The Historiography of the Dutch in Colonial America

Abstract

Historical studies on the colonial Dutch have increased notably since the 1960s, moving beyond previous works in conceptualization, use of sources, and methodology. Analyses of New England towns appeared first and served to catalyze interest in middle colony communities, resulting in a number of studies of towns with Dutch inhabitants. It is the confluence of these forces over the last two decades, then, that has produced an upsurge of interest in the colonial Dutch. The Dutch variant of colonization on the North American continent has been studied most intensively by economic historians. The colonization process led to Dutch involvement with both Indians and Africans. The fur trade established a nexus between Dutch colonists and the native peoples of the region. The character of Dutch-Indian relations has been the subject of important scholarly work by Allen Trelease, Laurence Hauptman and Ronald Knapp, and Lois Feister.