This book tells the compelling story of the young legal activist Adriaen van der Donck (1618-1655), whose fight to secure the struggling Dutch colony of New Netherland made him a controversial but pivotal figure in early America. At best, he has been labeled a hero, a visionary, and a spokesman of the people. At worst, he has been branded arrogant and selfish, thinking only of his own ambitions. The wide range of opinions about him testifies to the fact that, more than three centuries after his death, Van der Donck remains an intriguing character.
J. van den Hout follows Van der Donck from his war-torn seventeenth-century childhood and privileged university education to the New World, as he attempted to make his mark on the fledgling fur trading settlement. When he became embroiled in the politics of Manhattan, he took the colonists' complaints against their Dutch West India Company administrators to the highest level of government in the Dutch Republic, in what became a fight for his adopted homeland and a bicontinental showdown. Denounced and detained, but not deterred, Van der Donck wrote a landmark book that stands as a testament to his vision for the country, as the changes he set in motion continued long after his early death and his influence became firmly embedded in the American landscape. Van der Donck's determination to stand by his convictions offers a revealing look into the human spirit and the strong will that drives it against adversity and in search of justice.
Autorentext
J. van den Hout is an independent scholar who lives in California. This is her first book.
Inhalt
List of Illustrations
Recurring Main Characters
Preface
1. Breda I
2. Leiden II
3. Kiliaen van Rensselaer
4. Den Eyckenboom
5. Schout of Rensselaerswyck
6. The Beginning of the End in Rensselaerswyck
7. Manhattan
8. Mary Doughty
9. Colendonck
10. Board of Nine Men
11. The Remonstrance
12. The Response
13. The Backlash
14. A Description of New Netherland
15. Return to New Netherland
16. The Aftermath
17. Legacy
Notes
Bibliography
Index