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Article: Dutch West India Company
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
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DUTCH WEST INDIA COMPANY
DUTCH WEST INDIA COMPANY.
The Dutch West India Company was organized by Dutch merchants and chartered by the States General on 3 June 1621. The charter conferred considerable political and commercial powers on the company, including monopolistic trading privileges in parts of Africa, the West Indies, America, and Australia, as well as the rights to make alliances with the natives, build forts, and plant colonies. The company planted settlements at Fort Orange (1624) and Manhattan Island (1625), forming the colony of New Netherland. The director and council of New Netherland acted on the company's ...