New York City notes

New Amsterdam

Early settlers only wanted to trade furs, expecting to be fed and housed by the West India Company
The Company turned to Puritan settlers to start farms (“patroonships”) and bring families
Administration was inept or corrupt. Many were fired for losing money or stealing
The Company hired Walloons, English, French, Irish, Swedish, Danish, German, and other workers
Slaves could own land, testify in court, bear arms, and attend church
Some slaves received “half-freedom” to run their own farms later in life
Intercourse with “heathens, blacks, or other persons” was banned
Liquor sales rivaled fur sales in the early city. Most crimes were the result of drunkenness and a majority male population
The female minority was described as “utterly chaste and shamefully promiscuous” and “exceedingly addicted to whoring”
Leaders allowed in settlers from more restrictive Puritan towns in Massachusetts, as well as Quakers

Lenapes

Disease and settlers depleted the Lenape people by 90 percent
Mohawks and Mahicans took advantage of the weak Lenape, demanding wampum for tribute
Pequot War (1637): New England colonies took control of wampum production on Long Island
Dutch and New England forces wiped out almost all Lenapes by 1645 by raiding villages
Meanwhile, the Dutch faced competition from Spain and Portugal, putting pressure on profits