William Matthews
The Tangled Relationship Between New York and the Dutch Caribbean, 1600-1700
The unique syncretic culture of New Netherland and its successor state of New York, is directly tied to its intertwined history with the Dutch Caribbean and Northern Brazil. Join Matthews as he examines both the humanity and horror that these nascent trading voyages left in their wake, forever linking one of the most important cultural streams of the future United States, to far flung places such as Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba. This presentation will cover an incredible set of translated Dutch documentary evidence from the New York State Archives, honoring and highlighting the work of Dr. Charles Gehring and Dr. Janny Venema from the New Netherland Project.
William Matthews, MA, currently serves on the Board of The Friends of Philipse Manor Hall NYS Historical Site. He is the editor and producer of the historical podcast ‘New York, Quebec and The Water Route to the Center of the World.’ Previously he worked as a local Advanced Placement Teacher and History Department Chair in NYC, with more than 15 years of experience in the classroom. William has received scholarships from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, The Williamsburg Teacher Institute and the Fort Ticonderoga War College. He has presented at both national history and educational conferences, while maintaining membership in The French Colonial Historical Society, The Society for Military History and The Holland Society of New York.
