The Reformed Church in America has been known by a bewildering variety of names during its long history. When first established on American soil by Dutch settlers in 1628, it was commonly called the Hervormde Kerk, or Reformed Church, after the mother church in Holland. With the fall of New Netherland to England in 1664, it became popular to refer to American religious groups by their ethnic origins, such as the English Church, the Scottish Church, the Dutch Church, and so forth. Following ecclesiastical independence from the Hervormde Kerk in 1772 and the outbreak of the American Revolution a few years later, the Dutch Church was known by several new names. Another dimension was added to the confusion in 1819 when General Synod became incorporated by act of the New York state legislature under the title: The General Synod of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church. Although the denomination was henceforth officially known as the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, inconsistencies in names continued to be displayed for many years in both the minutes of General Synod and in the constitutions of the denomination. Despite the variety of names being used, it was only the word Dutch that caused considerable concern. From 1840, when General Synod first began debating the question of a name change, until 1867, when the controversial term was finally dropped by ecclesiastical action, arguments and counter-arguments were hurled back and forth. The views expressed were frequently bitter and seriously disturbed the peace and harmony of the church.