Big Apple History . Early New York . Peter Stuyvesant


	"Peter Stuyvesant and the Cobbler"

By 1640, New Amsterdam was spiraling into chaos and corruption. Recent leaders only made matters worse by polluting local government with fraud and by starting wars with the once-friendly Native Americans. The fledgling colony desperately needed help.

The West India Company appointed Peter Stuyvesant (STY-ve-sent) as the new director general. Stuyvesant was the ideal candidate for the job of taming a wild frontier town. He was fearless, strong willed, and disciplined. He also had experience as the acting governor of other West India Company bases in the Caribbean.

Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam in 1647. With a silver-tipped peg leg, a large sword, and a dark mustache -- he was an intimidating sight. Stuyvesant's right leg had to be amputated after being crushed by a cannonball during a battle with the Spanish three years earlier.

When he arrived, Stuyvesant told the colonists, "I shall govern you as a father his children." He established order through strict new laws. Taverns and brothels were all closed, and everyone had to attend church. All large animals had to be fenced in. If a pig wandered near the fort, soldiers were instructed to shoot it. Stuyvesant also tried to right some wrongs against the Indians. For instance, he insisted that Indians be paid properly for their services.

Illustration: "Peter Stuyvesant and the Cobbler," courtesy of the Berg Collection of English and American Literature, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.