Directors of New Netherland facts for kids

New Netherland was a Dutch province in North America during the 1600s. It was controlled by the Dutch West India Company, a powerful trading company from the Dutch Republic (which is now the Netherlands). The leaders of this province were called Directors. The last and most famous leader was Peter Stuyvesant, who had the special title of Director General.

As the colony grew, groups of citizens formed advisory boards like the Twelve Men, Eight Men, and Nine Men. These groups helped influence the Directors and the way the province was run.

New Netherland included areas that are now parts of the US states of New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. There were also small settlements in what is now Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. The capital city, New Amsterdam, later became New York. This happened when the Dutch temporarily gave control of the colony to the English in June 1665.

The Dutch did get New Netherland back for a short time. From August 1673 to November 1674, the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands was in charge. During this time, Anthony Colve was appointed as the first Dutch governor.

Leaders of New Netherland

Early Directors (1624–1664)

Here are the people who led New Netherland for the Dutch West India Company:

Picture	Director or Director-General	Started job	Left job	Important things they did
	Cornelius Jacobsen May (lived in the 1600s)	1624	1625	Explored important bays and rivers like Delaware Bay and the Hudson River. Set up a main base on Nut Island and other small forts. Cape May in New Jersey is named after him.
	Willem Verhulst (or van der Hulst) (lived in the 1600s)	1625	1626	Started building Fort Amsterdam on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. He wasn't very popular with the settlers and was quickly replaced.
	Peter Minuit (1580–1638)	1626	1631	Famously bought the island of Manhattan from Native Americans in 1626. He paid with goods worth about 60 Dutch guilders.
	Sebastiaen Jansen Krol (1595–1674)	1632	1633
	Wouter van Twiller (1606–1654)	1633	1638	He used his family connections to get the job. Bought Nut Island (later Governor's Island) from the Canarsee tribe for a few tools and beads. The colony lost its claim to the Connecticut River valley to English settlers. He stopped settlers from Virginia who tried to move into the Delaware River valley.
	Willem Kieft (1597–1647)	1638	1647	Tried to force out the Lenape tribe, which led to a conflict known as Kieft's War. The Dutch West India Company removed him from his position in 1647. He died at sea while sailing back to Amsterdam.
	Peter Stuyvesant (around 1612–1672)	1647	1664	Approved the founding of towns like Communipaw and Bergen (now Jersey City). New Amsterdam and other areas were attacked by the Munsee tribe during the short Peach War in 1655. He won the Esopus Wars against the Lenape and Esopus tribes. He had to give up New Netherland to the English. He was also the Director of Curaçao from 1642 to 1664.

Dutch Rule Returns (1673–1674)

In 1673, during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch managed to take back New Amsterdam. The English had renamed it "New York." A Dutch naval officer named Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest and Captain Anthony Colve led this effort. Evertsen renamed the city "New Orange."

Evertsen went back to the Netherlands in July 1674. He was criticized for not following his instructions, which were to capture other English colonies instead of New Amsterdam. In 1674, the Dutch had to give New Amsterdam back to the English. This was part of the Second Treaty of Westminster, a peace agreement.

See also

• Joris Andringa
• Johan Björnsson Printz
• List of colonial governors of Delaware
• List of colonial governors of New Jersey
• List of colonial governors of New York
• Dutch colonization of the Americas
• List of mayors of New York City
• History of New York City
• New Amsterdam judicial system