The council of Nine Men was a citizens board and a form of representational democracy in
New Netherland
New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...
. It replaced the previous councils, the
Twelve Men
The Council of Twelve Men was a group of 12 men, chosen on 29 August 1641 by the residents of New Netherland to advise the Director of New Netherland, Willem Kieft, on relations with the Native Americans due to the murder of Claes Swits. Although ...
and the
Eight Men
The council of Eight Men was an early representational democracy in New Netherland. It replaced the previous Twelve Men and was followed by the Nine Men.
Council
In 1643 Abraham Pietersen Van Deusen who had served on the Twelve Men, council of twe ...
. Members of the council were elected in 1647, 1649, 1650 and 1652. On July 26, 1649, eleven current and former members of the board signed the ''Petition of the Commonality of New Netherland'', which requested that the States General take action to encourage
economic freedom
Economic freedom, or economic liberty, is the ability of people of a society to take economic actions. This is a term used in economic and policy debates as well as in the philosophy of economics. One approach to economic freedom comes from the l ...
and force local government like that in the Netherlands, removing the colony from the control of the
Dutch West India Company
The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...
. It became the basis for the municipal government when the city of
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...
received its charter in 1653.
Members
Members and the year of election:
*Key
:
= Member of the council
:
= Chairman
See also
*
Burgomaster
Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...
*
Voorleser
Voorleser was the title given to a highly responsible citizen in New Netherland and later Dutch colonies, who had semi-official duties in local law, education and religion.
Origin and use
The word ''voorleser'' as used in English texts is a varia ...
*
Schepen A schepen (Dutch; . ') or échevin (French) or Schöffe (German) is a municipal officer in Belgium and formerly the Netherlands. It has been replaced by the ' in the Netherlands (a municipal executive).
In modern Belgium, the ''schepen'' or ''éch ...
*
Schout
In Dutch-speaking areas, a ''schout'' was a local official appointed to carry out administrative, law enforcement and prosecutorial tasks. The office was abolished with the introduction of administrative reforms during the Napoleonic period.
Fun ...
*
Maryn Adriansen Maryn Adriansen (1600 – c.1654) (also spelled Maryn Adriaensen, Marinus Adriaensz, Marijn Adriaensz, Marin Adriaensz, Marinus Ariaens) was an early settler to New Netherland. Originally emigrating under an Indenture agreement he later became a pro ...
*
Abraham Isaacsen Verplanck
References
{{reflist
Nonets
*
1647 establishments in the Dutch Empire