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The Dutch venture into North America resembled France’s. The Dutch relied on the fur trade for wealth and on the Indians to procure those pelts. The Dutch government relied on private companies to set up the trade networks and they lasted as long as they were profitable. Colonization by a Private Company: With Spain suffering a political decline, the British and Dutch stepped into the void. The Dutch government was dominated by a group of private middle class merchants whose wealth and influence helped create a distinctive political economy characterized by toleration and moderation. The colony, New Netherland, continually had problems attracting settlers because the Dutch West India Company's reluctance to offer good terms to the settlers. Slavery and Freedom in the Dutch Political Economy: New Netherland was soon seen by the Dutch as the "bread basket" for their more lucrative plantation colonies in Brazil and the Caribbean. But neither compared to the profits to be made in the slave trade. It was an environment with no cumbersome social, religious, or political beliefs to get in the way of profit. As long as the investors were making a profit, toleration of religious or cultural differences was the norm. The Dutch private companies created an environment in which business could prosper. The Dutch-Indian Trading Partnership: As the French had done in the north, the Dutch disrupted the balance among regional Indian tribes. They competed with one another for access to the Europeans’ trade goods as well as the military powers they represented. The Dutch soon found themselves in the middle of a fight between the Mahican tribe on the one hand and the Mohawks on the other. In 1628, the Mohawks defeated the Mahicans and forced them to leave the area. Since the Mahicans had gone and the Mohawks really wanted the Dutch as trading partners, the two former enemies abandoned their old hostilities for a new peaceful trading relationship. Increased pressure and competition caused prices to fall. The result was a series of wars known as the Beaver Wars. The Beaver Wars: Between 1648 and the 1660s, a new balance of power was created. The Iroquois found themselves fighting almost everybody and the Europeans gained the upper hand. The beaver wars marked a turning point: the Indians were never able to replace the populations they lost to warfare and the pace of European colonization was increasing. Once the Dutch lost their profit-making centers, they had no real reason to hold onto a colony in North America. Think About This
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