a promontory along the river that was not only relatively low, but substantially dwarfed by the higher hills to the east. Although there is no specific historical evidence that this is the case, it is a reasonable conclusion that once the Dutch had their guffaws over the joke, the name stuck to the new riverside site for the next decade or so when Samuel and Jochim Staats first attempted to buy Rensselaerswijck lands from Richard van Rensselaer in 1688.48 Objections from other family members as
well as political turmoil during the Leisler Rebellion years of 1689–1691 held up this transaction until it was finally resolved in 1696 with the inclusion of the lower end of Papscanee Island. And when deeds related to that sale included the use of the name Hoogebergh as a misplaced modifier seemingly referring to the new Staats farm, it might well have been the launching point of a three-century naming tradition of this old Dutch landmark. Whatever the reason, the name was soon
used exclusively in reference to the Staats homestead. Several decades later, during a tour of the area in the pre-Revolution days of 1774, Abraham Lott recorded in his journal for July 6: “At 12 o’Clock crossed the Ferry, took a Ride in the Sulky to Mr J. Staats’s at the Hooge Bergh.”49 48
CMVR, 185–86, 186n.
“A Journal of a Voyage to Albany, Etc., Made by Abraham Lott, Treasurer of the Colony of New York, 1774,” in The Historical Magazine and Notes and Queries, Concerning the Antiquities, History and Biography of America, vol. 8, second series (Morrisania, N.Y., 1870), 68. 49
Book Review Dienke Hondius, Nancy Jouwe, Dineke Stam, Jennifer Tosch, eds., Dutch New York Histories: Connecting African, Native American and Slavery Heritage (Volendam: LM Publishers, 2017).
W
HEN ONE IMAGINES New York, they are usually confronted by thoughts of a sprawling metropolis filled with diverse peoples who are, quite literally, from around the world. When one thinks of New York State’s history, they generally are drawn back to a time surrounding the American Revolution. The acts of the Sons of Liberty and the Battle of Long Island may spring to mind if one is versed in the subject. Very rarely though is one’s mind drawn to the slaves who were brought to the city during the Dutch rule. Even among historians, this topic is not well known and even less discussed. This is the point Dutch New York Histories Connecting African, Native American and Slavery Heritage is trying to make. Superficially, Dutch New York Histories appears as a travel guide. It is written in both English and Dutch and lays out various local landmarks and places of historical significance. The theme is carefully presented in the preface, written by Chris Moore. Moore tells of how the earliest slaves arrived in New Netherland, modern-day New York, in 1625 [p. v]. He also speaks of how the influences of his ancestors include remnants of a Dutch, African, and Native American past. The book explores the past of New York, both the city and the state, from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries. It offers a wide range of interpretations and information on historic sites, landmarks,
and people. Dutch New York Histories is adorned with eight different images and is divided into five different themes, all meant to represent aspects of Dutch, Native American, and African cultures. There are four map sections, as well as a thematic essay section in the middle that provides a more narrow, insightful detail. The division into geographical areas is a great tool for inspecting these diverse cultures as it allows for a more succinct view on the influence they left. For example, the first section covers the island of Manhattan within New York City from the Battery to Harlem. In this section, two settings are described back to back, the New York slave revolt in 1712 and the burning of New York in 1741, both occurring in Manhattan. Another section covers the area from Harlem to the Hudson Valley with the third section focusing on locations in the former Fort Orange, present-day Albany, and the closing section covering broad swathes of territory over the former New Netherland. Each section is arranged chronologically. Dutch New York Histories features contributions by Travis Bowman, Nancy Jouwe, Dienke Hondius, Andrea Mosterman, Dineke Stam, and Dr. Gloria Wekker mid-way through. Each author contributes a unique piece solidifying the actions and highlighting the underrepresentation of African and Native American cultures during the Dutch colonial period. The contributors note that the 2009 celebrations of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage, the various texts contain almost no mention of the Dutch involvement with slavery despite multiple references to the West India Company, the organization that instituted it [p. 93]. As Wekker writes, the book is founded on the Mapping Slavery project, initiated
in 2013 at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. It seeks to find and tell the stories of those sold into bondage who most do not even know existed [pp. 95–98]. When portraying slavery in popular media, it is almost exclusively shown as a practice among Southern plantation owners of the United States. From 1650–1675 the Dutch were the dominant power in the triangular transatlantic slave trade with the first slave auction in New Amsterdam, present-day New York City, occurring in 1655 [p. 55]. Bowman notes that enslaved individuals were in the frontier village of Wiltwijck, now known as Kingston, by 1663; he also sheds light on the Native American conflicts in the region, known as the Esopus Wars [p. 78]. The essays help to further the narrative that this truly is a group history that is willfully ignored despite evidence and importance. At its core, Dutch New York Histories seeks to inform the general public of what is little known, as all history does. In this instance it goes beyond a simple message of learning and finding unfamiliar places to discover, although it still accomplishes this. The text is written so it is not a distraction to understand the book’s theme and still enjoy its contents and message. The writers have masterfully provided a history of more than ninety locations in no more than two or three paragraphs each. With this in mind, the overarching message of illuminating African and Native American histories is still easily seen, digestible, and not of any hindrance when reading. It only serves to enhance the text. —Vincent DeMarco Columbia Greene Commuity College
Spring 2020
19
