The Articles of Capitulation on the Reduction of New Netherland was a document of

surrender Surrender may refer to: * Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy * Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power Film and television * ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...

signed on September 29, 1664 handing control of the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

's colonial province

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...

to the Kingdom of England. Director-General

Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Net ...

conceded two days later to the

capture of New Amsterdam Capture may refer to: *Asteroid capture, a phenomenon in which an asteroid enters a stable orbit around another body *Capture, a software for lighting design, documentation and visualisation *"Capture" a song by Simon Townshend *Capture (band), an ...

Richard Nicolls Richard Nicolls (sometimes written as Nichols, 1624 – 28 May 1672) was the first English colonial governor of New York province. Early life Nicolls was born in 1624 in Ampthill in Bedfordshire, England. He was the son of Francis Nicolls (1 ...

, who would become the first Governor of the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...

. The lead negotiator for the Dutch side was Stuyvesant's lawyer

Johannes de Decker Johannes De Decker (1626 - Unknown) was a Dutch lawyer and colonial official. He was one of the six signers of the articles of capitulation of New Amsterdam to the English on September 6, 1664. De Decker was sent to work as a lawyer for Peter Stuyv ...

. Negotiated at

Stuyvesant Farm Stuyvesant Farm, also known as the Great Bowery, was the estate of Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Netherland, as well as his predecessors and later his familial descendants. The land was at first designat ...

, the articles of surrender were signed by De Decker on an English ship in the harbor. De Decker negotiated the articles of surrender which included many legal rights and freedoms for residents of the province, as a sort of

bill of rights A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pri ...

. Many of these legal rights were later included in the Declaration of Independence and the American constitution. There were 12 signatories: six representing the English and New England colonies and six representing the Council of New Netherland, the West India Company and New Netherlanders. The terms were mostly adhered to by the English in the remainder of the

conquest of New Netherland The conquest of New Netherland occurred in 1664 as an English expedition led by Richard Nicolls that arrived in New York Harbor effected a peaceful capture of New Amsterdam, and the Articles of Surrender of New Netherland were agreed. The conquest ...

, with the notable exception of the mistreatment of Dutch prisoners of war at

New Amstel New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 5,285. History New Castl ...

Signatories

English side: * Sir Robert Carr (officer) *George Cartwright (officer) *

John Winthrop John Winthrop (January 12, 1587/88 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led t ...

(

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

) * Samuel Willys, (

) *Thomas Clarke (

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

) * John Pincheon (

) Dutch side: *

(Council of New Netherland) *

Nicholas Verleet Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and its ...

(Council of New Netherland) *Samuel Megapolensis (Council of New Netherland) *

Cornelius Steenwyk Cornelius Steenwyck
Long Island Wills and Death Notes, 1708-1728. (born Cornelis Jacobsz Steenwijck; March 16, ...

(

burgomaster Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...

) * Oloff Stevense van Cortlandt (

) *Jaams Cousseau (

schepen A schepen (Dutch; . ') or échevin (French) or Schöffe (German) is a municipal officer in Belgium and formerly the Netherlands. It has been replaced by the ' in the Netherlands (a municipal executive). In modern Belgium, the ''schepen'' or ''éch ...

Text

References

{{reflist

External links

The surrender of New Netherland, 1664: A Spotlight on a Primary Source by Richard Nicholls
Gilder Lehrman Collection

*https://www.wdl.org/en/item/4062/view/1/1/ Dutch 1664 works Anglo-Dutch Wars Documents of New Netherland Thirteen Colonies documents Surrenders

Signatories

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See also

References

External links