Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can’t say
People just liked it better that way
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam.....Would’ve screwed up the song..”NEW Amsterdam, New Amsterdam,I long to be a part of you...”
Because the British defeated the Dutch.
“Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can’t say
People just liked it better that way”
The Dutch held most of the coastal areas of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut and Delaware (known as New Netherland) in the early colonial period.
Being more intent on trade rather than colonisation of land area they kept their posts small and coastal. The town of New Amsterdam was the biggest on the north American continent because of the size of the bay.
The English took New Amsterdam in an invasion in 1664 led by the Duke of York at the request of King Charles II.
The Dutch retook New Amsterdam in the Third Dutch-Anglo war in 1673 but gave it up by treaty in 1674. The Dutch thought keeping Suriname was a better deal. Boy were they wrong!
Anyway, the English renamed New Amsterdam to New York for the Duke of York, the leader of the invasion and new owner of the conquered territory.