Colonialism has shaped the national layouts of this planet for centuries, as Western-European countries have spread out to gain more power around the world. One such Western-European group is the Dutch. Over the past 500 years the Dutch have fanned out across the globe spreading their culture and increasing their global power.
Though many Americans think that the English and French get the majority of the credit for colonializing the North American continent, the Dutch played a very important role as well. Besides North America, the Dutch also settled in the Antilles, Brazil, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, southeast Asia, and South Africa. After the American Revolution, 20% of the population in the American colonies were Dutch. But actual emigration from Holland didn’t become important until the nineteenth century. The first groups left Holland in 1846, under the leadership of Reverend Van Raalte, settling in Wisconsin and Michigan. Ever since that time their influence has been felt worldwide.
The Dutch culture was much different from many western European cultures. In the case of the Dutch, much of the motivation for an education was so that children would be able to read and write about the scriptures, which was very important to the Dutch. Being Orthodox Calvinists, the Dutch practiced their religion with great pride and diligence. Daily life consisted of work within the fur trade, crafts or household duties, which they performed as a family. For artistic enjoyment, the Dutch turned to pictures of scenes from the bible. The Dutch commitment to the bible was most likely the most telling indication of how the Dutch ran their lives.
Dutch colonization was probably the most significant factor in their culture. In the time of global colonization, the Dutch were front-runners in the race for land around the world and they remain a very influential global power today. From North America, to Asia, South America, and South Africa the Dutch have yielded a great deal of global influence.
By Katie Fish
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“Early History.” http://www.lowensteyn.com/dutchque/ 5/1/01
“The Word Dutch.” De In Complete Gids. http://www.geocities.com/nwiersema/ 5/3/01