For Students

Want to explore New Netherland on your own? Here's how.

From the New Netherland Institute and the New Netherland Research Center

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Digital Exhibitions

In NNI's Digital Exhibitions you can meet the people who made New Netherland home, wander the places they roamed, open a window into their lives through artifacts they left behind, and learn about their world through letters they wrote, maps they drew and more.

 

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Books for Young Adults

These books paint a portrait of New Netherland, from a nutshell history that you can finish in a sitting to a graphic novel that takes you on an adventure to the Mohawks in 1634. In between is a bestselling history that captures all the conflict and drama of the Dutch colony and a first-hand account of what the Dutch discovered in this "beautiful and fruitful land."

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Dutch Treats

Ever wonder how much Dutchmen paid for Manhattan? Or imagine a white whale swimming a hundred miles up the Hudson River? Or picture a 17th Dutchman as a party animal? You will after tasting these bite-size morsels of New Netherland & the Dutch World.

 

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The Netherlands and Scandinavia in North America

A pictorial timeline exploring key events from the arrival of the Norsemen to the departure of the Dutch.

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Wampum making with Arthur Kirmss

Known as wampum or sewant, these tubular shell beads came to serve as a medium of exchange among Europeans and Indians in colonial North America. Rather than silver coins, the Dutch typically used wampum to purchase not only beaver pelts from Indians but also real property and goods from other settlers. To learn more about wampum and see how it was made, watch this video by Arthur Kirmss.

 

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Fun Reads for Children

From a time-traveling adventure to the tale of a Dutch boy who longs to go to sea, these entertaining stories and histories will introduce elementary and middle school readers to New Netherland.

 


More Fun around the Web

Virtual New Amsterdam Project from the New Amsterdam History Center
Walk down Manhattan's Stone Street in 1660 with this 3D re-creation of New Amsterdam in Google Earth. The online view now available is a video which takes you into homes, gardens and taverns and introduces you to people on the street.

1609: An Online Exhibition from the New York State Museum
A celebration for the quadricentennial of Henry Hudson's arrival featuring a virtual gallery tour, videos with Charles Gehring, Len Tantillo & others, and a quiz to test your knowledge.

Mevrouw's Manhattan: A Walking Tour
The remnants of New Amsterdam are written in the streetscape of lower Manhattan. Follow this tour from Bill Greer, author of the novel The Mevrouw Who Saved Manhattan, either online or on foot, with block by block stories of places and people from the Dutch era.

Dutch New York, A Game from the Dimenna Children's Museum of the New York Historical Society
Hear stories of life in New Amsterdam and win points as a History Detective.

 

 

About the New Netherland Institute

For over three decades, NNI has helped cast light on America's Dutch roots. In 2010, it partnered with the New York State Office of Cultural Education to establish the New Netherland Research Center, with matching funds from the State of the Netherlands. NNI is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. More

The New Netherland Research Center

Housed in the New York State Library, the NNRC offers students, educators, scholars and researchers a vast collection of early documents and reference works on America's Dutch era. More

 

Subscribe Now

Subscribe to NNI's  e-Marcurius and DAG to receive information about New Netherland-related events, activities, conferences, and research.

 

Support NNI

By supporting NNI you help increase awareness of the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland and its legacy in America.