The current flag of the state of New York was introduced on 2nd of April in 1901. It is a single-coloured blue bunting with the state coat of arms in the centre. The coat of arms was created in 1777 and used on the flag of a New York regiment during the War of Independence. In 1778, the coat of arms was adopted for the State of New York. It shows a shield with a landscape on it, the Hudson River with two sailing ships and a rising sun that promises a glorious future. The holders of the shield (supporters) are the goddesses of freedom and justice. Above the shield is a globe and on it an eagle, the heraldic animal of the USA. Below the shield is a white banner with the national motto: "Excelsior" → "Ever Upward". A state flag had already been introduced on 8th of April in 1896. Apart from a few details, it had the same design as today, except that the colour of the bunting was yellow-brown instead of today's dark blue. The colour of the flag was intended to be reminiscent of the colour of the uniforms of the Continental Army in the War of Independence, as yellow-brown was assigned by George Washington for the lapels on the uniforms of the troops from New York and New Jersey. The unusual colour of the flag is called "buff" in English. This means "yellow-brown" or "leather-coloured". The colour was not particularly popular in New York, however, as blue flags were preferred, as they were common in the military and were flown by the Union armies during the Civil War. The current blue flag was introduced just five years later. On 3rd of April in 2020, the coat of arms and thus the flag were slightly modified. In the banner with the state motto, the motto of the USA "E Pluribus Unum" was added as a second motto under the previous "Excelsior".
In the state flags of Delaware and New Jersey as well as in the former state flags of New York (1896–1901) and Maine (1901–1909), the colour is described as "leather-coloured" or "buff". This colour is now standardised in United Kingdom and in the USA as "Pantone 465". Nevertheless, the colour tone varies greatly in practice because the colour tone of the leather is determined by the species, breed, sex, age and health of the animal. The Anglo-American buff colour is based on the colour of the doublet worn by the light cavalry – the arquebusiers of the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War – Oliver Cromwell's "The Ironsides". This is recorded in reports as a "yellowish mustard colour". The light militia cavalry of Massachusetts (Massachusetts Militia Light Horse) brought exactly this "buff" with them to the New World. In England and then United Kingdom, the 3rd Regiment of Line Infantry wore leather clothing and cartridge pouches made of untreated coloured leather with their red uniform coat, rather than the usual white. It also wore "buff" as its insignia colour. The nickname and then official nickname of the regiment was "The Buffs". As commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, George Washington wore the uniform he had previously worn, that of an officer of the independent militia company of Fairfax County/Virginia: dark blue coat, badge, waistcoat and trousers in "buff". This became – at least in theory – the prescribed dress colour for American generals during the War of Independence. The Continental infantry regiments of the New York and New Jersey line wore "buff" as the insignia colour on the blue uniform coat for at least two years – an ideal that only applied to a minority. At least half of the Continental Army wore the hunting shirt or civilian hunting textile skirts, at least temporarily. The Maine and Delaware militia preferred to wear buff-coloured waistcoats and trousers. The 14th Continental Infantry Regiment (Massachusetts line) wore buff-coloured uniform skirts. It consisted mainly of bargemen, fishermen and sailors. It enabled the Continental Army to cross the Delaware, which was followed by the Battle of Trenton. The well-known painting "Washington Crosses the Delaware" shows a false US flag, namely the "Betsy Ross" flag. The correct flag would have been the "Grand Union" flag with the small "Union Jack" in the upper corner. Contemporary colour illustrations, paintings and descriptions show a number of buff variations: beige / mustard / yellowish / light, medium and dark beige / light, medium and dark brown, through to dull white. In addition to the leather colour "buff", there is also the textile colour "buff" made from plant dyes, combined with the same variety of colours. In the US Civil War it was called "butternut". The badge colour and the colour of the sashes for Confederate generals was "buff" (as the colour of George Washington, so to speak), but the majority of them preferred a dull white. This "grey-white" of the Confederate army is still referred to today not simply as "grey", but as "gray", and it includes shades from almost white to black-grey.
1623 · today's New Jersey is part of New Netherlands
1626 · the in the service of Holland acting German merchant Peter Minnewit buys Manhattan from the Indians
1626 · founding of New Amsterdam (now New York)
March 1638 · the Swedes found Fort Christiana, today's Wilmington
1653 · New Amsterdam receives its municipal rights
1655 · the Dutch conquer New Sweden, and incorporate it as New Amstel into their colony New Netherlands
1664 · the English conquer New Netherland, New Amsterdam (1.500 inhabitants) renamed to New York, establishment of the Colony of New York, New Jersey is sold
1667 · Peace of Breda, the Netherlands waive its claims in New Netherlands in favor of England and receive Suriname in return
1673 · New York has 2.500 residents
1673 · a Dutch squadron captures the city of New York again
1674 · England conqueres New York back, the Netherlands cede the city officially in the Peace of Westminster
1683 · first legislative Assembly of the Colony
1688 · expulsion of the Stuarts from the English throne
1688–1689 · New York is part of the Dominion of New England
1765 · riots, burning of the image of the governor and of the Stamp Act
1775–1783 · Independence War, the colonies against United Kingdom: 1776 British troops conquer New York, 1783 the British leave the city
4th of July 1776 · declaration of Independence (USA), New York is one of the 13 founding colonies
10th of July 1776 · proclamation of the State of New York
1777 · Kingston is capital, Hurley is capital, Poughkeepsie is capital
The city of "New York" was founded in 1622 as "New Amsterdam" but was conquered by the English in 1664. The King of England transferred the city to his brother, the Duke of York (later King James II), and the city was renamed New York. The name "Manhattan" (a district of New York) comes from the vocabulary of the Native Americans. The word "Mana Hata" translates as "place of drunkenness", and obviously describes some irregularities in the conclusion of the land purchase agreement. Two other current neighbourhoods were given their names by the Dutch and derive their names from cities in the Netherlands: Harlem and Hoboken.
