New Netherland Day

 

Four centuries ago, the place name New Netherland appeared for the first time in a resolution concerning trading licenses between New France and Virginia. On October 11, 1614 the States General of the United Netherlands chartered the New Netherland Company with “the right to resort to or cause to be frequented” the territory in America extending on the north from the present-day boundary separating New York State and the Province of Quebec (45º north latitude) southward to what is now northern New Jersey (40º north latitude). “What did this really mean?,” I asked Charly. His reply “After Hudson returned with accounts of a new source of furs, competing cartels sent ships to the area to trade for this valuable commodity. However, as profit margins were squeezed by competition, the States General established a monopoly called the New Netherland Company. This put an end to aggressive behavior and allowed investors to profit on an equal basis.”
 
Thus, New Netherland came into existence six years before the signing of the Mayflower Compact and the establishment of the Plymouth colony and seven years after Jamestown. In 1990, NNI member George Damiano succeeded in getting an annual commemoration of New Netherland. On 25 July 1990, Governor Mario M. Cuomo signed the bill into law designatingOctober 11thof each year as New Netherland Day—and the rest is history. Celebrate!
 
Marilyn Douglas

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

 

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