logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
36m 56s

New Amsterdam

History Hit
About this episode

Before New York was New York, it was New Amsterdam. Dutch colonists arrived on the East Coast in the early 17th century, creating the New Netherlands. At its heart was a settlement on the tip of the island of Manhattan, centred on the fur trade. Russell Shorto tells Don how New Amsterdam became integral to all trade between Europe and the New World, becoming a version of the multicultural melting pot that is the (renamed) city today.


Produced by Benjie Guy. Mixed by Joseph Knight. Senior Producer: Charlotte Long.


For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.


If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Rise & Fall of the Aztec Empire
What made the Aztecs one of the most sophisticated empires of their age? How widespread was human sacrifice? And what brought about their fall from power?Our guest today is Dr. Camilla Townsend, author of Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs, to talk us through the rise of the ... Show More
1h 4m
Oct 29
The Jersey Devil Uncovered
Have you ever heard of the Jersey Devil? A creature with bat-like wings, horse's hooves and hellish horns that stalks the New Jersey Pine Barrens, terrorising humans and killing livestock.According to legend, one cold New Jersey night in 1735, a woman in labour with her 13th chil ... Show More
48m 24s
Oct 26
Salem Witch Trials
It all started with two young girls and three accused women. It ended with more than 200 accused, 20 executed and the name Salem forever connected with another word: witch.Don is joined by Professor Mikki Brock from Washington and Lee University to find out what really happened i ... Show More
53m 37s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2025
The Birth of New York City
<p>Exactly 400 years ago, the Dutch West India Company built Fort Amsterdam on the southern tip of Manhattan island, a beacon of power and resilience against threats from Europeans and Indigenous Americans. But how did things change when England invaded in 1664?</p><br><p>Profess ... Show More
44m 38s
Oct 2019
Dutch Manhattan - New York | 6
In the years after Adrian Van der Donck won a municipal charter for New Amsterdam, and under Peter Stuyvesant's stern but capable rule, the city flourished. Even English residents of New England and Virginia sent their goods to Europe via the future New York Harbor, because the D ... Show More
37m 42s
Sep 2019
Dutch Manhattan - Buying Manhattan | 2
Twelve years after Henry Hudson's 1609 trip charting the Hudson River, the Dutch used his voyage as the basis for a new colony, which would be wedged between the English colonies in New England and Virginia. New Netherland began with tiny numbers of people from different backgrou ... Show More
35m 39s
Jul 2023
351: Amsterdam: Miracles, Money, and Mud (Part 1)
A city built on water, Amsterdam has often set the tone of European modernity. It first gained prominence as a miraculous centre for pilgrimage, and then stood out for its relationship with the Reformation, and for its role in the birth of modern capitalism. Join Tom and Dominic ... Show More
41m 11s
Sep 2019
Dutch Manhattan - Henry Hudson’s Big Mistake | 1
In 1609, a headstrong English sea captain named Henry Hudson set out on behalf of the Dutch East India Company to find a trade route to Asia — and promptly found himself and his crew stranded in icy waters off the coast of Norway. As supplies dwindled, Hudson announced to his fro ... Show More
35m 13s
Nov 2023
Amsterdam
In our series exploring the sights and stories of Europe’s most fascinating historic cities, Russell Shorto explores the Dutch capital famed as a centre for trade, art and pleasures of the flesh In episode four of our series exploring the sights and stories of Europe’s most fasc ... Show More
35m 12s
Sep 2019
Dutch Manhattan - The Sheriff Comes to Town | 4
Just as it was becoming a New World success story, disaster came to New Amsterdam. Willem Kieft, the Dutch leader appointed by the West India Trading Company, declared war on local tribes, sending soldiers to slaughter them in their villages. The tribes responded with waves of de ... Show More
37m 32s
Apr 2025
How the English took Manhattan
How did the English take Manhattan from the Dutch in the 17th century without firing a single shot? Speaking to Elinor Evans, historian Russell Shorto explains a many-layered colonial history, including pragmatic deals, personal rivalries, and ideological divides, that led to the ... Show More
44m 5s
Jul 2023
352: Amsterdam: Kings, Canals, and Coffee Houses (Part 2)
A city which played a fundamental role in the Dutch Golden Age and in the birth of the Dutch monarchy, Amsterdam has also stood in the avant-garde of European liberalism since the Second World War. Join Tom and Dominic on the second part of our walking tour through Amsterdam, as ... Show More
55m 34s