What was a significant factor in the demise of dutch settlements in the americas?
1. Have students read about how Dutch colonists in New Netherland affected the Native Americans who already lived there. Show
2. Introduce the terms cultural markers and cultural
diffusion. 3. Show students the video segment “New Amsterdam, Diversity and Opportunity.”
Have students do a word association activity. Write multicultural, melting pot, and middle class on the board. Ask students to brainstorm words and phrases that describe a culture with those descriptors. Prompt them to include answers such as: opportunity, diversity, tolerance, and educated. 4. Introduce and show the video segment “Dutch Cultural Transition.”
Informal AssessmentHave students work independently to write definitions of terms cultural markers and cultural diffusion, and give examples of each from the 17th century and today. Subjects & Disciplines
Learning ObjectivesStudents will:
Teaching Approach
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Skills SummaryThis activity targets the following skills:
Connections to National Standards, Principles, and PracticesNational Geography Standards
National Standards for History
What You’ll NeedMaterials You Provide
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Grouping
Background InformationThe heritage of the United States includes an influential 17th century Dutch colony. Dutch history in America is only now being rediscovered as historians translate thousands of documents from 17th century Dutch to English. What those documents reveal is that the diversity of the United States today has origins in a Dutch past. Vocabularycolony Noun people and land separated by distance or culture from the government that controls them. cultural diffusion Noun the spread of cultural characteristics from one culture to another. cultural landscape Noun human imprint on the physical environment. cultural marker Noun unique characteristic of a community. Noun learned behavior of people, including their languages, belief systems, social structures, institutions, and material goods. diversity Noun difference. ethnic Adjective having to do with characteristics of a group of people linked by shared culture, language, national origin, or other marker. Interactives
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Why did the Dutch explore the New World?The primary motivation for Dutch settlement of this area was financial—the country wanted to add to its treasury. To this end, Dutch traders formed powerful alliances with Native Americans based on the trade of beaver pelts and furs. Farmers and merchants followed.
Who were the first settlers in North America and where did they come from?It's widely accepted that the first settlers were hunter-gatherers that came to North America from the North Asia Mammoth steppe via the Bering land bridge.
Which geographical area was initially explored by the Dutch?In 1609, after many years of fighting, Spain and the Dutch Republic agreed to a twelve-year truce. That same year, Henry Hudson sailed to North America on his voyage of discovery. During that twelve years of peace, Dutch merchants explored the area that was known as New Netherland.
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