Dutch American Heritage Day remembered in historic Delfshaven

November 14, 2009

Ambassador Hartog Levin speaks with (from left to right): Mr. Terlien, Mr. Peters and Mr. Trap – Speaker, and Mr. van der Zwan . Photo: Stichting Nederland-Verenigde Staten

In honor of Dutch American Heritage Day, the Stichting Nederland-Verenigde Staten  organized a celebration of the strong ties and friendship between the Netherlands and the United States.  This year a special tribute was paid to the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim Fathers in the  beautiful  Pelgrimvaderskerk (Pilgrim Fathers’ Church) in Rotterdam-Delfshaven.

Speakers included H.J. Trap from the Stichting Oude Hollandse Kerken, Dr. Jeremy Bangs of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum and Joke Kardux from the American Studies Departments at the Universities of Leiden and Amsterdam.

On November 16, 1776, a small American warship, the "Andrew Doria", sailed into the harbor of the tiny Dutch island of St. Eustatius in the West Indies. Only 4 months before, the United States had declared its independence from Great Britain. The American crew was delighted when the governor of the island, Johannes de Graaf, ordered that his fort's cannons be fired in a friendly salute. The first ever given by a foreign power to the flag of the United States, it was a risky and courageous act. Indeed, angered by Dutch trading and contraband with the rebellious colonies, the British seized the island a few years later. De Graaf's welcoming salute was also a sign of respect, and today it continues to symbolize the deep ties of friendship that exist between the United States and the Netherlands.

As of 1991, November 16 is celebrated as “Dutch American Heritage Day.”