Colonial New York City Quotes

“Hamilton struck back with a part 2 of his well-received pamphlet. In The Farmer Refuted, with a rather tongue-in-cheek flair to his words, Hamilton advised Seabury to study up on the “law of nature.” He went on to suggest that he hit up his local library and look up the works of celebrated jurists and philosophers, “Grotius, Puffendorf, Locke, Montesquieu, and Burlemaqui.” In an effort to denounce Seabury's credibility, he stated, “The fundamental source of all your errors, sophisms, and false reasonings, is a total ignorance of the natural rights of mankind.” Pivoting to his readers, Hamilton, once again, illustrated the pitfalls of arbitrary rule. He reminded them that they should only have to answer to God, nature, and a government founded on its own 2 feet – by the people, for the people.”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“April of 1744, Nancy, one of the company's boats docked in the New York harbor was held hostage by the Sons of Liberty, a secret society formed to fight the British power. Though the cowering captain promised he would not sell his tea in New York, the political bandits went ahead and destroyed all of his inventory anyway. The Sons of Liberty were not about to back down, and they made sure this was known. They issued a declaration entitled “Association of the Sons of Liberty in New York,” labeling those who supported the policy “an enemy to the liberties of America.” In a span of few weeks, almost all of the company's merchants had submitted their resignations”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“The diseased flesh fragments were then pocketed and brought along to their next targets and home villages, causing the spread of diseases twice-fold. The terrible event was immortalized in James Fenimore Cooper's celebrated novel, The Last of the Mohicans. The French and Indian Wars wound down in 1763, following the signing of the Treaties of Hubertusburg and Paris. The French were forced to give up Louisianan and Canadian territories, which were obtained by the Spanish.”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“The atrocities committed against the Native Americans of North America are evident in stark statistics provided by the United to End Genocide, the largest activist organization operating in the United States today. When the first European explorers set foot in North America in the 15th century, an estimated 10 million or so natives inhabited the vast terrain. 5 centuries later, that number had plummeted to 300,000.”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“At the same time, it is important to remember that there were whites who strongly opposed the idea of slavery. A Quaker minister reportedly lamented, “Slave holding depraves the mind, with as great certainty that cold congeals water.” Lamentably, these voices went unheard.”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“As New York continued to advertise itself as a model safe haven for religious tolerance, the variety of religion amplified. New York was now home to thousands of Dutch Calvinists, Roman Catholics, Jews, German Pietists, Baptists, Quakers, Presbyterians, Unitarians, Methodists, and a slew of other faiths.”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“By 1699, the constantly growing community had become overcrowded. And so, the fort at De Waal Straat was taken down and paved with a fresh road. From then on, it was simply known as “Wall Street,” and some of the fort’s rubble was used to build a new City Hall. The area the fort once stood on would later give birth to the New York Stock Exchange.”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“With James's blessings, Governor Nicolls established the Duke of York's Laws, which were put into effect in 1665. The guidelines, which were compiled in alphabetical order, gave detailed insight into how every aspect of the community was to be run. These laws dictated church laws, jury selection, and arrest processes, as well as a list of bounties, fines, and criminal sentences. A church spacious enough to accommodate 200 was to be built in every community. Church ministers were to be thoroughly vetted before employment. They were expected to perform regular Sunday services and mandatory prayers for the royal family, as well as all colonies under English rule.”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“The new government kicked off their own brand of reformations, and the process of change started with the renaming and reorganization of the previously Dutch-owned boroughs. Breuckelen was now “Brooklyn.” Heer Straat was now “Broadway.” The fertile flat lands surrounding Brooklyn were now to be called “King's County.” The patch of land north of King's County was now known as “Queens,” which fondly paid tribute to Queen Catherine.”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“Not surprisingly, it didn’t take the English long to make changes; 2 days after Stuyvesant's surrender, New Amsterdam was once again blessed with a new name. This massive territory was now to be called “New York.” The now crown-owned region traced its borders around present-day New Jersey, Delaware, Vermont, and included portions of Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. The name paid homage to James II, the Duke of York and soon-to-be King of England.”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“In its diverse makeup, New Amsterdam had resembled Old Amsterdam, which was a city renowned for its tolerance of different religions, but Stuyvesant’s hard-nosed Calvinism made him intolerant of other religions; he attempted to outlaw all but his own, and to expel Jews who arrived in the 1650s. The West India Company, however, forced him to reverse his decree: the Company was interested in harvesting the wealth and services such new immigrants could provide.”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“According to a Jesuit priest who passed through in 1643, New Amsterdam had speakers of no fewer than 18 different languages, and half of the population of New Netherland may have been non-Dutch.  Along with the previously mentioned Walloons, many residents were Germans and French Huguenots, and a fair number were Scandinavians.  Around the mid-17th century, the first Jews arrived in New Amsterdam from Brazil, becoming the earliest Jews in any of the colonies that would go on to become states in the United States.  The 1639 map shows an encampment on Manhattan for black slaves, and, after mid-century, the numbers of slaves greatly increased as ships brought more to the colony directly from Africa.  New York would subsequently have the largest urban population of African-Americans in the northern English colonies.”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“Thus, war broke out again in August 1643, this time including previously uninvolved Indians: the Wappingers, who were closely related to the Lenni-Lenape and lived along the eastern side of the Hudson River.  The initial violent act came when Wappingers attacked a boat laden with beaver furs coming down the river from Ft. Orange and made off with the furs after killing two of the crewmen.  Other Indians attacked other boats on the river, resulting in deaths on both sides.  In September, the Indians on Long Island attacked farms and killed settlers there, after which terrified colonists fled to New Amsterdam or took ship back to Europe. It was during this time that a wall was built across lower Manhattan, and it ended up lending its name to Wall Street.”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution

“By 1640, the Dutch had spread out from Manhattan and established new settlements on Staten Island, Long Island, and in the Bronx, which was named for Jonas Bronck after he settled there in 1639. They also settled in what is now Westchester County”
― Charles River Editors, Colonial New York City: The History of the City under British Control before the American Revolution