Dutch Americans lands and the Dutch were confronted with a new phenomenon: Native American raids. As the local tribes had now realized that the Dutch were not simply visitors but people set to settle their land. The Dutch realized that they had gone with the wrong approach as they offered great privileges to wealthy citizens instead of the poor ones. It was not until 1656 that the Dutch state abandoned its passivity and decided to actively support New Netherland. The Dutch state issued a proclamation which stated that ""all mechanics and farmers who can prove their ability to earn a living here
Dutch West Indian Americans Dutch West Indian Americans Dutch West Indian Americans or Dutch Antillean Americans are Americans of Dutch Antillean descent. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures there 54,377 Americans under the category of "Dutch West Indian". In the 2000 US Census, the number of Americans reported whose origins are in the Dutch West Indian was of 35,359. In this Census (and to difference of the 2010 US Census whose Dutch West Indian ethnics were not mentioned of individual way) a total of 1,970 people affirmed just be of Aruban descent, while only 352 people claimed descent from people of St. Maarten.