I feel that in 1674 New Amsterdam became lucky when Peter Stuyvesant came there way. He was a Director General who came to reform New Amsterdam. The city was heading in the wrong direction and there was no form of authority or anyone with the knowledge or experience to actually pick things up.
When he arrived everything was out of shape and things were basically going downhill due to a war that occurred between them and the Indians. The streets and buildings were poorly established, the city lacked successful trade and the people were becoming corrupt. Stuyvesant shaped history by coming to New Amsterdam and making a difference. He built the first pier on Schreyer’s Hook and a Latin school. Bridges were also constructed along the canal. Due to him and his provisions the city would soon begin to flourish. He even decided to hold a meeting to come up with defense tactics. A defense barrier was than built around the city. This information on Stuyvesant was from Homberger, “The Historical Atlas.”