Dutch-Americans
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A Dutch-American is an inhabitant of the United States with full or partial Dutch ancestry. The Dutch were one of the earliest Europeans who made their way to the New World. In 1614 the first Dutch settlers arrived and founded a number of villages and a town called Nieuw Amsterdam on the East Coast, the latter would become the future world metropolis of New York. According to the 2000 United States Census, more than 5 million Americans claim total or partial Dutch heritage.[1] Today the majority of the Dutch-Americans live in California, New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
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[edit] Dutch presence in North America
[edit] Early exploration
In 1602, Dutch government chartered the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC) with the mission of exploring for a passage to the Indies and claiming any unchartered territories for the Dutch Republic.
The first Dutchmen to come to the America were explorers under the command of the English captain Henry Hudson who arrived in 1609 and mapped what is now known as the Hudson River on the ship De Halve Maen. Their initial goal was to find an alternative route to Asia, but they found good farmland and plenty of wildlife instead.
[edit] Oldest Dutch settlement
The earliest Dutch settlement was built around 1613, it consisted of a number of small huts built by the crew of the "Tijger" (Tiger) a Dutch ship under the command of Captain Adriaen Block which had caught fire while sailing on the Hudson in the winter of 1613. The ship was lost and Block and his crew establish a camp ashore. In the spring Block and his men did some explorations along the coast of Long Island. Block Island still bears his name. Finally they were sighted by another Dutch ship and the settlement was abbandoned. [2]
[edit] First permanent settlement
In 1614, Fort Nassau was built where present day Albany, New York is. In 1624, Fort Nassau was replaced by Fort Orange, becoming one of the first permanent European settlements in what later became the United States (6 years before the Mayflower would bring the Pilgrim Fathers to the new continent) and the first permanent Dutch settlement in North America, although it almost completely consisted of soldiers. One year later, Fort Amsterdam was built on Manhattan Island. The next year, the Dutch purchased the island from the local Indians for 60 guilders, the equivalent of $24.
On March 31, 1624 a ship carrying settlers left the Netherlands. The ship, called "Nieuw Nederland", carried thirty families aboard who were going to cultivate the land overseas. It was the first Dutch emigrant ship, and these were the first Dutch immigrants bound for North America. By this time there were about 1,500 Dutch settlers in America.
[edit] 17th century migration
In 1629 Dutch officials tried to expand the northern colony through a plan which promised `Liberties and Exemptions' to anyone who would ship 50 colonists to America at his own expense. If a person did this he would be allowed buy a stretch of land along the Hudson from the Dutch West India Company of about 12 miles, extending as far inland as the owner wanted. These landowners were called "Patroons" and had complete jurisdiction over his domain as well as extensive trading privileges. They also received these rights in perpetuity for himself and his heirs. In this way a form of feudalism, which had vanished in the Dutch Republic, was introduced in North America. The Patroonships were not a succes and by 1635, the Dutch West India Company had bought back four of the 5 patroonships originally registered in Amsterdam.
The Indians were, at this time, no longer consulted or offered/asked to sell their lands and the Dutch were confronted with a new phenomenon: Indian raids. As the local tribes had now realized that the Dutch were not simply visitors but people set to take over their land.
The Dutch realized that they had gone with the wrong approach as they offered great priviliges to wealthy citizen instead of the poor ones. It was not until 1656 that the Dutch state abandoned its passivity and decided to actively support New Netherland. The Dutch state issued a proclamation which stated that "all mechanics and farmers who can prove their ability to earn a living here shall receive free passage for themselves, their wives and children".
The result of all this was an increase in population from an estimated 2,000 in 1648 to 10,000 in 1660. Although the New Netherlands were Dutch, only about half the settlers were ethnically Dutch (the other half consisted mainly of Walloons and French huguenots) and Manhattan grew increasingly multicultural. The rural areas, however, remained overwhelmingly Dutch for over two centuries. In 1664, the English seized the colony and renamed it New York. The Dutch briefly recaptured the colony, but during peace talks decided to trade it for the Surinam in South America which they considered more profitable.
[edit] 18th and 19th century migration
In the 100 years of British rule that followed the change of ownership of New Netherland, Dutch immigration to America came to an almost complete standstill.
The only major group of organized settlers after the British take-over were a colony of 200 Dutchmen and women who founded what is now Germantown, in the year 1683.
Most of these settlers were Quakers who had come over in response to the appeal of William Penn. Penn, a Dutch-American himself, had paid three visits to the Netherlands, where he published several pamphlets. Germantown is now generally thought to be of German origin, but it remained almost exclusively Dutch until the beginning of the eighteenth century. Only then did German immigration gain momentum, and soon dominated the area.
During the early 19th century, when large numbers of Dutch farmers, forced by high taxes and low wages, started immigrating to America. They mainly settled down in the Midwest, especially Michigan, Illinois and Iowa. In the 1840s Calvinist immigrants desiring more religious freedom immigrated. Large numbers of Dutch people immigrated to form communities in Wisconsin beginning a pattern of emigration to northeast Wisconsin that would last until the early twentieth century.
[edit] 20th century migration
By 1900, the number of U.S. residents born in the Netherlands exceeded 105,000. Of these, over 50,000 were in Michigan, about 22,000 in Illinois, and 10,000 in Iowa. In the next decade, all these settlements grew, thanks to the arrival of another 30,000 immigrants, and, of course, the growing numbers of American-born children and grandchildren. It also is estimated that, by 1927, as many as 40,000 Dutch people had immigrated to northeast Wisconsin.
After 1917, the forces of Americanisation proved irresistible, as the youth spoke English, but relished their Edam cheese, banquet, rusks, rye bread, and currant bread, washed down with cold water. Even today, the Dutch language can occasionally be heard and several Dutch-founded communities still hold heritage events, such as Tulip Festivals and the Kermis.
The period 1929-1945 saw little immigration of Dutch people to the United States, the Great Depression greatly lowered the chances of employment and during World War II the Netherlands were occupied by Nazi-Germany. After the war there was a wave of emigration, which lasted until the late 60s.
[edit] Dutch (American) influence on America
- The distinction of Germantown and of its settlers is the declaration which was issued there on February 18, 1688. In it the leading local (Dutch) citizens put themselves on record as protesting against slavery. That statement was the first of its kind in America.
- During the American war of Independance the Dutch were active allies of the American rebels. From the island of Saint Eustatius they gave the Thirteen colonies one of the few opportunities to aquire arms. In 1778 British Lord Stormont claimed in parliament that 'if Sint Eustatius had sunk into the sea three years before, the United Kingdom would already have dealt with George Washington'.
- The Dutch were the first to salute the flag, and therefore acknowledge the independance of, the United States on 16 November 1776.
- In 1626 Peter Minuit obtained the island of Manhattan from the Indians in exchange for goods with a total value of 60 guilders ($24). He established the town of New Amsterdam, the future New York. The names of some other settlements that were established still exist today as buroughs of New York: Harlem (Haarlem) and Brooklyn (Breukelen).
- 3 American presidents were of Dutch decent:
- Martin van Buren, was the eighth President of the United States. He was a key organizer of the Democratic Party, a dominant figure in the Second Party System, and the first president who was not of English, Irish, or Scottish descent. He is also the only president not to have spoken English as his first language, but rather grew up speaking Dutch.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, was the 32nd President of the United States. Elected to four terms in office, he served from 1933 to 1945, and is the only U.S. president to have served more than two terms. A central figure of the 20th century, he has consistently been ranked as one of the three greatest U.S. presidents in scholarly surveys.
- Theodore Roosevelt, was the 26th President of the United States. Roosevelt is most famous for his personality; his energy, his vast range of interests and achievements, his model of masculinity, and his “cowboy” persona. In 1901, he became President after the assassination of President William McKinley. Roosevelt was a Progressive reformer who sought to move the Republican Party into the Progressive camp.
[edit] Dutch traditions
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- Further information: Dutch culture
The Dutch introduced their own folklore, most famously Sinterklaas (Similar, but not the same as "Santa Claus") and created their own as in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. [Wermuth 2001]
[edit] Dutch language in North America
The first Dutch settlers lived in small isolated communities, and as a concequence were barely exposed to English. As the Dutch lost their own colonies in North America to the British, the Dutch settlers increasingly were exposed to other immigrants and their languages and the Dutch language gradually started to disappear.
In 1764 Dr. Archibald Laidlie preached the first English sermon to the Dutch Reformed congregation in New York City. Ten years later English was introduced in the schools. In Kingston, Dutch was used in church as late as 1808. A few years before, a traveler had reported that on Long Island, in New York, along the North River, at Albany, Dutch was in general still the common language of most of the old people.
Francis Adrian van der Kemp, who had come to this country as a refugee in 1788, wrote that his wife was able to converse in Dutch with the wives of Alexander Hamilton and General George Clinton. In 1847, immigrants from the Netherlands were welcomed in Dutch by the Reverend Isaac Wyckoff upon their arrival in New York. Wyckoff himself was a descendant of one of the first settlers in Rensselaerwyck, who had learned to speak English at school.
Until recently many communities in New Jersey adhered to the tradition of a monthly church service in Dutch. As late as 1905 Dutch was still heard among the old people in the Ramapo Valley of that state.
In the first half of the the 20th century however, the Dutch language was hardly spoken in North America, with the exception of 1st generation Dutch immigrants. The marks of the Dutch language however, can still be seen. New York for example has many originally Dutch street and place names which range from Coney Island and Brooklin to Wall street and Broadway.
Contact between other language also created various creoles with Dutch as a base. These include Jersey Dutch and Mohawk Dutch, both extinct now.
[edit] Dutch-American Heritage Day
As of 1991, November 16th is "Dutch-American Heritage Day". On November 16, 1776, a small American warship, the Andrew Doria, sailed into the harbour of the Dutch island of St. Eustatius in the West Indies. Only 4 months before, the United States had declared its independence from Great Britain. The American crew was delighted when the governor of the island, ordered that his fort's cannons be fired in a friendly salute. The first ever given by a foreign power to the flag of the United States, it was a risky and courageous act. Indeed, angered by Dutch trading and contraband with the rebellious colonies, the British seized the island a few years later. The Dutch recaptured the island in 1784.[3]
[edit] Dutch-American Friendship Day
April 19th is the Dutch-American Friendship Day, which remembers the day that John Adams, the second president of the United States, was received by the States General in The Hague and recognized as Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America. It was also the day that the house he had purchased at Fluwelen Burgwal 18 in The Hague was to become the first American Embassy in the World.[4]
[edit] Religion
The beginnings of the Reformed Church in America date to 1628. By 1740, it had 65 congregations in New York and New Jersey, served by ministers trained in Europe. Schools were few but to obtain their own ministers they formed "Queens College" (now Rutgers University) in 1766. In 1771, there were 34 ministers for over 100 churches. Until 1764, in at least three Dutch churches in New York City, all sermons were in Dutch; Theodore Roosevelt reports his grandfather's church used Dutch as late as 1810.
[edit] Numbers
Between 1820 and 1900, 340,000 Dutch immigrated from the Netherlands to the United States of America. In the aftermath of World War II, several tens of thousands of Dutch immigrants joined them, mainly moving to California and Washington State. In several counties in Michigan and Iowa, Dutch-Americans remain the largest ethnic group. Nowadays, most Dutch-Americans (27%) live in California, followed by New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 United States Census, more than 5 million Americans claim total or partial Dutch heritage. They are particularly concentrated around Grand Rapids, Michigan, Sioux City, Iowa, and Des Moines, Iowa.
Not included among Dutch Americans are the Pennsylvania Dutch, a group of German Americans who settled in Pennsylvania in the colonial era and whose name is a corruption of the word "Deutsch", meaning "German".
[edit] Famous Dutch-Americans
There are many Americans who have (partial) Dutch heritage, among them 3 presidents of the United States:
- Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United States, first president whose family did not come from the British Isles, only president in the history of the United States whose first language wasn't English.
- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States
- Cornelius Vanderbilt, industrial entrepreneur.
- Thomas Alva Edison, renowned inventor. Accumulated 1500-plus patents worldwide for his inventions.
[edit] References and further reading
- ^ 5,087,191 people of Dutch heritage according to the United States Census Bureau.
- ^ The United States of America and the Netherlands, 3/14 The First Dutch Settlers. By George M. Welling (Link)
- ^ US embassy: Dutch-American Heritage Day
- ^ US embassy report on Dutch-American Friendship Day.
- Bratt, James H. Dutch Calvinism in Modern America: A History of a Conservative Subculture. Eerdmans, 1984.
- Corwin, S. T. History of the Dutch Reformed Church in the United States (1895).
- De Gerald, F. Jong The Dutch in America, 1609-1974. Twayne, 1975, short survey
- Doezema, Linda Pegman. Dutch Americans: A Guide to Information Sources. Gale Research, 1979. Bivliography
- Ganzevoort, Herman, and Mark Boekelman, eds. Dutch Immigration to North America. Toronto: Multicultural History Society of Ontario, 1983.
- Kim, Sung Bok. Landlord and Tenant in Colonial New York: Manorial Society, 1664-1775 (1987)
- Kirk, Gordon W. The Promise of American Life: Social Mobility in a Nineteenth-Century Immigrant Community, Holland, Michigan, 1847-1894. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1978.
- Kroes, Rob. The Persistence of Ethnicity: Dutch Calvinist Pioneers in Amsterdam, Montana. University of Illinois Press, 1992.
- Kroes, Rob, and Henk-Otto Neuschafer, eds. The Dutch in North America: Their Immigration and Cultural Continuity. Amsterdam: Free University Press, 1991.
- Kromminga, John. The Christian Reformed Church: A Study in Orthodoxy. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 1949.
- Adrian C. Leiby; The Revolutionary War in the Hackensack Valley: The Jersey Dutch and the Neutral Ground, 1775-1783 Rutgers University Press. 1962.
- Lucas, Henry. Netherlanders in America: Dutch Immigration to the United States and Canada, 1789-1950. University of Michigan Press, 1955.
- Nissenson, S. G. The Patroon's Domain 1937
- Schreuder, Yda. Dutch Catholic Immigrant Settlement in Wisconsin, 1850-1905. New York: Garland, 1989.
- Swierenga, Robert P. The Forerunners: Dutch Jewry in the North American Diaspora. Wayne State University Press, 1994.
- Swierenga, Robert P. ed. The Dutch in America: Immigration, Settlement, and Cultural Change. Rutgers University Press, 1985.
- Taylor, Lawrence J. Dutchmen on the Bay: The Ethnohistory of a Contractual Community. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1983.
- Thernstrom, Stephen, ed. Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Harvard University Press, 1980.
- Van Jacob Hinte. Netherlanders in America: A Study of Emigration and Settlement in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries of the of America. Ed. Robert P. Swierenga . Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1985. translation of a 1928 Dutch-language book
- Thomas S. Wermuth. Rip Van Winkle's Neighbors: The Transformation of Rural Society in the Hudson River Valley (2001)
- Carl Wittke, We Who Built America: The Saga of the Immigrant (1939), ch 2, 11
- Milwaukee Sentinel, July 15, 1898 article on Little Chute, Wisconsin
Primary sources
- Herbert J. Brinks, Dutch American Voices: Letters from the United States, 1850-1930 (1995)
- Lucas, Henry, ed. Dutch Immigrant Memoirs and Related Writings. 2 vols. Assen, The Netherlands: Van Gorcum, 1955.
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