Peter Stuyvesant’s Culture Wars
Tolera ng the Sin of Satan in Dutch New York (1647-1644) What is “Dutch” New York?
New Netherland: Circa 1650 Area Occupied by Present Day NY Director-General Peter Stuyvesant Governed New Netherland & Curacao 1647-1664
•A Conserva ve (Calvinist) religious Protestant •A Military “Commander in Chief” in a sensi ve region •A Poli cian balancing “Big Business” interests of the West India Company, with his own principles •Known for policies of poli cal and religious intolerance Poli cal and Religious Tension in the Colony Dutch Reformed Church vs. a heterogeneous popula on Natural Rights (Burghers) vs. Divine Right (Administra on) Merchant Class (Taxa on & trade duty) vs. Dutch West India Company Emp.
Case Study Examples for Stuyvesant’s Anger & Intolerance • The War Crime Charges of Melyn and Kuyter, against former Director Kie , 1647 • The Pe on of the Nine Men, 1649 • Flushing Remonstrance of 1653 • Flushing Remonstrance of 1657 • “Private” Conven cles: A empts at Religious Autonomy Stuyvesant’s Furious Opposi on to Liberty “People may think of appealing during my me – should any one do so, I would have him made a foot shorter, pack the pieces off to Holland and let him appeal in that way”. - Peter Stuyvesant, when Melyn and Kuyter, “Cunning” and “Malignant Subjects”, appealed his sentence of banishment
“Anyone offer objec on…He bursts incon nentally into a rage and makes such a to-do that it is dreadful” - Adriaen Van Der Donck, on Peter Stuyvesant’s conduct in Council
He’d rather “Quit his posi on than to allow (it)…in contraven on to the first ar cle of his commission, which was sworn to by him with an oath, not to admit any other than the true reformed faith.” - Dominie Megapolensis, on Peter Stuyvesant’s resolve to prevent the Lutheran minority (Some who he imprisoned) from organizing a church Why are we so Angry if We’re Right? The Culture War & Angry Poli cs: Escala ng, Polarizing us Further Apart
New Liberal Extreme New Conserva ve Extreme “I don’t want to be crass, "I'm thinking about killing but I just hope that Marcus Michael Moore, and I'm Bachmann takes all that, ya wondering if I could kill him know, that rage …and brings myself, or if I would need to it (out against her) …. hire somebody to do it. ... angrily, because that’s how I No, I think I could. I think he would. And I’ve thought could be looking me in the about it.” eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out. - Real Time with Bill Maher - Glenn Beck Where does the anger come from? Moral Judgments of the “Other” people fuel it, because, according to George Lakoff, Poli cs is inherently based in cogni ve judgments (conclusions) about morality and moral priori es Poli cal Anger is inherently Moral Outrage
Our Moral Systems affect how we interpret the ac ons of other people and how we respond The problem is, those labels have specific cultural connota ons, leading to addi onal conclusions
Conserva ves are… Liberals are…
“Intolerant” becomes associated “Indulgent” is associated with laziness. with impa ence, rage, a violent temper. “Self-centered” becomes selfish. “Racist” is associated with cruel.
“Ignorant” is associated with “Stupid”. In the process, a measure of accuracy about the political divide is sacrificed, as the reasons for people’s choices are simplified down to their internal rottenness.
Defini on of Pride in 17th C. European Culture
• Biblical Origin in the Fall of Lucifer
• Eleva on through Satan’s Example, as the Upmost Original Sin before “Original Sin”, in Medieval theology (Pope Leo the Great in 6th C, and Thomas Aquinas, 13th C)
• Prominence in Post-Reforma on theology (Calvin) + philosophy (S ll religiously based jurisprudence)
• Effect on Absolu st Poli cal Philosophy (Divine Right versus Natural Right) Peter Stuyvesant’s Moral Lens
Calvinism + Absolu sm => The Sin of Pride It is a wicked decision to challenge the government, insis ng that individuals have autonomous rights independent of the ruling authority, or worse, insist on changing government, and se ng up their own moral authority, instead of accep ng what God had ordained. The Repriori za on of Jus ce above Authority (Moral Metaphors) is interpreted as immoral Examples • Stuyvesant’s Scripture quotes in his legal opinion, in counter-charge against Melyn & Kuyter : – “Be subject unto the higher powers” (…for there is no power but of God: & the powers that be, are ordained of God) (Rom 13:1); “Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor Curse the ruler of thy people” (Exod. 22:28)
• References to “Subjects” and Vassals”
“Was it ever heard or seen in any republic that vassals and subjects did without authority from their superiors, conceive, dra and submit to their magistrates self- devised interroga ves to have them examined thereon?” – Counter Charge to Melyn & Kuyter “I shall govern you like a father governs his children” – Director-general Stuyvesant’s 1st address to the people of New Netherland
• Stuyvesant’s rebu al in answer to the Flushing Remonstrance of 1653. *Divine Right overrules Natural Rights as jus fica on for government. Power lay not with “All men generally”, for “every one would want for Magistrate a man of his own stamp . . . A thief would choose . . . a thief and a dishonest man, a drunkard, a smuggler. . . their likes, in order to commit felonies and frauds.” *3 Unexpected Research Finds
$ The False Secular Divide: The nature of the fric on between the Dutch West India Company and Peter Stuyvesant was fiscal, not religious. The West India Company had a Calvinist internal business culture.
⚑ Dutch “Freedom of Conscience”: Not as libera ng or as binding a tenet as assumed. It depended on the context of “Public” or “Private” worship, to frame the issue. = Jews, Peter Stuyvesant & Dutch “Tolerance”: Stuyvesant referred to them as the “Abominable Religion” and the “Infec on” of the colony. These “Hateful enemies…of Christ” were rogue elements, in the prac ce of the state’s control of public religion as a social tool of shaping morality. This is 100 years prior to the precedent of “Separa on of Church and State” (S ll) Shaping a Moral Society 17th Century 21st Century (Post-Reforma on) (Post-Enlightenment)
Religious Wars Culture Wars (Ideologies) A Challenge to Reclaim the Founding Fathers’ Victory for a “Free Exchange of Ideas”
“Congress shall make no law respec ng an establishment of religion, or prohibi ng the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to pe on the Government for a redress of grievances.” - Amendment I The U.S. Bill of Rights