American History Matters

Author: [USA] A. de Jongh
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: This book is dedicated to Bill Johnson and Heidi-Belle, who embody a pure and precious virtue, the best gift bestowed upon this suffering world by God so far, and one of the virtues of our nation—empathy. De Jongh always writes from the perspective of all humanity. Although as a Dutchman who moved to the United States after turning twenty, he inevitably writes more about the West he knows and is more fond of his homeland, he is certainly not a Western-centric thinker. This book describes the history of the United States before and after its founding. The main content includes: the desire for more and cheaper spices, an unexpected encounter with the world, faith, gold and Native Americans, land of no value, Champlain learning the skill of kayaking, Dr. Calvin examining the present and the afterlife, pagans transforming into pirates, Native American sacred herbs, a new heaven at minus 20 degrees, disappointment in the homeland leading people to establish a happy and entirely new England, the failure of the Dutch West India Company's investments, Swedes who had reached the Americas 200 years earlier, a colony open to all nations, pioneering at the mercy of fate, a nation under the control of divine will, etc.