The Quincy Club
The Quincy Club 2010 Internship report by Geerte Wessels
For the seventh year in a row, the John Adams Institute presented the highly popular Quincy Club Lectures. United States expert Frans Verhagen traveled from Limburg to Friesland to visit twenty Dutch high schools. Armed with newspaper cartoons and amusing or sometimes even shocking facts, he took his listeners on a journey through almost two centuries of American integration and immigration history. It was a journey that at times seemed to resemble our own historical journey: one of the cartoons shows for example an American Protestant who tries to protect a group of children from hungry alligators. These alligators, however, are special: they are wearing mitres and look surprisingly much like bishops. It is an anti-Catholic cartoon. The cartoon was made at a time when many Catholics immigrated to the United States. This new religion scared Protestant America. It is not hard to see some parallels between this and contemporary Europe.
The focus was on something more familiar during the second half of the lecture: the present day situation of immigration and integration in the Netherlands. Students were asked to think about two questions: “What makes you Dutch?” and “How do you think integration is going?” Answering these questions proved to be more difficult than most students imagined. Did the color orange make them Dutch? Sinterklaas? The Dutch soccer team? Or maybe the tolerant attitude of the Dutch? Could anyone become Dutch? It short, it was a great start to an often lively discussion. The question whether immigration is going well was also a difficult one. Mr. Verhagen provided his listeners with facts and numbers, so they could decide for themselves. Not everybody agreed with him or the other participants, but the lecture gave everyone plenty to think about.
The Quincy Club held interactive lectures series for Dutch highschool students on the following theme:
- The History of the American Immigration and Integration
- The US Presidential Elections
- The United States of America as Immigration land
Lectures given by Frans Verhagen (journalist, editor of www.amerika.nl and author).
We visited the following schools:
2010
The History of the American Immigration and Integration
02 nov. Sint Nicolaas Lyceum, Amsterdam
03 nov. Pieter Nieuwland College, Amsterdam
08 nov. Stedelijke Scholengem. Nijmegen, Jenaplan
08 nov. Kandinsky College, Nijmegen
09 nov. Titus Brandsma Lyceum, Oss
10 nov. Sint Jan's Lyceum, 's Hertogenbosch
10 nov. Elde College, Schijndel
11 nov. Het Goese Lyceum, Pontes
11 nov. Chr.Scholengem.Walcheren/vd Perre, Middelburg
16 nov. Simon Vestdijk, Harlingen
16 nov. RSG De Borgen, locatie Lindenborg, Leek
17 nov. Almere College, Dronten
18 nov. Penta College CSG Angelus Merula, Spijkenisse
22 nov. Raayland College, Venray
23 nov. Trevianum Scholengroep, Sittard
24 nov. Alfrink College, Zoetermeer
24 nov. Rijnlands Lyceum, Wassenaar
29 nov. Van der Capellen sg, Zwolle
29 nov. CSG Reggesteyn, Nijverdal
30 nov. Montessori Lyceum, Amsterdam
2009
The History of the American Immigration and Integration
09 Nov. Scala College, Alphen ad Rijn
09 Nov. Gymnasium Camphusianum, Gorinchum
10 Nov. Piter Jelles Gymnasium, Leeuwarden
12 Nov. Aloysius College, Den Haag
12 Nov. Rijswijks Lyceum, Rijswijk
13 Nov. Cygnus Gymnasium, Amsterdam
16 Nov.Theresias Lyceum, Tilburg
16 Nov. Pius X, Bladel
19 Nov. Laar & Berg, Laren
19 Nov. Caland Lyceum, Amsterdam
20 Nov. 4e Gymnasium, Amsterdam
23 Nov. R.S.G. Wolfsbos, Hoogeveen
23 Nov. Almere College, Dronten
24 Nov. Coenecoop College, Waddinxveen
24 Nov. Stedelijk Dalton Lyceum, Dordrecht
01 Dec. Scholengemeenschap, Stevensbeek
01 Dec. Raayland College, Venray
02 Dec. St Jan's Lyceum, 's-Hertogenbosch
02 Dec. Jeroen Bosch College, 's-Hertogenbosch
03 Dec. Titus Brandsma Lyceum, Oss
2008
The US Presidential Elections
22 Sept. Calvijn Groene Hart, Barendrecht
22 Sept. Coenecoop College, Waddinxveen
24 Sept. Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium, Oosterhout
24 Sept. Mgr. Frencken College, Oosterhout
25 Sept. Theresia Lyceum, Tilburg
26 Sept. Murmellius Gymnasium, Alkmaar
29 Sept. Goese Lyceum, Goes
29 Sept. Calvijn College, Goes
30 Sept. Rythovius College, Eersel
01 Oct. Bernardinus College, Heerlen
01 Oct. Strabrecht College, Geldrop
03 Oct. Groene Hart Lyceum, Alphen a/d Rijn
03 Oct. Scala College, Alphen a/d Rijn
07 Oct. Citycollege St Franciscus, Rotterdam
08 Oct. Elde College, Schijndel
08 Oct. Mondriaan College, Oss
09 Oct. St. Jan's Lyceum, Den Bosch
10 Oct. Werkplaats Kindergemeenschap, Bilthoven
14 Oct. Herman Wesselink College, Amstelveen
17 Oct. 4e Gymnasium, Amsterdam
2007
The United States of America as Immigration land
30 Oct. Carboon College St.Jan, Hoensbroek
01 Nov. Roncalli SG, Bergen op Zoom
01 Nov. Gynasium Juvenaat, Bergen op Zoom
06 Nov. Over Betuwe College, Bemmel
07 Nov. Stedelijk Dalton Lyceum, Dordrecht
08 Nov. Aloysius College, Den Haag
09 Nov. Van der Capellen SG, Zwolle
09 Nov. Revius, Doorn
13 Nov. Elde College, Schijndel
13 Nov. Jacob Roelands Lyceum, Boxtel
20 Nov. Accent College, Vlaardingen
21 Nov. Kandinsky College, Nijmegen
23 Nov. Openscholengemeenschap, Amsterdam
23 Nov. Hermann Wesselink College, Amstelveen
28 Nov. Raayland College, Venray
28 Nov. St. Jan's Lyceum, Den Bosch
03 Dec. College Hageveld, Heemstede
2005 / 2006
The United States of America as Immigration land
21 Nov. Over Betuwe College, Bemmel
21 Nov. ORS Lek en Ligne Multatullilaan, Culemborg
25 Nov. OSG WillemBlaeu, Alkmaar
28 Nov. Stedelijk College Zoetermeer
28 Nov. Oranje Nassau College, Zoetermeer
01 Dec. Citycollege St Franciscus, Rotterdam
05 Dec. ISG ARCUS, Lelystad
05 Dec. RSG Slingerbos / Levant, Harderwijk
14 Dec. Het Stedelijk Lyceum Zuid, Enschede
14 Dec. Chr. College Schaersvoorde, Aalten
20 Dec. Montessori Lyceum
19 Jan. Laar & Berg, Laren
23 Jan. OSG Piter Jelles Gymnasium, Leeuwarden
24 Jan. Van Lodenstein College, Amersfoort
24 Jan. 't Atrium, Amersfoort
26 Jan. Gymnasium Bernrode, Heeswijk
26 Jan. Christiaan Huijgens College, Eindhoven
27 Jan. Sophianum, Gulpen
30 Jan. St. Willibrord College, Goes
31 Jan. Gymnasium Felisenum, Velzen-zuid
