Peter Stuyvesant, the Last Dutch Governor of New Amsterdam

This book was a valuable resource in my study of New Amsterdam. However, this version, a reprint, does not come with any capital letters. It took a few minutes to adjust to, but the material was so interesting that my annoyance quickly faded. I emailed Amazon to ask if the book I had was an aberration, but I was told they were all like this. I likely would not have bought this book had I known about the issue with no capital letters, but it was so good, I'm glad I didn't know in advance.

This is an invaluable resource for history. Using primary source documents the author thoroughly lays out the history of New York covering the transition between Dutch and English rule.

As a native New Yorker who grew up next to Corlears Hook Park in the Lower East Side, I never realized how much history wad around me. Narrative description puts the reader at every location and turn of events. Must read for anyone hungry for new york history.

I thought this book might prove to be a bit boring but was pleasantly surprised. It was interesting, detailed and informative.

Petrus Stuyvesant (born 1612, in Peperga (Friesland), died 1672) served as the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was turned over to the English in 1664. He was a major figure in the early history of New York City.Stuyvesant's accomplishment as director-general included a great expansion for the settlement of New Amsterdam (later renamed New York) beyond the southern tip of Manhattan. Among the projects built by Stuyvesant's administration were the protective wall on Wall Street, the canal which became Broad Street, and Broadway.Stuyvesant and his family were large land owners in the northeastern portion of New Amsterdam, and the Stuyvesant name is currently associated with the Stuyvesant Town housing complex and Stuyvesant High School (where he is fondly known as "Pegleg Pete" and the football team is called the Peglegs in his honor), among other locations. This farm, called the "Bouwerie" (the seventeenth-century Dutch word for farm, which was also used for other farms in New Netherland) was the source for the name of the Manhattan street Bowery, and the chapel facing Bouwerie's long approach road (now Stuyvesant Street) developed into St. Mark's in the Bowery. Stuyvesant's grand official residence at the very tip of Manhattan was renamed "Whitehall" by the English and survives in another New York street name, Whitehall Street.As director-general, Stuyvesant and his council took several measures concerning religion in New Netherland. Convinced that religious plurality would endanger the stability of the young colonial society, director general and council sought to bolster the position of the Dutch Reformed Church by trying to restrict freedom of worship of several groups among the colonists, such as Jews, Lutherans, and Quakers. The directors of the West India Company of Amsterdam, Stuyvesant's superiors, overruled him, and mitigated some of the harsh measures that Director General and Council had taken. It is with great irony that in 1904 Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, which was at the time of its founding a predominantly Jewish school for boys, was named after him.These and many other fascinating facts about this pioneer of New York can be found in this engaging history book!

The title is a bit misleading as this book gives a complete account of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, not just the era when Peter Stuyvesant was governor. The book begins with Henry Hudson sailing up what was then the North River, continues with the early colonists including Peter Minuit, spends a lot of time with the Stuyvesant reign, and then ends up with the beginnings of the English colony. A very thorough and well-researched account of the early days of New York. The author does a great job comparing what was happening in New Amsterdam with what was taking place in the surrounding English colonies. The author also makes a valid point that what New York eventually turned into has much more to do with its Dutch roots than its English ones. An excellent book about a period in NY history that does not always get the attention it rightly should.

Invaluable information for anyone doing research on early American history and even Caribbean history since Stuyvesant was the Dutch West Indies' man in the Caribbean as well. Although this is a scholarly piece, it makes for interesting reading as well. New York City is vastly different from other areas of America, and if you read Abbott's work, you will find out how its early Dutch influence shaped the city it is today. It's also fun to find out where the names associated with New York came from -- including Wall Street.

I found myself hopelessly lost in this book. Too many names, too much information being thrown at me. I think if this book had been turned into a documentary I would have followed it better.

Wasn't sure what to expect when I decided to read this book but it kept my interest from the very first page and I enjoyed the reality of the characters involved. Interesting account of the discovery of North America and the subsequent displacement of the North American Indian population.

It is great to read Dutch history from a new angle.It was a great read and could hardly put it down.

The typography of this edition of this book is so atrocious that it oughtn't to be available for sale. it is "not fit for purpose", that is, for reading. Font size is tiny. Chapter headings are produced in the same font size as the body of the text and embedded in the text. A very carelessly produced book