A Century Too Soon: The Age of TyrannyMusick, John R. (John Roy)
History
A Century Too Soon: The Age of Tyranny
Musick, John R. (John Roy)
Bacon's Rebellion, 1676 -- Fiction; United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 -- Fiction
Stuyvesant went to Hartford and settled by treaty all disputes with the
New Englanders which had annoyed his predecessors. Then he turned his
attention to the suppression of the expanding power and influence of the
Swedes on the Delaware. The accession of a new queen to the throne of
Sweden made it necessary to make a satisfactory adjustment of the
long-pending dispute about the territory. Stuyvesant was instructed to
act firmly but discreetly. Accompanied by his suite of officers, he went
to Fort Nassau on the New Jersey side of the Delaware, whence he sent
Printz, the governor of New Sweden, an abstract of the title of the
Dutch to the domain and called a council of the Indian chiefs in the
neighborhood. These chiefs declared the Swedes to be usurpers and by
solemn treaty gave all the land to the Dutch. Then Stuyvesant crossed
over and, near the site of New Castle in Delaware, built a fort, which
he called Fort Cassimer. Governor Printz protested in vain. The two
magistrates held friendly personal intercourse, and they mutually
promised to "keep neighborly friendship and correspondence together."
This strange friendly conquest was in the year 1651. The following year
an important concession was made to the inhabitants of New Amsterdam. A
constant war was waged between Stuyvesant and the representatives of the
people called the "Nine." The governor tried to repress the spirit of
popular freedom; the Nine fostered it. They wanted a municipal
government for their growing capital and, fearing the governor, made a
direct application to the states-general for the privilege. It was
granted, and the people of New Amsterdam were allowed a government like
the free cities of Holland, the officers to be appointed by the
governor. Under this arrangement, New Amsterdam (afterward New York)
was, early in 1653, organized as a city. Stuyvesant was very much
annoyed by this "imprudent entrusting of power with the people."
Stuyvesant was a royalist, and for years he struggled with the
increasing spirit of republicanism, which was constantly growing among
his people; but he was not troubled by his domestic affairs alone; his
foreign relations were once more disturbed. Governor Printz returned to
Sweden, and in his place the warlike magistrate John Risingh came to the
Delaware with some soldiers under the bold Swen Schute, and appeared
before Fort Cassimer demanding its surrender.
The Dutch residents fled to the fort demanding protection; but Bikker
the commander said:
"I have no powder. What can I do?"
After an hour's parley, Bikker went out, leaving the gate of the fort
wide open, and shook hands with Schute and his men, welcoming them as
friends. The Swedes fired two shots over the fort in token of its
capture and then, blotting out the Dutch garrison, named it Fort
Trinity, as the surrender was on Trinity Sunday, 1654.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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