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Dutch Immigration to America Timeline

The Dutch History Timeline of Immigration to America provides a fast overview of the immigrants from Holland who helped to build America. Between 1820 - 2000 Dutch Immigration to America totalled 360,000.

According to the US Bureau of the Census of 2011 a total of 4,810,511 Americans claimed to be solely or partially of Dutch descent. Dutch-Americans made a significant impact on the culture of Americans and the history of the United States as can be seen in the following timeline detailing these immigrants to America.

The foundation of the United States of America was built upon the religions, ideals, skills and culture that the first immigrants from Holland brought with them.

The History Timeline of Dutch Immigration to America is therefore extremely important and reflect important dates and events that prompted the emigration of people from Holland.

The History Timeline of Dutch Immigration to America includes important dates and events in the history of Holland that contributed to the push and pull factors which led to mass immigration from Holland.

Dutch Immigration to America Timeline
What were the reasons for Dutch immigration to America and what was happening in Holland to prompt the drastic action of leaving home for an unknown life in America? The Dutch Immigration to America Timeline provides dates and important events that provide the history of US immigration from Holland. Famous historical events include the establishment of the colonies of New Netherland and the leaders who led the first colonists.

The Dutch Immigration to America Timeline highlights the Push and Pull factors of immigration such as political and religious persecution, wars that occured in Holland together with dates of any natural disasters such as floods, plague, crop failures and famine. The dates and types of religious and political conflicts and the natural disasters that afflicted Holland are highlighted in the Dutch Immigration to America Timeline enabling kids and students to understand the history of immigration to the United States.

Dutch Immigration to America Timeline: Religion
The religion of the Netherlands was Roman Catholic but this changed in 1517 when Martin Luther initiated the Protestant religion and this new reform movement spread across the country. The Dutch Protestants were inspired by the writing of Desiderius Erasmus. Only the southeast of the country remained Catholic and as a minority group, the Catholics suffered religious persecution which led some of them to immigrate to the New World of America.

1517

 

Protestant Reformation initiated by Martin Luther and the works of Erasmus. Catholics become a minority group in Holland

1609

 

Explorer Henry Hudson (1565 – 1611) contracted to the Dutch United East India Company claimed land in for Holland.

1611

 

Adriaen Block (c. 1567 – 1627) established the first Dutch settlements in Block Island and then in Rhode
Island and Connecticut.

1614

 

The Dutch colonies across areas of the Mid-Atlantic States were called New Netherland (Nieuw-Nederlandt) and were pioneered by Adriaen Block, Hendrik Christiansen and Cornelius Jacobsen Mey.

1614

 

Hendrik Christiansen became the first Director of the New Netherland Fort Nassau fur trading post.
Christiansen was killed by Native Indians and Peter Minuit took over his position.

1624

 

The Fort Orange trading post was established by Dutch merchants and initially colonized by thirty families who were soon followed by more Protestant colonists

1626

 

Peter Minuit (1580 – 1638) was appointed Director of New Netherland and established the island of Manhattan (initially called New Amsterdam) as its capital. Peter Minuit was later employed by the Swedish West India Company and established Delaware as the New Sweden colony in America.

1629

 

The Dutch West India Company established the Patroon system to encourage colonists to immigrate from Holland to America. Under the Patroon system stock holders of the Dutch West India Company were given grants of land in return for introducing 50 immigrants to the colonies.

1630

 

Kiliaen van Rensselaer (1586 - 1643) established a settlement under the patroon system on the upper Hudson River.

1634

 

The Burchardi Flood (aka the second Grote Mandrenke) overran dikes and caused the deaths of
between 8,000 to 15,000 people and the loss of countless homes. The event prompted more people to
immigrate to the New World.

1647

 

Peter Stuyvesant (1592-1672) was appointed the last Director-General of the colony of New Netherland and ousted the Swedish from the area.

1653

 

Peter Stuyvesant came into conflict with the Burghers in the new colony. The Burghers sent the Vertoogh, or Remonstrance, to Holland requesting burgher government

1656

 

Holland took control from the traders and supported Dutch Colonization of the New World offering free
passage to the colonies. The population of Dutch-Americans grew to 8000.

1664

 

King Charles II of England the Duke of York, a proprietorship on lands in America which included areas
claimed by New Netherland. English soldiers forced the surrender of the lands of New Netherland including the capital of New Amsterdam that was re-named New York.

1664

 

The Dutch colonists were allowed to remain in New York and the Dutch language and culture continued to flourish in the region.

1664

 

The Bubonic Plague hit Holland killing 200,000 people.

1703

 

The Great Storm of 1703 in Holland caused a flood killing thousands of victims.

1717

 

The Christmas flood of 1717 (Kerstvloed) caused by catastrophic storm, hit the coast area of the Netherlands killing thousands of people and destroying thousands of homes.

1700's

 

Additional Dutch settlements in New York, New Jersey and South Carolina were established

1775

 

The American War of Independence began and the Dutch colonists supported the rebels against the British.

1790

 

The 1790 U.S. census showed that Dutch migration to America had resulted in about 100,000 colonists making their home in the New World.

1834

 

Protestants of the pious Seceder religious movement leads to the migration of thousands of Dutch people to avoid religious persecution in Holland.

1845

 

Crop failures and the potato blight led to hunger and poverty across Europe and a massive increase in
immigration.

1848

 

Father Theodore J. van den Broek (1783-1851) led a large group of Catholic colonists to settle in the
areas around the communities of Green Bay, Little Chute and Holland Town in Wisconsin.

1848

 

Dutch revolutionaries, the Forty-Eighters, emigrate to avoid political persecution.

1873

 

The Panic of 1873 led to the 6 year period called the 'Long Depression' that led to civil unrest and strikes
and an increase in anti-immigrant feelings.

1880

 

The nation recovered from the depression and the number of migrants between 1881 - 1890 exploded as 5,246,613 immigrants gained entry to the United States. The large wave of immigration from Holland, that rose to 75,000, was sparked by political, religious and economic factors.

1882

 

The US began to pass laws to restrict immigration.

1891

 

The 1891 Immigration Act provided for the regulation, inspection and deportation of immigrants.

1892

 

The Ellis Island immigration center was opened where immigrants from Europe, including Holland, were
subjected to medical and legal examinations. Preference was shown to the "Old Immigrants" and few Dutch people were turned away.

1921

 

The 1921 Emergency Quota Act used of percentage system to restrict the number of immigrants based on the country of origin.

1929

 

The Great Depression (1929 - 1939) engulfed the US, unemployment rose and immigration plummeted

1939

 

WW2 (1939 - 1945) breaks out in Europe. Holland was invaded by the Nazi's leading to great sympathy and support for Holland in the US.

1946

 

60,000 Dutch-Indonesian migrants arrived in the United States

1953

 

The 1953 Flood Disaster (Watersnoodramp) devastated Holland. The US Refugee Relief Act enabled entry of 15,000 Dutch refugees.

1865

 

Dutch Immigration to America has declined from this date

Dutch Immigration to America Timeline

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