The Dutch and English on the Hudson: A Chronicle of Colonial New York

Chronicles of America #7

by Maud Wilder Goodwin

Sea commerce at this time had so far outstripped a naval power adequate to protect it that piracy grew more and more profitable, and many a respected sea merchant held private stock in some more than dubious sea venture. -from "Privateers and Pirates" First published in 1919, this now-classic history chronicles the settlement and early life of what would become the greatest city in the world, from the first European traders and settlers to the civic life of the colony in the 18th century. In vivid, dramatic prose, Goodwin . Henry Hudson's arrival in New York harbor . the Dutch West India Company's early charter in the New World . the government of the burghers, and the first English governors . the brutal treatment of Negro slaves in the burgeoning city . the waves of immigration that saw surges in the city's population . and much more. MAUD WILDER GOODWIN (1856-1935) wrote extensively on American history, including The Colonial Cavalier, Or Southern Life Before the Revolution (1895), White A Romance of Bacon's Rebellion, Virginia, 1676 (1897), Historic New York (1899), and Sir A Romance of a Maryland Manor in 1644 (1901).

Genres: History

500 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1918

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of this history was covered in the New York school system but not to the depth and clarity of this book. I came away not liking Peter Stuyvesant and finally understood what the Zenger Trial was all about. A short book butthe author gave a good feel for political life was like in that time frame - a real roller coaster ride for the early settlers of New York.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in 1919, it is interesting to read a perspective from that time, on such things as Indians and slavery. A short book, it often contradicts itself (for example, reports that the early colony was flourishing are followed on the next page by statements that colony was losing money) and has no unifying theme. It did state some facts about the world in the 1700s that I didn’t know.

[Clayton P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pace of this seventh volume of the Chronicles series is vastly slowed from that of the previous volumes in that it serves to explain the foundation and development of only one New World colony: New York. That being said, however, the pace is still enough to cover the Dutch settlement on the island, the many transfers to and from English rule, the politics behind the movements and the daily lives of the inhabitants, leaving off just before the colony itself delves into its third transformation to American possession. Rather than the modernity that we expect to fill the pages of a history of New York, it is within these pages that we are informed of the humble beginnings of the Empire State, a colony like any other yet unique in many aspects; the history in these pages is a true kind of prehistory to the civilization that rose into the great power that it has become today.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting capture of history during the acquisition of New York. The language is very early 20th century, which makes it even more interesting.