The Island at the Center of the WorldIn a riveting, groundbreaking narrative, Russell Shorto tells the story of New Netherland, the Dutch colony which pre-dated the Pilgrims and established ideals of tolerance and individual rights that shaped American history. "Astonishing . . . A book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective past." --The New York Times When the British wrested New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, the truth about its thriving, polyglot society began to disappear into myths about an island purchased for 24 dollars and a cartoonish peg-legged governor. But the story of the Dutch colony of New Netherland was merely lost, not destroyed: 12,000 pages of its records–recently declared a national treasure–are now being translated. Russell Shorto draws on this remarkable archive in The Island at the Center of the World, which has been hailed by The New York Times as “a book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective past.” The Dutch colony pre-dated the “original” thirteen colonies, yet it seems strikingly familiar. Its capital was cosmopolitan and multi-ethnic, and its citizens valued free trade, individual rights, and religious freedom. Their champion was a progressive, young lawyer named Adriaen van der Donck, who emerges in these pages as a forgotten American patriot and whose political vision brought him into conflict with Peter Stuyvesant, the autocratic director of the Dutch colony. The struggle between these two strong-willed men laid the foundation for New York City and helped shape American culture. The Island at the Center of the World uncovers a lost world and offers a surprising new perspective on our own. |
Contents
1 | |
The Lawman | 93 |
The Council of Blood | 110 |
The Cause | 129 |
The OneLegged | 146 |
The General and the Princess | 167 |
The Peoples Champion | 191 |
An American in Europe | 209 |
A Dangerous | 233 |
Booming | 257 |
New York | 284 |
Inherited Features | 301 |
THE PAPER TRAIL | 319 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 326 |
INDEX | 337 |
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Common terms and phrases
Adriaen American Amsterdam arrived beaver become Board Bogaert called Chapter Charles Gehring colonists colony's company's continent council Curaçao decades declared Delaware directors Docs documents Donck Dutch colony Dutch Republic England Europe European Fort Orange guilders Hague Halve Maen harbor Henry Hudson historians Holland hundred Ibid Indians John John Winthrop Kieft Kiliaen van Rensselaer king knew Kuyter Laer land later leaders Leiden letter live Long Island Mahicans Manhattan Island Manhattan-based colony Manhattanites Melyn merchant Mohawk Muscovy Company named nation Netherland North America NYHM Peter Minuit Peter Stuyvesant political province Puritan Rapalje records Remonstrance Rensselaer Rensselaerswyck residents sailed settlement settlers seventeenth century ship society soldiers South River Spanish Street Stuyvesant's Sweden territory things Tienhoven tion took town trade trans translation treaty Van der Donck village voyage Vries West India Company Willem Willem Kieft Winthrop wrote