New York began as a Dutch trading post. True False?

Yes. This is true. The city was first called Nieuw-Amsterdam ("new-amsterdam" in english). But the dutch trade it to Brittain so they give them Suriname (a country in Latin-America).

If you go to the old part of the city you find some dutch quotes and names on the Buildings and monuments. And a lot if things are named after there Dutch orgin (Like Harlem is also a city in the Netherlands).