[RightWhale]

The first Yankees were the Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam so named by the British who stole the city by force; after a while the term shifted to the British themselve when the city was renamed New York. A term of derogation from the beginning, the application has spread far beyond new York.

[nolu chan]

The first Yankees were the Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam so named by the British who stole the city by force....

Of course, the Dutch stole it from the Indians. While we are discussing myths and fairy tales, the one about buying Manhattan for 24 dollars worth of wampum deserves a dishonorable mention.

In addition to New Amsterdam, the city was New Orange for a time when ownership passed back and forth between the Dutch and the British. Way back then, NYC only referred to a little spit of land in lower Manhattan south of Wall Street. Wall Street got its name from the wall that stood there to keep out the invading hordes.