Tolerance: The Dutch West India Company

Tolerance, briefly, means the ability to accept a “different” group of people, culture, or religion from what someone may be used to. For example, during Peter Stuyvesant’s reign as governor, there was vast amount of diverse people coming to New Amsterdam because of the religious freedom that was offered. However, Peter Stuyvesant attempted to turn away twenty-three Sephardic Jews, coming from Recife, Brazil, but was unsuccessful. The Dutch West India Company chastised Peter Stuyvesant and said,” The conscience of men ought to be free and unshackled, so long as they continue moderate, peaceable,… and not hostile to government” ( Jackson and Dunbar 33). The policy of the Dutch West India Company was of open arms to all religions and in return they asked for cooperation, profit, and law abiding citizens.

Additionally, the British, after taking over New Amsterdam, were “tolerant of Dutch practices and eager to continue to improve New York’s mercantile position” (Jackson and Dunbar 38). British wanted to keep the tolerant practice that Dutch upheld because of the diversity and many people it brought which equated to business. However, tolerance was not upheld for all people and excluded groups such as the African Americans and the Irish immigrants. According to Donck, African slaves were being imported for servitude which gave way to great racial controversies, such as the fact that many of the older slaves who labored tirelessly for years received their freedom while their children did