“Sex and the City: The Early Years” looks at the bawdy world of Dutch New York from 1624 to 1664. Through anecdotes of real people and events, the talk examines the rather libertine culture Europeans brought to the Hudson Valley and how that culture engendered an independent streak that fueled a rebellion of the common people against their rulers. This conflict, many historians argue, laid the foundation for the pluralistic, freedom-loving society that America became.

Bill Greer has spent much of his working life in the heart of New Amsterdam.  He was a trustee of the New Netherland Institute from 2008 to 2015 and received the Institute’s Howard G. Hageman award for his contributions to launch the New Netherland Research Center in the New York State Library. His novel of New Amsterdam, The Mevrouw Who Saved Manhattan, paints a real and humorous portrait of Dutch life on the Hudson through the eyes of a sharp-tongued bride who comes among the first settlers.

$10 general admission
$9 for for seniors, students, members, and members of the armed service