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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

New Netherland: The Early Years

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the early years of the New Netherlands colony.  In this Social Studies instructional activity, students role play from the perspective of the Dutch West India Company, the settlers and the native population.
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Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: New Netherland and Maryland

For Students 9th - 10th
Hired by the Dutch East India Company, Henry Hudson in 1609 explored the area around what is now New York City and the river that bears his name, to a point probably north of present-day Albany, New York. Subsequent Dutch voyages laid...
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Handout
University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame: The New Netherland Colony

For Students 9th - 10th
After a fairly detailed introduction of Dutch history, this site gives in-depth information about the founding of the colony of New Netherlands and the Dutch West India Company. It discusses the political, social, and economic aspects of...
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Website
Other

New Netherland Institute: Virtual Tour of New Netherland

For Students 9th - 10th
A comprehensive site on the colonization of New Netherland by the Dutch. Find maps, pictures, and artifacts on this interesting tour.
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Website
Other

New Netherland Institute: What Was New Netherland?

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides a detailed history of New Netherland. Looks at why it was founded, where settlers came from, how they reached there, why they came, their homes, occupations, possessions, diet, childhood, school, play, and what eventually...
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Activity
Other

New York Public Library: Early New York [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
A teacher package explaining how to use the included primary resources with students. Questions and writing prompts accompany original images of early New York, Henry Hudson's experiences, colonial leaders, and people who lived in New...
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Lesson Plan
Other

Museum of the City of New York: Life in New Amsterdam Educator Resource Guide

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This page has a collection of downloadable lessons on New Amsterdam and New Netherland. The lessons look at native people, trade, slavery, religion, people, families, and children. They incorporate many primary source materials...
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Article
Other

Adriaen Block, the Discovery of Long Island Sound and the New Netherlands Colony

For Students 9th - 10th
An interesting and comprehensive essay on Adriaen Block, the development of New Netherlands, Dutch trade, and the impact of the Little Ice Age in Europe on fur trade in North America.
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Society: A History of Trade in New York City

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
A lesson based on the New York City seal that explores the trading relationship between the Dutch and Native Americans in New Amsterdam.
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Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

C3 Teachers: Inquiries: Manhattan Purchase

For Teachers 4th
A comprehensive learning module on the purchase of Manhattan that includes three supporting questions accompanied by formative tasks and source materials, followed by a summative performance task. Students examine why the Dutch wanted...
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Website
Other

New Amsterdam History Center

For Students 9th - 10th
A rich source of information about New Amsterdam. Includes history, lesson plans, a 3D tour of a digitally reconstructed New Amsterdam, resource links, and historical narratives. On the lesson page, there is also a 'Dutch History' link...
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Graphic
Other

State University of New York at Stony Brook: New York State Historical Maps

For Students 9th - 10th
Historical maps of New York and descriptions of each map.
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Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Dutch New Netherland

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection uses primary sources to explore the Dutch colony of New Netherland.
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Website
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: The First Dutch Settlers

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the Dutch colonization of the Hudson River Valley in this comprehensive essay about the Dutch in America. Pages 3-7 deal with the Dutch colonies.
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Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: New Netherland and Maryland

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out about Dutch exploration and settlement in the area explored by Henry Hudson. Scrolling through will take you to information about New Netherland and the settling of New Sweden which later became Maryland.
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Activity
Curated OER

National Park Service: Early Dutch Colonies

For Students 9th - 10th
Information about Dutch colonization in America. There is mention of Peter Minuit and Peter Stuyvesant.
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Activity
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: u.s. & the Netherlands

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource is an overview of the relationship of the Dutch West India Company and the settling of New Netherlands under the "patroon" system, which brought many Dutch colonists to the New World.
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eBook
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: The Towns of New Netherland

For Students 9th - 10th
Essay on the growth and development of towns settled by the Dutch in and around present day New York City. The author provides interesting details about leaders and landmarks.
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eBook
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: The End of New Netherland

For Students 9th - 10th
Essay on the fight between Dutch and British colonial powers over New Amsterdam which eventually resulted in British dominance and the renaming of New Netherland to New York.
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eBook
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: The Dutch in British America

For Students 9th - 10th
Essay on the plight of New Netherland Dutch colonists in the one hundred years after the British took control of Dutch colonies in America.
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Middle Colonies: New York

For Students 9th - 10th
Despite the title of this article, it discusses the settlement of New Netherland by the Dutch and explains the reasons for the settlement, and why settlers were not attracted to the area.
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Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: New Netherland

For Students 9th - 10th
This article looks at the discovery and colonization of New Netherlands by the Dutch in 1609 and 1626 respectively.
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Handout
Other

New Netherland Institute: New Amsterdam Kitchen: Domestic Life in New Netherland

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides information about the foods eaten by settlers in New Amsterdam and how they prepared it. Describes the different utensils and dishes that were used for cooking and for food consumption.
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Primary
Other

New Netherland Institute: Early Descriptions of New Netherland

For Students 9th - 10th
Excerpts from Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664, published in 1909, and available for free from Google Books. The first excerpt is from a 1644 account of Henry Hudson's descriptions of the new land he saw on his 1609 voyage. The...