Today in History: Manhattan Island

Today in History: Manhattan Island

Today in History–May 4–the Library of Congress features Manhattan Island. On this date in 1626, Dutch colonist Peter Minuit arrived on the wooded island at the behest of the Dutch West India Company. Minuit later “purchased” the island from resident Algonquin Indians for the equivalent of $24.  The town of New Amsterdam, located at the southern end of the island,…