Comments by "Lynott Parris" (@DenUitvreter) on "How did the Dutch create a colonial empire?" video.

I don't believe the WIC's Grand Design was aimed at the slavetrade though. The WIC was still dominated by calvinists who believed slavetrade was unchristian, it was another bad thing the catholics did. They were at the African West coast for the ivory and the gold and New Netherland was supposed to be an ordinary agricultural settlement with protestant settlers, not a plantation economy. Only with the conquest of Dutch Brazil from the Portuguese the WIC permitted the governor to conquer Portuguese slave trading posts in Africa, but under the condition that they would be freed after seven years and were educated in christianity in the mean time.
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