The competition. Other ethnic groups resided in the same lower Manhattan area.

Peter Minuit B. Wesel, Germany 1580

D. West Germany 1638

"Bought" Manhattan from Native Americans in 1626, trading

60 guilders worth of beads, cloth and ornaments with the Lenape Indians.

Worked for the Dutch Government as an Administrator . Helped establish

trade routes into the territory which would become New Netherlands-

present day NY and NJ.

Historians later detailed or reconstructed the event. The purchase they

said involved 300 Native Americans referred to in documents as "Manhatessen"

people. The Native American may not have been aware that they were actually selling

land to the Dutch, who Peter Minuit represented and only wanted to trade goods. Eventually

according to some historians, the Natives were forced out, and relocated to what became The

Bronx. The legend is that Manhattan was purchased by Peter Minuit for $24.00 worth of goods.

Kleindeutschland/ Little Germany

This area of Manhattan developed in the 1840's became a major community in the United States.

In 1860's Germans in NYC numbered more than two hundred thousand, accounting for more

one quarter of the city's population and made up the first large immigrant community in America

that spoke a foreign language.

Stanley Nadel-Little Germany: Ethnicity, Religion and Class

The Encyclopedia of New York City

John Peter Zenger Trial Of John Peter Zenger

B.1691 Implingen, Germany The trial involved the right of freedom of the press. Peter Zenger published his NY

D.1746 NYC, USA which was critical of the British colonial government authorities. He was arrested and jailed for this

"offense" by Royal Governor William Cosby. P. Zenger's trial in 1734, became an history land mark in

the country's fight for independence. When his Attny., Alexander Hamilton successfully comprised

the jury of fellow colonist (instead of members loyal to the Crown) Peter Zenger was found not

guilty of libel. The Jurist concluded his Journal stated the truth. The results of the Zenger trial

represented a drive towards freedom of the press and was a major step for independence from

Great Britain.

Lesson Summary

In 1626, Peter Minuit, an administrator representing the Dutch government, traded goods worth 60 guilders with the Lenape Indians to obtain Manhattan, which eventually led to the establishment of trade routes into the territory that would become New Netherlands, present-day New York and New Jersey. Later historical reconstructions revealed that the Native Americans, referred to as the "Manhatessen" people, may not have been fully aware they were selling land, believing they were engaging in a simple goods exchange.

During the 1840s, Little Germany (Kleindeutschland) in Manhattan emerged as a significant community, with Germans in New York City numbering over 200,000 by the 1860s, constituting a sizable immigrant group that spoke a foreign language. This community was a crucial facet of the country's melting pot and played a significant role in shaping American society.

John Peter Zenger, born in 1691 in Germany, was involved in a landmark trial in 1734 that emphasized freedom of the press. Zenger, critical of the British colonial authorities in his newspaper, was arrested and accused of libel. Successfully defended by Alexander Hamilton, Zenger's trial, wherein the jury comprised fellow colonists rather than Crown loyalists, marked a significant stride towards press freedom and independence from Great Britain.