgy way people joke with each other and the intelligent wit, not to mention the range of experiences people can find within the state no matter what they enjoy doing. Though you'll never see me in pinstripes, I would love to live in New York as a bucket list highlight, or maybe as my final travel destination.

[@skyblueo]

@@phillipsanchez4192 And the food is damn good and you can eat a different kind of food every night, if you want (and the budget can provide).

[@daniel06498]

Wow its fun to see how many things have been the same

[@CapitalTeeth]

Not many people in the U.S seem to realize exactly how close the U.S was to becoming a Dutch speaking nation.

[@f.jansen5198]

You sure you don't mean German?

[@5thMilitia]

It wasn't at all, New Amsterdam was a backwater and the multiple English colonies possessed far more population. This America was nearly Dutch myth should die

[@eliteexpression]

@@f.jansen5198 not even close

[@dirkkruisheer]

@@f.jansen5198 German, I think

[@f.jansen5198]

@@eliteexpression well there was a vote that was close to either speak german or english in the new world cause of the many german people who went to amerika.

[@tammo100]

The US Declaration of Indepence is based on the Dutch "Acte van Verlatinghe" (act of abjuration) from 1581 in which the northern Dutch provinces declared indepence of the kingdom of Spain. It is strikingly similar.

[@xXTheoLinuxXx]

True, another fact is that 'Gewest Friesland' the first 'country' was to reconize the USA as an independent country.

[@jeffbenton6183]

@@xXTheoLinuxXx I thought it was Morocco?

[@ericheuvel7864]

Het schip ‘Jagersfontein’ was van het eerste, met de VS vanaf dat moment geallieerde land, dat op de Japanners begon terug te schieten in Pearl Harbor (1941). De banden zijn heel oud. John Adams kwam naar de Republiek voor leningen ivm de onafhankelijkheidsstrijd tegen de UK. Ik meen me een plaquette daarover te herinneren op de gevel van (het) Odeon in Amsterdam.

[@edwinmerks2567]

FYI Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence on paper of the Gerrevink papermill in Egmond aan den Hoef, NL. The first declarations were printed with watermarks Honig, Rogge and Blauw in Zaandam, a town north of Amsterdam.

[@jeffbenton6183]

@@xXTheoLinuxXx Interesting, I wonder what the US national monument in Morocco is about. I'll read your article, thanks.

[@edwinmerks2567]

Great video! A few remarks: In several old Dutch cities (like Doetinchem, Vlissingen, Arnhem, Deventer) the street name, close to the city walls are called Walstraat. It is quite common. This has nothing to do with Wallonië or the Waal river. The dollar (Dutch coin daalder) and the flag of New York are very Dutch as well. Martin van Buren from Old Kinderhook (OK) was a US president who spoke Dutch in the White House. There are 9 presidents with Dutch ancestors. The American schoolchildren read about the Mayflower, but unfortunately they seldom read about the fact that half on the people on board of the Mayflower have lived in Amsterdam and Leiden before moving with the ship the Speedwell from Rotterdam to Plymouth, the ship was not suitable enough for the long journey. They sold the ship and sailed with one ship (Mayflower) destination New Amsterdam to live in the Dutch colony. That didn't happen. A heavy storm during fall prevented they arrived in the Dutch colony. They landed in the middle of nowhere, the weather was too bad to continue their journey. There is no evidence they had a party with native Americans, but as result: Centuries later (thanks to this storm) most of us are chewing on turkey, during Thanksgiving. : ) BTW is it possible to have a replica of an old Dutch mill back at the corner of nowadays Battery Park, where it was once standing? : )

[@simonh6371]

The first US President who had been born in an independent USA (as opposed to being born before independence) was Martin van Buren. His first language was Dutch, he spoke English as a second language.

[@joemontano71]

Don’t forget about the illustrious industrialist, Cornelius Vanderbilt (Van der Bilt). Noted by Abraham Lincoln as “one of the nation’s most generous sons”.

[@RDLondon2023]

So interesting to watch as a Dutch person but also very good to know the Dutch heritage as an American!!

[@user-uu1nw1bl9j]

well thats not for you to decide

[@speerboom]

Waalstraat can also be named after a river. It’s a stretch of the River Rhine system and one of the most important waterways in the Netherlands nowadays.

[@alumpyhorse]

I was wondering that as well

[@orionide4032]

@@GeographyGeek Very important river for thousands of years. Romans settled in Nijmegen (Noviomagus).

[@edovandekraats1708]

Just checking is this was already mentioned. Also broadway is a direct translation from bredeweg, and was already a path from the indians. Crazy

[@abel6846]

Naam heeft niets te maken met de waal. Er liep een wal van aarde langs de grens van de kolonie.

[@speerboom]

@@abel6846 In de video wordt gezegd dat de Walstraat soms ook Waalstraat genoemd werd. Waarna hij de Belgische Walen aanhaalde. Wat gezien de naam Waalstraat dus ook de rivier had kunnen zijn. Blijkbaar is het dus niet 100% zeker dat het de Walstraat was, gezien de alternatieve spelling die er zo te zien ook was. Ik geef toe dat een Walstraat logischer is dan een Waalstraat (Belgen of rivier is om het even).

[@ifer1280]

Waal is also the name of one of the major rivers in the Netherlands. It is the largest distributary of the Rhine, which to this day is a important for trade.

[@rogerwilco2]

Yes, but a very unlikely source of the name Wall Street.

[@Caroline-us1hn]

@@rogerwilco2 Yeah but it might be Walstraat, since that is where the CityWall was...

[@JohnnyWortel]

@@rogerwilco2 I actually think waalstraat is a way more likely origin than walstraat, especially since there's no immediate water nearby which is what the 'wal' in walstraat would be referring to. An important street in a big city being named after the largest river in our country makes way more sense, the waal is just the Dutch part of the Rhine after all.

[@luciferfn]

@@JohnnyWortel I disagree with you (while i lived along the waal for a large part of my life). "wal" in dutch refers to an earthen defence against a lot of things. This may be water, but also enemies. So there does not need to be any water there for the word "wal" to be used. In this case, there was a "wal" along that street as a defence. And it is a very dutch tradition to name streets according to their use (eg. freely translated example like: school-street, church-street, market-street, large-street, named-after-the-place-it-leads-to-street). So while I ofcourse can not exclude the possibility that the street is named after the walloons or the river waal. I'd say odd are best that the street was just named after what ran along it; a wal. which, btw also works in english because what was on top of that wal; a wall....

[@ob1182Goldwing]

@@JohnnyWortel I think that if they found that river the most important one in the Netherlands they would spell the name of the river they're naming it after correctly. I don't think the Waal ever had a different spelling officially.

[@cseguin]

I find it kind of funny that people believe the Puritans left England for religious freedom . . . they didn't. They left because they wanted to be the ruling religious faction and the rest of England told them to bugger off because they were authoritarian with their beliefs. They left England because they couldn't be the one's who were the oppressors.

[@remkojerphanion4686]

Although I am Dutch myself, I know little about the history of Dutch and English settlement of the area now known as New York. Very interesting, thank you!

[@koobie83]

I’m Australian, but am descended from the Dutch who settled in New Amsterdam. I only found that out in the last couple of years. It may be worth looking into why many of the Dutch chose to fight for the Red Coats in the American revolution. When the lost, many of the Dutch descendants packed up and left the USA and moved to Canada. Early in your video you said the British agreed to protect them. This could be why they felt more loyal to Britain than to the US. They were granted land in Ontario, and were awarded with honorific titles (United Empire Loyalist - or UEL for short). So maybe this part of the Dutch history might be relevant to your future videos because many chose to fight against the Patriots and moved to Canada after the war.

[@koens2578]

Another fun fact: broadway translates to "breede(or brede) weg", which means "wide road" (also visible on the map as the widest road) in Dutch. It was once used by the indians as a connection road between their village and the hunting ground.

[@c.norbertneumann4986]

The Brodway was originally a beaten path across Manhattan.

[@stephanw7770]

The Declaration of Independence is dutch in origin too. Full on translation of Het plakkaat van verlatinghe

[@GeographyGeek]

As always, I apologize ahead of time for any mispronunciations. Correction - I said “Henry Hudson set sail to find the Northwest Passage” which is true but only after first looking for the Northeast passage. Ice caused him to turn around and head the other direction to look for the Northwest.

[@AudieHolland]

Your pronunciation of Stuyvesant, containing the Dutch 'ui' sound was pretty good. There's also an old tv series, "Cosmos," by Carl Sagan. If you look up *Carl Sagan Cosmos Holland,* there's more information about Dutch entrepeneurial and scientific spirit during the 17th century.

[@GeographyGeek]

Thank you! And I’ll check that out.

[@faramund9865]

Nah you said Willem Kieft quite well. We actually had a Dutch footballer called Wim Kieft. (Wim is short version of Willem)

[@prwtc]

Don't worry about it, Dutch is a rather difficult language.

[@MLWitteman]

Such a great video! The influence of Dutch culture & values certainly is underrated in the US school system. Perhaps another point often missed, are the travels of the Founding Fathers to the Dutch Republic. Many ideas found their way from the shores of the Low Lands to the New World. Like the Dutch version of the Declaration of Independence: The Act of Abjuration (1581).

[@nuclearrainz9457]

I learned some new things about my county. Awesome

[@henksteen5349]

They actually had a voting if they should talk dutch or english and on two votes it became english, can't imagine going to newyork and just speaking dutch

[@stg2543]

Haha

[@stefangrobbink7760]

Aan de ene kant zou dat best grappig zijn, maar aan de andere kant maakt het het bestaan van de Verenigde Staten een stuk lastiger, als in de meest invloedrijke stad een compleet andere taal gesproken wordt.

[@DarkDutch007]

it might have become its own language like Afrikaans after some time.

[@TonySlug]

Until the early 20st century there were still church services in Dutch language on the east coast.

[@amusesmouseion4654]

I suggest that all New Yorkers should learn Dutch on primairy school. LOL

[@danielvh5933]

Well you deserve much more subscribers. Love the video. Keep up the good work (and content)

[@GeographyGeek]

Thank you!

[@danielmasters5484]

Awesome. I’m looking forward to future videos on the Dutch Colony. Thank you!

[@dannyvanhove8420]

"Wal' is Dutch for a rampart forming part of the defensive boundary of a settlement. So it's more plausible that the street name was originally "De Wal straat". The other theory of Peter Minuit, the Belgian "Waal", is less plausible in my opinion. Although he bought Manhattan in 1626 and became the first Governor, as a Belgian he was too modest to name a street after him. However, there is still a Peter Minuit Plaza in Manhattan (South), which is not that far from Wall Street.

[@exetrius2918]

Yes, I also came here to collect some praise for my country. :) This video kind of blew my mind! The Dutch curriculum, iirc, also doesn't really connect New Amsterdam to the greater American story. It's beautiful to see how the culture of tolerance has been tested many times, but has always prevailed; despite the changes of flag and the passing of centuries. And see where that brought New York!

[@rfresa]

One thing this video didn't mention is the very obvious (and very Dutch) impact the people of New Amsterdam and their descendents had on the island of Manhattan itself. Just look how much bigger it is now than it was then!

[@BeLittleBeHumble]

Great vid! Hope that more people will be open to these historic events.

[@GeographyGeek]

Thank you! Hopefully so!

[@misterivo4141]

Great vid! well made and shown. As a Dutchman this makes me very proud! I have been in America too and New York! As a Dutchman it was nice to visit and it felt like home! keep up the good work, bro! Greetings from the Netherlands ;-) And i hope you can visit our Amsterdam soon ;-)

[@Hmm-iv6to]

Good and interesting video! Well done would love to see more.

[@GeographyGeek]

Thank you!

[@johnferdon6525]

Fascinating! Thank you for such a detailed video. My peoples rolled into New Amsterdam in 1680 , interesting to learn more about the area., there’s not much on the topic.

[@conorsimpson3525]

Superb video! Thanks!

[@imcavdb5465]

Ik wist het meeste, maar leuk om nog een keer te horen. 👍🏻🌷🇳🇱

[@Tervicz]

You forgot to mention the origin of the "Yankee's" which originates from New Amsterdam and some of its most prominent names: Jan and Kees.

[@GeographyGeek]

I may mention that in a future video I have planned. From the sources I read, the origin appeared to not be agreed upon but that was one possibility.

[@ezandman6804]

"Jan and Kees" or "Jannekes" I thought. Interesting topic. :-)

[@hermanhelmich]

Interesting fact. Thnx

[@FBI-Banzai7]

Dankje wel voor de leerzame video, nu weet ik dat ik nog trotser op mijn land kan zijn❤️🇳🇱

[@GettingToHeaven]

Very informative video. Thanks!

[@finnscheringa5415]

Very cool ! Thanks for sharing this topic. Greetings from the Dutch :)

[@wowt]

Moral of the story: Never tax beaver and beer.

[@GeographyGeek]

When people say “we study history so we don’t repeat the same mistakes” this is what they mean.

[@SpiritmanProductions]

Pause at 6:40 for a while and appreciate that incredible painting. So life-like, it's hard to believe it's not a photo! 🎨

[@judydoyle1124]

I believe that is a Len Tantillo painting. He does historical paintings after extensive research. Worth checking his extensive work!

[@scouth2429]

I’m sorry to say I did not know this about the Dutch and NYC. Glad I found this channel!

[@ELMS]

The algorithm just brought me to your channel. It’s terrific. Your videos are nice and concise. I’ve subscribed.

[@GeographyGeek]

Thank you! I’m happy you found me

[@freddeagostino4038]

Outstanding ! And as far as I'm concerned, "The Island at the Center of the World" should be required reading in the school curriculum.

[@gregorybrennan8539]

Great video. Thank you for your hard work. Note: Staten Island has several Dutch sructures so dose Queens all part of NY City.

[@jorgemora2436]

Amazing video

[@model101t800]

The painting @12.07 is actually onboard the Speedwell and not the Mayflower, in the background you can see Delft harbour, now a part of Rotterdam. I think many people thought they left from England. Lately I found out that the rivers I daily ride with my little recreational boat (the Vliet and the Schie) is actually called the pelgrim route (from Leiden to Delft Harbour)

[@BramWalraet]

"Wal" is more likely to come from "border" then the Walloon region in Belgium. De "Wallen" (pl) is etymologically linked to a hard border, often at the sea-side or a city. As in a "rempart" in French.

[@MrNoodlot]

That beverface at 0:33 is so hilarious.

[@BradyPostma]

I love _The Island at The Center of the World_ by Russell Sharto! I'm delighted to see it was one of your sources. There's a typo in your description, though. In the title of the book, you put "the World" twice.

[@GeographyGeek]

Oh thank you! Great book! I am currently reading his book on Amsterdam.

[@UrbanJerseyGuy]

Great video! I would say a mention of Castle Garden would have been more apt than Elis Island, but just a minor quibble.

[@GeographyGeek]

Thank you! Dang, you're right I should have mentioned it.

[@d3vkid]

Check the map at 15:24 at the bottom : the map is called "Novi Belgii", "New Belgium". At the time it stood for the fusion of current Belgium and the Netherlands.

[@bisschops99]

After some lookups: The map is from 1656-1684, (current day) Belgium was still part of the Netherlands at that point (and will be for the next 100+ years). With the south called "Belgica Regia" and the north "Belgica Foederata" (aka modern Netherlands). So looks like that word comes from there. Interesting!

[@rb109]

Excellent done! You forgot to mention that the Dutch had the first Financial Stock market with the VOC company. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange opened in 1602. Everybody could buy shares from the VOC. This way they could finance the Dutch East India Company.

[@chrislaarman7532]

I heard the Amsterdam stock market mentioned, and I think I recognized the building by Hendrick de Keyser. Coming to think of it, the invention of floating shares may have been an evolution rather than a revolution. You see, overseas trading had always brought great risks, so the merchants had developed the contract of "re(e)derij" (translates to "ship ownership", but not exactly): rather than putting all your eggs in one basket, they would take shares in each other's ships to spread their financial exposure. Floating this part-ownership meant that you could transfer it (and pawn it, I think) to someone you might not even know. - And yes, sailing to the Far East was riskier than trading around Europe.

[@dannyjones3840]

I grew up in the Bronx, and love NYC history! Thank you for another great video, and now I have to go to The Fraunces next time I visit

[@markusg6238]

There are several Dutch settlements all along the Hudson River. The original name of my hometown is a Dutch settlement called Fort Orange (Albany)

[@georgeharteman4083]

de Waal is a river in the Netherlands. Varik is a village at the bank of the Waal, this might explain the street name Varick Street and an extra argument why the river Waal is name giver to Wall street.

[@StefanVeenstra]

A “wal” is an earthen embankment often used as fortification around Dutch cities. It's pronounced similarly to the English word “wall”, which is probably why the double L stuck.

[@user-uu1nw1bl9j]

well yes he just explained that in the video thanks for pitching in though

[@StefanVeenstra]

@@user-uu1nw1bl9j Just adding that a wal and a wall, despite being similar in pronunciation, aren't the same thing. A wal is nothing more than a quay or dike, whereas a wall, or muur in Dutch, is the vertical structure of a building.

[@dekasplant]

@@StefanVeenstra .. or a "stadswal" (the origin of wal in walstraat) and thus a "wall". A vertical structure protecting the inside area from outside forces

[@edwinmerks2567]

There are several historical towns in Holland with the street name: Walstraat.

[@Wuppie62]

@@edwinmerks2567 In the Dutch city of Nijmegen there are the Eerste Walstraat, Tweede Walstraat and Derde Walstraat. They follow the old fortifications around the old city center. In Dutch we say "Een wal opwerpen", which means "To build a rampart".

[@iggysixx]

I'm from Amsterdam, born & raised. Didn't know about some of these things. You missed a couple obvious names, though; Harlem = Haarlem (the capital of North Holland province), a city 20km from Amsterdam. And Brooklyn = Breukelen, a city near Utrecht. And I think there's a lot of naming schemes that come from the Amsterdam area as well.. Like "naming places or roads for the thing that they are for"; Kerkstraat = church street, aka 'the road that leads to church'. Molenweg = mill road. Haarlemmerweg = Harlem road; 'the road to Haarlem' (that's actually a 4fold one. From the city centre, it's 'Harlem St, onto Harlem Dyke, onto Harlem square, through Harlem gate (where Amsterdam's city wall used to be), then onto Harlem road. And BOOM, 20 km later you're in Haarlem ;) Brouwersgracht = brewer's canal = where most beer brewer's + warehouses were. Westerstraat = west street Dam = dam. Damrak... 'Rak' = a straight bit of water for boats. 'De wallen' (red light district) = the walls. Middenweg = the middle road. Just like Wall Street is where New Amsterdam's city wall was, and Broadway is a 'broad way' = brede weg = wide road. Looking at London, a lot more streets are named after Christian saints and so on. While here in Amsterdam, we didn't take kindly to most organized religion. Focus was on trade, not religion (but what you do in your own home is your business). So most important names revolve around specific trades, market places, or where to find stuff (where can I find this trader / item, how do I get to Haarlem / Utrecht). Oude Kerk, Nieuwe Kerk, Noorderkerk, Zuiderkerk, Westerkerk = Old / New / North / South / West Church. (And if ya don't like it, the Gallows Field (Galgenveld) is over there... ;)) As you move away from Amsterdam to the East or South, it gets more religious, also in naming of streets.

[@dutchman7623]

Historically an INN is not a BAR. A village or town inn in the Netherlands was a place where: - officials and messengers would get a meal and stay the night - the Schout (head of police and local judge) would have his sessions on Tuesday - the local Council would meet on Thursday - the Tax collector would have his sessions - people with money or real estate would marry and sign their official contract - transactions of some importance would be made - last wills would be read and inheritance would be divided - etc. etc. All events were public and registered by the local Secretary, who would keep record of them in the archives. It was the community center before a dedicated village or town hall was build. And even after that for semi-official meetings and gatherings. The bus stop for the post coach, and coaches to other towns. Doesn't mean you couldn't have a beer or a good glass of wine, which became core business later on. Most inn keepers were brewers of their own beer as well, and sold wine from the barrel for home consumption.

[@mcjiprock]

As a Dutch person I can assure you our history holds a lot of information about how to and how to not do stuff. But I consider this a essential part of history. These “tiny” things made a huge impact on the also “tiny” population at the time. Those same people and impacts have shaped the main forms of the world as we know it today. Of course I wouldn’t be Dutch if I would t consider the Dutch influences mayor ;). So I do.

[@mcjiprock]

Also there is a part in Amsterdam called the Wallen what most likely is the origin of the name Wallstreet. This has to do with the word walls. Now I must admit I was not there to see it with my own eyes. But I would put my money on this option.

[@niconesta8566]

Ty as a Dutchman I always wondered, I only knew we traded it for Surinam which is always joked about as the worst deal we ever made. But it was part of a peace deal with England I now understand.

[@eldin0074]

At the time it was a pretty good deal, surinam had a lot of plantations, unfortunatly that was also the cause of the biggest stain on the Dutch republic, the slave trade. I always wonder what the course of history would have been if New Amsterdam had stayed Dutch...

[@TomSistermans]

@@eldin0074 probably would've been taken over by the English around the Napoleonic wars or bought by the US before or after

[@momsom321]

@@eldin0074 The time was also way different. Back then Holland had a king in power and there was alot of poverty which lead to alot of civilians dying from hunger and disease.

[@PeterJavi]

@@eldin0074 If the English had somehow decided to not give up the chance to conquer a very profitable city and trading port (which just never would have happened), it would have been given up before 1776. While the Netherlands certainly weren't poor or weak, they couldn't have ever held a proxy war. At that point in time it was far more profitable to focus on spice monopolies, which they did.

[@j.m.b.7449]

And here I live in the Netherlands near the unimpressive original Brooklyn (Breukelen) bridge. Very nice video ty

[@wplaat]

really nice video. Greetings from the Netherlands.

[@GeographyGeek]

Thank you!

[@GeographyGeek]

If you enjoyed this video I recommend the book “The Island at the Center of the World” by Russell Shorto. It was the biggest source of information for this video.

[@Paul_C]

You can find multiple books written by Shorto, not only 'The Island .....' but also Descartes' Bones, and Amsterdam. He now has a new book, more autobiographical, and in essence the fascination with the Dutch. You can find a few lectures online about the Dutch Republic, both cultural and political.

[@DenUitvreter]

I didn't read the book but I watched a lecture by him. I like the general idea but I got the feeling he is hampered by not being able to read Dutch sources, like the 'Grand Design' of the WIC, and reinterprets that through an American/British lens and later development of the WIC.

[@GeographyGeek]

@@Paul_C Amsterdam and Revolution Song are on my reading list.

[@wimvandijk6275]

One of my favorite history books, highly recommended!

[@inkydinkyism]

This is such a good chanel thanks man! We live in the Netherlands and my son can learn slot of this thanks!

[@jst4572]

As I NYer I think that if the Dutch kept the city and I was still alive today with the same family, how cool would it to likely be bilingual speaking Dutch and English?

[@gorgonzola8084]

You’re never to old to learn mate, never to old. Let’s start with a Dutch city name “Scheveningen” Mate, you’re still there ? Mate ?

[@captain_fork657]

Nice to see a video on New Amsterdam; my my first ancestors to arrive to the Americas did so in 1650, on Dutch Merchant Ships, to New Amsterdam. Some time after the British took the city from the Dutch for the final time, my ancestors created homesteads across Modern NY State. One of their later homesteads still survives as a museum today; the Terwilligear or Twilligear (Modern Spelling) house/homestead. (Correction; arrival in 1651)

[@chicks-on-the-loose]

Could have derived from Terwillige or Terwilligen > Terwilgen. The prefix 'ter' is Dutch/Flemish and means in, on or upon. Willige(n) could mean a place with many willow trees, as a willow is wilg in Dutch.

[@captain_fork657]

@@chicks-on-the-loose Interesting, my Dutch heritage is definitely one of the areas I haven’t taken time to look too deeply into, besides those first arrivals. A Dutch couple who lived at my grandparents retirement home when they were still alive would say “Terwilligear” instead of Twilligear.

[@chicks-on-the-loose]

@@captain_fork657 A thing immigrants would do - as you probably know - is name their new settlement after the place they came from. Hence Harlem, Brooklyn and what have you. There is a Terwilligen in Flanders.

[@df5295]

President Martin Van Buren was decended from Dutch settlers from upstate NY. I remember reading that he spoke Dutch. I think he was from a place called Kinderhook, NY. A lot of Dutch settled along the Hudson River and the Catskill mountains.

[@dutchman7623]

Henry Hudson wasn't send by the VOC to find the North-West passage but the North-East passage. But when they came to the North of Norway there was so much ice that the crew was afraid to get locked in by the ice in the Barentsz Sea, so Hudson decided to go West. His patrons were in fur trade, his ship, the Halve Maan, was a ship used for that trade on the East Sea to Russia. That is why finding high quality fur was so important. It could break the monopoly of the Moscovian Company. When New Amsterdam was granted city rights, this meant that the inhabitants (those who paid taxes) had representation rights. The governor wasn't in full power anymore over the city, but only about WIC affairs. The influence of the Dutch was not only in New Amsterdam but over New Netherlands that stretched far more land inwards. A 'wal' in Dutch doesn't translate into 'wall' in English. It means a low vertical barricade of wood or stone, with a dike of earth behind it that can resist canon balls. This low barricade at the foot prevents attackers from running up the artificial hill and stops heavy equipment to be dragged up.

[@GeographyGeek]

Oh shoot! I actually knew that and somehow missed the poor wording when going over the script. Thanks! I’ll add it in the description. I guess I’m going to have to learn Dutch because Google translate keeps failing me.

[@dutchman7623]

Your loyal followers will like to see your video's because they are very accurate, but sometimes need a small remark. 😉

[@tommarsdon5644]

Wait, but that third one, isn't that just a description of a wall?

[@dutchman7623]

@@tommarsdon5644 This is what it looked like: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jarVmXSubLV6p9k or this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/faiXaIava8ebaZY The earth works (sand/clay) and the small foot of wood or brick, together form a 'wal' in Dutch. They can absorb a canon ball without difficulty, a city wall would break and be blown away.

[@alumpyhorse]

@@GeographyGeek tip- something that works a lot better for me than Google translate is Deepl. It’s pretty amazing so far

[@mrpddnos]

Waal is also the name of a river in The Netherlands.

[@benjaminrush4443]

At the end of Brooklyn sits Fort Hamiton. Then you have the Verrazano Bridge which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn. There sits Fort Wardsworth. While in the service, US Army, I was stationed and attended military school at Hamilton & Wardsworth in 1971. I was told that there was an old Dutch Fort near the new bridge. Looked and saw some ancient construction that remained. Do you know anything about this structure? Thanks. I like your video.

[@mejuffrouwvandalen]

Very interesting!

[@maud3444]

Manhattan was bought by the third gouvernor, Peter Minuit who was actually a Belgian and not even Dutch. In the early days most settlers were Flemish or frenchspeaking Belgians who fled their country after the war with the Spanish. Minuit bought the island of what he thought were the locals, but they turned out to be just passing native Americans. He basicly just gave them gifts and they couldn't care less he wanted to set up a colony on Manhattan. Other tribes were living there. Also, the furs became a problem.. no one wanted to do any farming. Every settler went straight for the easy money: furs! This was one of the reasons the colony never got like really big, even after conquering New Sweden (which was also founded by that same Belgian, after he got replaced by the more famous Peter Stuyvesant and he got himself enlisted by the Swedes to get back at the Dutch who fired him). Pity New Amsterdam didn't stand the test of time :(

[@kellydalstok8900]

The Netherlands and Belgium were one nation until 1830.

[@MrGestell]

Slaperd nederland was belgie vroeger

[@AML2000]

@@kellydalstok8900 On the face of it, you are incorrect. What is now the Netherlands and Belgium started out as part of the Holy Roman Empire. This Empire was a loose collection of de facto independant principalities, and there were quite few in the low countries. Over time, these little countries came under the control of the Duke of Burgundy, but remained seperate entities. When the House of Burgundy died out, the area was taken over by the Hapsburgs who then acquired Spain through marriage. In the mid 16th century, the Spanish and Austrian branches of the Hapsburgs split, with the low countries going to Spain. After the Protestant areas revolted, and the southern part was reconquered by Spain, what is now Belgium became the Spanish Netherlands, seperate from the United Provinces in the north. When the Spanish Hapsburgs died out at the end of the 17th century, Austria acquired the southern part and it became the Austrian Netherlands. During this whole time, the Archbishopric of Liege remained an independant ecclesiastical state. After the mess of the Napoleonic Wars, the new Kingdom of the Netherlands was given the whole shebang. The future Belgians didn't like the arrangement and declared independance in 1830. So Belgium and the Netherlands were one country for only 15 years.

[@bertramkool]

De Waal is a dutch river. De Waalstraat refers to this river, it has nothing to do with wallonie (wich is in belgium).

[@weetikissa]

No, it was Walstraat as in Wall Street, where the city wall was.

[@fxmachina9072]

And might I add, Wallonië at the time was part of the lage landen (hapsburgse rijk) @bertramkool The kingdom of Belgium was founded in 1830.

[@YouthAmphia]

@@fxmachina9072 funny how today is independence day in belgium (independence from the dutch) plus as a dutch kid i’m on vacation in belgium

[@landamaika93]

No it s from the old castle's wall built bèy the dutch to defend the village, there is still the print of this dutch wall on the road in Manhattan somewhere

[@ggamergg666]

I've swom in de Waal.

[@youtuup]

Very nice video. Greetings from Amsterdam. 🖐️

[@GeographyGeek]

Thank you! Hopefully I can visit the original Amsterdam one day!

[@Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst]

We are busy people I can tell you that. I am proud of the works and history The Kingdom of The Netherlands has made over the past centuries.

[@redsampler2017]

das prima willem ga nu maar weer lekker op je griekse prive-strand zandkastelen bouwen en dijken en kanalen graven ;-)

[@Boris82]

@@redsampler2017 Das ook niet erg aardig he

[@redsampler2017]

@@Boris82 oh jawel hoor, maar willem moet af en toe ook gewoon lekker hobbyen en niet tijdens zijn vakantie ook nog eens bezig zijn met het landsbestuur en goodwill kweken, en dan ook nog eens op youtube reageren, neemt die man dan nooit rust.? dus gewoon weer lekker met je afstandbestuurbare boeing 737 verder spelen willem. wij nemen het zolang wel voor je waar. :-)

[@Boris82]

@@redsampler2017 Lol

[@specimensaudio5054]

Alleen was nederland een republiek niet een monarchie

[@godver555]

Im Dutch and I knew some small parts of this, but there is much here new to me and I really enjoyed this video!

[@GeographyGeek]

Thank you!

[@rigididiot]

In the remark about "Waal straat" or "Wal straat", it should be noted that "Waal" also is the name of one of the two major rivers in the Netherlands...

[@ErikvanRavenstein]

‘Wal’ in Dutch is also the dry land you walk on, looking from the sea. De beste stuurlui staan aan wal …. (Spectators always know better … or something like that ‘stuurlui’ being the people that are on the ‘wheel’ of a ship

[@robertewalt7789]

The Dutch influence continues in place names in NYC, nearby counties, and up the Hudson River.

[@robertewalt7789]

Many Dutch place names, including Brooklyn, Harlem, Spuyten Devil.

[@JustaGuy1250]

As a dutch person: You're welcome America

[@sloboat55]

Excellent

[@GeographRick]

Charleston, SC was also a religious tolerant city. It has the 2nd oldest synagogue in the US, a French Huguenot Church and many other Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Baptist When I went to school in the 1970s and 1980s. The New Amsterdam Colony was covered in our American History classes. I find it sad that some are leaving that important piece out. It was also pointed out in literature like Washington Irving's books, that includes Dutch characters.

[@TheMiscexpense]

Waal is actually a big river that runs through the southern part of the Netherlands

[@tyvamakes5226]

The Maas river

[@tiemegames8018]

Cool video

[@KMCDM]

Niet liegen!

[@mdbissen]

A good follow on video/study would be Nieuw Haarlem at the NE corner of Manhattan. Still some street patterns are present... Would begin to expand the story,

[@ecamp6360]

There are remnants of stone walls and foundations of the Stadt Huys, the fort, and early Stone Street. And, of course, of van der Donck's home in what is now Van Coetlandt Park in the Bronx. And most of the "influence" stuff is well laid out in Russell Shorto's book.

[@comdutch]

Brooklyn, like Manhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City. The name is an English corruption of the name of the Dutch city called ‘Breuckelen’ at that time. I wonder if many Americans know this: Brooklyn flag with the coat of arms on it still reads: "Eendraght maeckt maght" (Old Dutch for ‘unity is strength’) supporting the city's Dutch roots.

[@patrickverlinden71]

"They discovered natives that were willing to trade" That's the very beginning of the New York international trade markets.

[@keith3140]

I lived on John Street in lower Manhattan for 16 years. Great area! Old NYC so no street grid pattern. Tons of old names still exist and even some archeological sites

[@MrGreidie]

What I find funny is the outlining of the roads on the charts shown. They look so typical dutch. You start with a church and a marketplace than one draws circles and build the rest

[@blokkie6741]

Reading this commemt section, its like 90% dutch people speaking in english about some facts that only dutch people and people that study the netherlands would be mildly interested in. (Im dutch to), 8% americans interested in the origens of new york, And 2% people that are stoned a.f.

[@GeographyGeek]

😂

[@ageofconsent246]

I am from Indonesia and I interested in Dutch history

[@Daveys010]

The Dutch had such a big influence in the origins of the US. It’s a shame that when I go on vacation to the US and a local asks where I’m from, they have no clue which country I mean when I say that I’m from The Netherlands. I almost always have to explain that I’m from a little country in Europe

[@user-uu1nw1bl9j]

o no what a suffering

[@Daveys010]

@@user-uu1nw1bl9j o no what a childish comment

[@Erika1965]

I was 3 times in the US, and my experience is completely the opposite! Always there was a relative who had lived in the Netherlands, or they knew about tulips and wooden shoes. Or a young person would refer to weed... Also back then the tragic disaster of the planecrash in The Bijlmer was known. Only times one didn't know was because a lot of Americans don't travel anywhere, not even without there own state.... Just recently I learned that a lot of Americans believe the world outside the US is a dreadful place to go :-(

[@haechiwr]

Lol sad

[@s714s714]

My ancestry stretches back to the Dutch in New Amsterdam. Hendrick Rycken purchased land in Smith's Fly, nearest I can figure between the current Wall Street and the Brooklyn Bridge, which included an orchard and pasture land.

[@poepflater]

Cape of good hope's last street from the sea was also Waal street, it is still in Cape Town, today.

[@semmyd27]

There's actually a town in the Netherlands called Nieuw-Amsterdam (New Amsterdam). I was closeby at camping Buitenland last week.

[@Saartje_Xx]

Yes, I live a 10 min drive from Nieuw-Amsterdam

[@semmyd27]

@@Saartje_Xx Emmen?

[@billieboybuddha4238]

We Dutchies basically introduced "The American Dream"

[@nickdentoom1173]

We didn't introduce the American Dream, WE ARE THE AMERICAN DREAM.

[@michielderuyter6011]

4:14 we also have a river de Waal. Harlem was Haarlem, the city i was born. The Dollar was originally a Daalder what centuries long was 1,50 Guilder

[@Herman6507]

In older Dutch cities there are also streets named "Walstraat" which translates to "Wallstreet" and refer to a similar location next to a city wall.