Joseph Maugeri
IDC4001H
Who is Adrien Van der Donck and why have I never heard of him? The story of this man is one of the most interesting things I’ve learned all week.
He was a man that seemingly had it all in his Dutch Republic homeland. There were tolerant attitudes, clean and safe streets, happy children, thriving economies and intelligent neighbors; but apparently this insatiable fellow wanted more. He wanted adventure. He started with the acquaintanceship of a Kiliaen Van Rensellaer in the New World. Being Van der Donck was an educated and adventurous man, he was given the position of a ‘schout,’ which to my understanding is akin to a mayor or a sheriff. Upon his arrival, he seemingly fell in love with Manhattan. He shirked from his responsibilities as a law enforcer and began inputting his own ideas to improve the communities. As we saw earlier with his escape from paradise, Van der Donck is sort of a nonconformist with a problem with authority. He wandered the lands of New Amsterdam, metaphorically and probably literally smoking the peace pipe with the Natives. Van der Donck seemed to be an all around swell chap with tolerant Dutch ideas instilled in his mind (near-opposite the infamous Mr. Kieft.)
“Adrien Van der Donck’s dream became real in a way he never imagined. The structure he helped win for the place grounded it in Dutch tolerance and diversity, just as he hoped it would, which in turn touched off the islands rapid growth.”
So why is Russel Shorto the only guy who wants to talk about Adrien Van der Donck? Why was he forgotten in history? Why isn’t his name in any of the textbooks I’ve read or brought up in any history classes I’ve taken?
Well the answer really isn’t that glamorous I suppose. Once the English took over, the categorical details slowly were forgotten. However, those darn redcoats could never erase the Dutch culture that we still observe today. In fact, they actually liked the way that Van der Donck and the Dutch set up this city. Diversity and tolerance were hip ideas that were attractive to New World settlers. People came here by the droves and without them, productivity never would have rapidly increased thus making NYC one of the most influential cities ever. New York is still a hub for patience and tolerance, which we fortunately stole straight from 17th century Holland. I do thank the British for changing the name though, ‘New York’ rolls off the tongue better.
So far though, this book is much more easy to digest than I thought it would be. Shorto has a knack for descriptive writing that is actually quite pleasant.
