(Choose this chapter for History or Geography)
Read the questions and write the answers in a WORD document, to send it to your teacher. USE YOUR OWN WORDS!
When you need help to understand the text, first have a look at the wordlist below(*), take a dictionary or ask your teacher.
|
 |
 |
 |
| Derk Jan Engelbarts Nusselder and Berendina Frederieka Nusselder |
Berend ten Pas and Janna Geertruid te Kronnie |
6.1 The Dutch
The Dutch did not show much interest in immigration* to America before the 19th century. But by the 1850s, the situation had changed for a few reasons:
Taxes in Holland were high, food was expensive and people earned very little, so that emigration* became popular among agricultural workers*.
Others decided to leave for religious reasons: like having an independent* Christian church with their own rules.
The USA counted 340.000 Dutch immigrants from 1820 to 1920.
After World War II, Netherland was the most densely populated* country in the world.
That is why the Dutch government encouraged* emigration to America. This resulted in another 165.532 immigrants arriving there between 1921 and 1998.
Today, there are about eight million Americans of Dutch origin in the United States.
Most of them live in just ten states: California, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Washington and Iowa.
QUESTIONS
6.1.1 Why did so many Dutch people go to America? Write down 4 reasons.
6.2 Leaving Holland
Everything people had was sold, they had to say goodbye to family and friends and left the port* of Rotterdam, Hoek van Holland or Antwerp.
There was no timetable, so the emigrants* had to wait for hours or days before a ship would leave.
Sometimes there were so many people on the ship that you could not get on board....
6.2.1 Why did the Dutch emigrants often had to wait a long time in the ports?
6.3 life on board of the ship.
Squeezed together in dark and damp* rooms, smelling of sweat, almost every passenger got seasick.
People slept, ate and lived in the same room. if the weather was ice, they went to the upper deck of the ship.
teams of cleaners had to clean the ship with whatever material they had.
People's health was of no importane on the ship and when somebody fell ill, it could turn into a missery.
A small, unimportant virus could cause many victims and medical care was really bad.
6.3.1 Why was it difficult for a family to live on the ship?
6.4 The first emigration law of 1861
Till 1860, there were no rules about food and there was no checking of luggage or people on sea. The law of 1861 was an improvement*.
The new rules for food on the ship said: For an 8 week crossing*, a family of 5 persons needed:
60 kg of bread, 20 kg of salted meat, 20 kg of smoked bacon, 4,8 kg of coffee, 30 kg of rice, 20 kg of flour, 26,8 kg of peas, 100 kg of potatoes, salt, vinegar and vitamin juices.
When the ship arrived in the first port*, the luggage was put on the quay* with the whole family on top, to prevent theft*.
There they were: in a foreign country, where people spoke a foreign language, with thieves who tried to steal their belongings.
There had to be 2 toilets on the ship for up to 100 persons. For every 100 passengers more, there had to be 1 extra toilet.
6.4.1 About which two subjects the “first emigration law of 1861” gave rules?
6.5 Arrival and settling down
It wasn’t easy, but fortunately, sometimes someone from the same country was willing to help the family.
It could take them days to find a cart* or a ship to take them somewhere, most of the time for a lot of money.
It is clear that without a home, a job, knowledge of the language and money it was very difficult.
The pessimistic letters that were sent to Holland were telling the truth.
If possible, some of them would have returned to Holland immediately. But there was no money.
6.5.1 Why did some of the emigrants want to return to Holland immediately?
6.6 Housing
Many of the emigrants had no idea what to expect of their new lives. After all those difficulties on the boat, they thought they would arrive in a comfortable village.
But in many villages there were no shops, houses and streets, not even a normal bed to sleep in. Sometimes a hut in the woods, a tent or just a shelter was all you could see.
Houses had to be build, churches, schools and town halls. All these buildings were made of wood. Sawmills* made the quality of houses better.
6.6.1 What made it difficult for the emigrants to find a house?
6.7 The journey
The following story shows how long the journey to America was for the first Dutch immigrants:
October 6th, 1846
After having said goodbye to family and friends [in Ommen, Overijssel] the night before,
we leave for Meppel and go on board a ship and sail to Amsterdam.
October 8th, 1846
Arrival in Amsterdam and in the evening by boat to Rotterdam.
October 9th, 1846
Early in the morning arrival in Rotterdam.
October 10 to 13,1846
Buying food.
October 14th, 1846
On board of the Isabella Bath under Captain Kellie and saying a last goodbye.
October 28th, 1846.
Very bad weather and still in the English Channel because of the bad weather.
23 November 1846
After some weeks, there is a change in the weather. Storm. We are no longer
allowed to go on the upper deck. Many of us are seasick, we live on the lower
deck.
November 24th, 1846
Hurricane*, still on the lower deck, feeling bad. Many of us are singing or praying all day long because they think the ship will be wrecked.
Some of us are already homesick. Two children died today.
December 19th, 1846
At last there is land in sight and we can see New York. It is winter and there is a lot of snow.
December 22th, 1846
We may leave the ship and spend the night in New York.
December 23rd, 1846
Leaving New York by boat. Then by train because the river Hudson is frozen. A passenger’s wife dies in the train.
At Albany, there is no boat because of the ice.
We go on by foot. Carrying everything and walking over the ice we reach the town.
December 26th, 1846
We live in a cheap hotel and have to wait for our luggage. We have rented a house with 15 others.
Decided to go on to Buffalo but stopped because too many people became ill. Within 14 days five people died.
December 27th,1846
Our luggage arrived, so we can finally use the stove*.
January 26th, 1847
Van Raalte **) visits us and at the end of August we leave for Buffalo.
After 11 days we arrive and stay there till Spring 1847.
April 28th, 1848
We leave to Michigan by steamboat and after that to Chicago.
Then by sailing boat to Grand Haven and to Grand Ville.
April 30th,1848
Arrival in Grand Ville [USA state of Michican]. On May 1st we leave by oxcart* to the colony where we arrive late in the afternoon.
QUESTIONS:
6.7.1a At what season of the year did these people leave?
6.7.1b How many days was the journey by boat?
6.7.1c Where did the boat go ashore* in America?
6.7.1d How did people travel to their new village? (Name 3 ways of transport.)
6.7.2 The diary says in 1847: "Reverend* Van Raalte **) visited us."
Check out: As a referend visited them directly: What type of persons are the immigrants?
**) : 6 Van Raalte's travel to the USA
6.7.3 Draw 3 maps about their trip: one in the Netherlands, one from the Netherlands to the USA, one in the USA.
(Advise: Open Google maps and plan the trip in 3 parts.
Use the button Print Screen on the right top of your keyboard and paste the screenshot into Paint.)
Draw map No. 1 that shows how the group of Dutch immigrants in1846 travelled from Ommen (Overijssel) to the seaport.
Map No. 2: from The Dutch seaport to the American seaport.
Map No.3: draw the route from the American seaport to the colony Holland (in Michican).
You know every map must have a title, a legenda and a scale.
6.8 Less immigrants?
After 1924 USA started to restrict the intake of immigrants.
Many people in America had too much competition from the cheap new workmen from other countries.
After World War II (1945) a new wave of immigrants reached America.
The war had destroyed the living conditions of millions of people in Europe and around the world.
From 1960 on, a lot of Spanish-speaking people came to America, at first from Cuba and Puerto Rico.
A lot of Asians also wanted and still want to come to America.
From neighbouring country Mexico, many Mexicans come to America both legally and illegally.
To stop these large numbers of Mexicans, the American government built large fences* along the border with Mexico.
America has many nationalities. From 1981, 270.000 immigrants per year are allowed to enter America.
At most 20.000 of them can come from the same country.
Each year, 50.000 refugees can enter America. When all these people mix to a new kind of Americans we speak of a melting pot*.
6.8.a How many immigrants a year are allowed to enter the USA?
6.8.b Find out what a “Green Card Lottery” is in the USA.
Find your information on: USA Green Card Lottery Service
6.8.c Go to the “U.S. population clock” on the governmentsite about population:
http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
What is the exact number of inhabitants of the USA right now?
Wordlist :
damp = benauwd;
immigrants = immigranten, binnenkomende landverhuizers
emigrants = emigranten, vertrekkende landverhuizers
agricultural workers = landarbeiders
densely populated = dichtbevolkt
to encourage = aanmoedigen
independent = onafhankelijk / zelfstandig
port = haven
timetable = dienstregeling
damp = vochtig
improvement = verbetering
crossing = overtocht
quay = kade
theft = diefstal
cart = wagen
to nail = vastspijkeren
sawmill = houtzaagmolen
destination = bestemming
reverend = dominee
hurricane = orkaan
stove = kachel(tje)
oxcart = ossenwagen
stove = fornuis
melting pot = smeltkroes
fences = hekken
Founding Fathers / Pilgrim Fathers
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.