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The eastern seaboard of North America was a patchwork of European colonies in the middle of the 17th century, long before the United States was created. Although our historical narrative is frequently dominated by British settlements, two lesser-known powers—New Netherland and New Sweden—once controlled portions of what would eventually become New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.
Netherlands: Dutch Aspirations in the New World
With its center at New Amsterdam (present-day New York City), the New Netherland, which was established in 1624 by the Dutch West India Company, spanned the Hudson River. As seasoned traders and seafarers, the Dutch saw a chance to establish a presence in North America for both agriculture and fur trading.
New Amsterdam rapidly developed into a multicultural community. About 800 people lived there by 1650, including Walloons, free and enslaved Africans, Dutch colonists, and people from other European countries. The town gained notoriety for its multicultural environment and religious tolerance.
The colonists founded farms along the Hudson Valley, traded furs with Native American tribes, and created a prosperous merchant class. Because of its advantageous location, New Amsterdam was an essential port that allowed trade between Europe and the interior of North America.
New Sweden: A Nordic Outpost
In 1638, the Swedes established their own colony at the mouth of the Delaware River. The young Swedish Queen Christina inspired the name of the settlement’s principal outpost, Fort Christina (now Wilmington, Delaware).
With a population that never topped 400, New Sweden was smaller than its neighbor, the Netherlands. The majority of the colonists were Swedes and Finns, who introduced their unique method of building log cabins, which would subsequently become popular throughout the American frontier.
The Swedish colonists concentrated on growing tobacco and trading furs. Additionally, they brought the log cabin, a housing design that would come to symbolize American frontier life, to North America.
The Colonies’ Destiny
These two colonies didn’t last very long as separate legal entities. Under Peter Stuyvesant’s leadership, the Dutch subjugated New Sweden in 1655 and merged it with New Netherland. Dutch rule, though, was also short-lived. After taking control of New Netherland in 1664, the English renamed it New York in honor of the Duke of York.
Durable Legacy
Both colonies made significant contributions to American history and culture despite their brief existence:
Linguistic influence: Dutch words like “cookie,” “boss,” and “coleslaw” made their way into American English. Swedish place names, such as “Swedesboro,” are still in use today.
Architectural legacy: Some areas of New York and New Jersey still feature Dutch colonial architecture. The Swedes invented the log cabin, which came to represent American frontier life.
Cultural diversity: The diverse society that America would become was modeled after the multicultural foundations established by these colonies.
Legal ideas: Freehold land ownership was brought to North America by the Dutch.
You might see glimmers of this sometimes-overlooked period of American history today as you stroll through lower Manhattan or stop by historic sites in Delaware. This was a time when the continent’s future was far from certain and Dutch and Swedish voices coexisted with English in the New World’s forests and expanding settlements.
