THE COMMERCE BETWEEN THE UNITED 
STATES AND THE NETHERLANDS, 1783-1789 
I 
GENERAL CONDITIONS 
Certain conditions and facts both in the Netherlands and 
in the United States favored a relatively extensive trade be- 
tween these two countries during- the period between the 
American Revolution and the establishment of the new Amer- 
ican federal government. These may be hastily sketched 
before the detailed narrative of events and facts is under- 
taken. The conditions in the Netherlands and on the side 
of the Dutch will be mentioned first. The Dutch people were 
a commercial people by habit and training thru a long period 
of historical evolution. The physical features of their coun- 
try that they had in part reclaimed from the sea, their expe- 
riences in defending this country against powerful neighbors 
thru reliance upon sea-warfare, and their possession of the 
richest colonial empire had made them a seafaring people. 
They not only knew the ‘Tricks of trade’' as then practiced — 
how to exploit, how to smuggle, how to introduce their goods 
into foreign markets — but they were willing to go a long way 
toward sacrificing almost every other consideration to the end 
that they might make money thru their commercial activities. 
No doubt every nation has at some time been charged by some- 
one with such an attitude, but the Dutch at this particular 
time seem to have deserved the criticism to an uncommon 
degree. Real patriotism, real voice in government, real na- 
tional independence and honor might all go, if only they might 
ply their trade. Patriotism was still being talked about, and the 
Dutch still liked to retell the story of their struggle for inde- 
pendence, but there was a frightful tendency for every in- 
dividual to interpret his patriotic duty in the light of his own 
personal interests. There was a Patriot party, but this was 
self-styled. The members of this party claimed to favor a 
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