For the Ages: A History Podcast

Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America

The New York Historical Season 4 Episode 14

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0:00 | 32:03

Seeking to wrest control of New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, the English King Charles II and his brother, the Duke of York, appointed Richard Nicolls to lead a flotilla to conquer Manhattan Island. Nicolls, with a blend of might and diplomatic tact, would make the integration of Dutch colonists a vital part of his takeover, birthing what was in many ways the blueprint of the modern city. Russell Shorto joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss New York’s origins and how a period of 17th-century imperial conflict and diplomacy between the British and the Dutch shaped the city we know today. 

Recorded on February 21, 2025