About this episode

Russell Shorto discusses the historical significance of New York's origins as New Amsterdam and its impact on American identity.

Before New York was New York, it was New Amsterdam, a Dutch colony built on pluralism, capitalism, and a radical idea that tolerance could be a competitive advantage. Russell Shorto joins me on Open Book to tell the story of how a bloodless standoff in 1664 didn't just transfer a city from one empire to another, it set the genetic code for everything New York, and really America, would become. Russell Shorto is the best-selling author of eight books, including Smalltime, Revolution Song, Amsterdam, and The Island at the Center of the World. He is the director of the New Amsterdam Project at the New York Historical Society and a senior scholar at the New Netherland Institute. Russell's latest book, Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America is a must-read. I love his book The Island at the Center of the World and believe it's a must-read. Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on…

People in this episode

Host: Anthony Scaramucci

Guest: Russell Shorto

Topics covered

• New York history
• pluralism
• capitalism
• tolerance
• American identity
• Russell Shorto's works

Keywords

• New York
• New Amsterdam
• Russell Shorto
• history
• tolerance
• capitalism
• pluralism
• American identity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Historical Society, New Netherland Institute

Books & works: Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America, The Island at the Center of the World, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump

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