Catalina Trico
One of New Netherland’s first settlers recounts her earliest memories of life in the colony.
Hardenbroeck v. the Orphanmasters
This document illuminates the way the Dutch Orphanmasters’ Court protected the inheritance rights of young women, and one mother’s attempt to keep them from meddling in her affairs.
Life Story: Dorothy Angola
The story of one of the first enslaved women brought to New Netherland.
French Colonies
French Colonies Key Ideas 1. French women were vastly outnumbered by French men in New France during the colony’s first century. 2. Compared to traditional French society, the governance of the French colonies allowed for greater economic and personal autonomy among women. 3. The labor and collaboration of Indigenous and enslaved Black women was critical to the survival of New France. Introduction Carte de la Nouvelle France, 1700. Musée de la civilisation, fonds d'archives du Séminaire de Québec. Women in the French Colonies, 1624-1715 The kings of France wanted a colonial presence in North America to keep up with their European rivals, but they devoted fewer resources to developing and populating their holdings there, instead devoting their attention to the more profitable sugar plantations in the Caribbean. The French
Spanish Colonies
Spanish Colonies Key Ideas 1. Women played critical roles in the Spanish conquest of the Americas.2. Women in the Spanish colonies found many ways to challenge and subvert the patriarchy of Spanish colonial society.3. Indigenous women played a proactive role in tribal responses to Spanish colonization.4. The cruelties of the encomienda and enslavement systems fell particularly hard on women. Introduction Johann Baptist Homann, Regni Mexicani seu Novæ Hispaniæ, Ludovicianæ, N. Angliæ, Carolinæ, Virginiæ et Pensylvaniæ, necnon insvlarvm archipelagi Mexicani in America Septentrionali, 1759. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division. Women in the Spanish Colonies, 1492–1715 The popular narrative of the Spanish conquest and colonization of the Americas is hyper-masculine. In the traditional stories, daring male explorers returned to Spain with tales of vast populations and wealth, paving
English Colonies
English Colonies Key Ideas 1. The English common law practice of coverture limited the legal and economic opportunities of married women in the English colonies, and English colonial courts actively enforced gender roles and women’s subordination. 2. The knowledge enslaved women brought to the English colonies was critical to the economic success of the colonies. 3. Native American women played a proactive role in responses to English colonization. 4. In spite of their legal and cultural limitations, English women in the colonies made important contributions to the Enlightenment. Introduction Henry Popple, A map of the British Empire in America with the French and Spanish Settlements adjacent thereto, 1734. New-York Historical Society Library. Women in the English Colonies, 1607–1715 The history of the early English colonies in North America
Dutch Colonies
Dutch Colonies Key Ideas 1. Women were an integral part of the daily life, culture, and success of New Netherland. 2. Dutch women participated in colonial politics and trade. 3. Free and enslaved Black women in New Netherland had to navigate a challenging and often unclear set of social mores and legal boundaries. 4. Native American women played a proactive role in responses to Dutch colonization. Introduction Nicholas Jansz Visscher. Novi Belgii noaeque Angliae nec non partic Virginiae tabula multi in locis emendata, 1682. New-York Historical Society Library. Women in the Dutch Colonies, 1624–1715 In 1621 the government of the Dutch Republic granted the Dutch West India Company a monopoly over all Dutch trade in the Americas. This was the beginning of an organized Dutch effort to establish
Supplemental Materials
Supplemental Materials Art Activities Vermeer's Portrait of Wealth and Trade The trade empire created by the Dutch Republic in the 1600s was far-reaching and lucrative, and women were involved in every phase: as traders, manufacturers, consumers, and more (see Life Story: Johanna de Laet). Johannes Vermeer captures this in his painting Young Woman with a Water Pitcher. He embeds symbolic references and imported goods into this quiet domestic scene, reflecting the prevailing influence of global trade on Dutch society and the private sphere. The materials of the woman's outfit come from Asia and she is surrounded by symbols of Dutch trade, like the carpet from India and silver from South America. Four hundred years later, global trade is still essential to the success of many economies, including that of the United States. Imported products are
Life Story: Dennis and Hannah Holland
This is the story of a mother and daughter in Maryland who became trapped in a perpetuating cycle of indenture and transgression.
Life Story: Marie-Josèphe Angélique (ca. 1705-1734)
This is the story of an enslaved woman who was accused of burning down forty-five homes and businesses in Montreal in 1734.
