Nothing At All - Chloe

Without a firm foundation set deeply in stone, the mightiest building is as good as rubble. Whether that building is a science theory, a dream of becoming a famous athlete, or a new colony, everything will fail without the base it needs. Often times, when man wants to reach something, he is focused on that goal, not the grounding he needs to establish before striving further. Sometimes the foundation is simply assumed to be strong, when it isn’t by any means. Several hundred years ago, many European countries were in a race with each other to colonize in the New World. Certain settlements thrived and survived, but others crumbled to the ground. One colony that falls in the latter category was that of New Amsterdam. The Dutch settlement failed because, with little vigor, weak authority tried to lead disloyal settlers and expected it to blossom into Holland’s first lasting colony.

Neither the Dutch government, nor the settlers going to the New World seemed to care very much if the colony survived very long. They had already forfeited their establishment in Connecticut to the English with hardly any resistance at all. They had also tolerated many English attacks which came without warrant, while they populated the Hudson. It seemed as if they felt lazy and didn’t want to fight off anyone, or really do anything but have fun in the New World while it lasted. Even if this wasn’t their intent, how they acted supported this attitude. When the English decided to take over New Amsterdam, the Dutch’s little motivation seemed to play out more than ever. Constantly irritable because of an ill-fitting wooden leg, the last governor of New Amsterdam called for the help of his people when the English demanded surrender. However, none of them settlers wanted to fight the invaders. In fact, many of the settlers themselves were from England. And besides, they were not very hesitant to abandon their inept Dutch leaders.

With all of these factors playing out, the settlement of New Amsterdam fell to the ground very quickly after faced with opposition from the English. All of a sudden, when hardships came they abandoned it all. Without the foundation of solid perseverance, strong leaders and loyal colonists, the New Amsterdam settlement fell right into the hands of the English. But what can the Dutch, or anyone for that matter, expect if they forget the foundation when trying to reach something. As it is with so many situations today, without the firm grounding they need, the mightiest buildings melt away to nothing at all.

-- Chloe (grade 8)