Upon his arrival, Peter Stuyvesant set to repair the mistakes of the previous governor, William Kieft. He established a ruling council (a group of people in charge of making decisions), and improved the court/legal system. He also attempted to restore order by making the rules for trading stricter.
A picture of New Amsterdam and the harbor.
Stuyvesant
performed his job with strong leadership. He became known as "Stubborn
Pete," who had a bad temper. During his role as governor, Peter faced
many challenges with the burghers of New Amsterdam. Burghers is another
word for citizens. They wanted to be active in the government's decisions
and laws. Also, he did not promote religious tolerance and refused numerous
proposals by the citizens for religious freedom. The Dutch Reformed Church
was the only religion he recognized.
A picture of the Dutch and Native Americans trading.
