| Up to now the preponderant view held by many | | | | by the more progressive thinking of some of |
| historians is that Dutch contribution to American | | | | Europe's most enlightened thinkers as Descartes, |
| history and particularly to that of New York has | | | | Grotius, and Spinoza. It is the freedoms espoused |
| been one of irrelevancy. As we no doubt realize, | | | | by these thinkers that van der Donck believed in. |
| the winners write history, and unfortunately, | | | | Eventually, they would find root in the Dutch |
| whatever the losers may have contributed, it | | | | colony, ultimately becoming the foundation of |
| seems to be lost or forgotten in the shuffle. | | | | many of the democratic principles forming the |
| Fortunately, during the past thirty years and | | | | basis of the American cultural, economic and |
| thanks to the translation of many Dutch records | | | | sociological psyche. On the other hand, |
| that have been recently discovered pertaining to | | | | Stuyvesant, who lacked the same formal |
| the early colony of New Netherlands, a different | | | | education as van der Donck, was stuck in his old |
| picture has emerged. It is this new perspective | | | | tyrannical concepts and narrow- minded |
| that author Russell Shorto has vividly and brilliantly | | | | prejudices, which effect was to stifle the |
| captured in his latest gem of a book entitled, The | | | | aspirations of the inhabitants of the Dutch colony. |
| Island at the Center of the World. | | | | It is fortunate for the USA that the theories and |
| Shorto devotes considerable ink in defending his | | | | beliefs of van der Donck won out. |
| thesis that the success of Manhattan as a | | | | As a side note and to indicate the extent of the |
| commercial center, or New York, as it was | | | | Dutch influence on American culture, Shorto also |
| renamed after the British takeover, did not begin | | | | reveals such interesting tidbits as what settlers |
| with the English but rather had very deep roots in | | | | emigrating to the Dutch colony would bring along |
| the early Dutch community. It was in fact in the | | | | with them, the derivation of words such as |
| late 1640s that the city of New Amsterdam | | | | cookies, cole slaw and Santa Claus, that can all |
| under Dutch rule began its rise to become North | | | | trace their roots to the Dutch colony of New |
| American's shipping hub. Furthermore, one of the | | | | Netherlands. We also have an overview and some |
| key actors who played a pivotal role in the | | | | fascinating insights as to what actually transpired |
| community was, up to now, a long forgotten | | | | between the Dutch and the English at the time |
| visionary, Adriaen van der Donck, who often | | | | the latter took possession of New Nederland. |
| found himself, locked in a power- struggle with | | | | Shorto's animated characterizations of individuals |
| Peter Stuyvesant. The latter has always been | | | | and events is consistently enlightening entertaining, |
| more recognizable than the former, particularly | | | | informative and balanced, all of which make for a |
| due to the fact that it was he who surrendered | | | | powerful analysis of events that have had an |
| the Dutch colony to the British. | | | | unbelievable influence on American culture, political |
| What was very little publicized up to now was | | | | and economic institutions. |
| that van der Donck had being heavily influenced | | | | |