Birth of a City: From New Amsterdam to New York

🚢 History wasn’t just written—it was negotiated. And in 1664, the fate of a small but thriving colony on Manhattan Island changed forever.

I recently spoke with historian and author Russell Shorto, whose new book, Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America, pulls back the curtain on the overlooked moment when New Amsterdam became New York—not through bloody battle, but through bold negotiation.

This story isn’t just about the Dutch and English. It’s about Indigenous displacement, the early seeds of American capitalism, and the founding contradictions that still echo today—from religious tolerance to racial injustice. What happens when a multicultural, multiethnic, profit-driven colony suddenly comes under new ownership?

Russell’s research, drawing from newly translated Dutch documents, challenges the narrative most of us were taught. And for those of us 50 and over—who lived through civil rights movements, global realignments, and reckonings of our own—it’s a timely reminder that the past is never settled.

🎙️ Listen to our full conversation on The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Series. If you think you know how Manhattan became the “capital of the world,” think again.

👉 Hear the episode at: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3FAbebT #HistoryMatters #NotOldBetter #RussellShorto #TakingManhattan #SmithsonianAssociates