The Netherlands and the Declaration of Independence

Show notes

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

In this episode, we focus on the Netherlands, the second country (after France) to acknowledge the claim made in the the Declaration of Independence, that the United States is an independent "Power of the Earth."

Topics include:

-the long history of Dutch settlers and traders in North America and the Caribbean

-the integration of Dutch people and systems into the new British Colony of New York (for example, the Patroon system)

-the importance of American traders in the Netherlands in the 1700s

-a history of the Dutch weapons trade

-the importance of Dutch newspapers, such as the Leiden Gazette, in spreading pro-Patriot ideas throughout Europe

-the presence of both Dutch-American Patriots and Dutch-American Loyalists in the Colonies

-the role of the Island of St. Eustatius in the revolutionary struggle and the FIRST SALUTE Controversy

-the general attitude among the Dutch, both in the Dutch Republic and the Dutch colonies, that Britain was attempting to stifle trade in a tyrannical way, a view that led them to support the rebellious Americans

-similarities and differences between the Dutch Act of Abjuration against the King of Spain in 1581 and the Declaration of Independence--of particular note is the introduction which includes a long list of grievances against King Philip. Full text is here. Dutch Act of Abjuration

Prof. Tieleman's most recent article can be found here. To Shake Off the British Shackle Forever: The Political Economy of the Dutch Republic during the American Revolution

The cover image is a depiction of the USS Andrew Doria, flying the Patriot flag, receiving the First Salute from the Dutch Fort Orange on the Island of Saint Eustatius on 16 November 1776.