Atlantic world: Dutch, American relationship since the 17th Century
From the beginnings of the Seventeenth century many contacts were established and developed between the Netherlands and the United States. The relationship that thus came into being is thoroughly dealt with on the new website Atlantic World (launched july 2003). Special attention will be paid to migration movements and the exchange of ideas between the two countries
The Atlantic World website is a result of the co-operation between the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) in The Hague and the Library of Congress (LC) in Washington. Both national libraries possess a treasure trove of books, magazines, maps and documents describing and showing our mutual history. These collections form the most important sources for the mutual site. A site that will be part of the Dutch national digitalisation program het Geheugen van Nederland. (the Memory of the Netherlands)
The site can be contacted using www.geheugenvannederland.nl
Five aspects of the mutual past will be dealt with:
- the early presence of the Dutch in North-America and the rise of New Netherland and New Amsterdam, 1609-1664;
- the Dutch 19th Century migration movement into the Mid-West region of the United States;
- the 1945 - 1960 Dutch migration movement into the United States;
- Dutch interest in and involvement with the American struggle for independence;
- the 'Holland-mania' that evolved around the closing of the nineteenth century in the United State, a movement that generated the beginning of modern American tourist interest for Holland.
As a starting point the first aspect are launchedat July 2003. All other aspects are gradually introduced to the site.
See also the websites:
www.kb.nl en www.geheugenvannederland.nl
www.loc.gov en http://memory.loc.gov/
