Tussenland Upheavals: Difference between revisions

The colony of [[Meerenland]] already had calls for a more responsible government as early as the 1830s. However, severe protests began when Casimir van Boetsselaer was appointed Director of Meerenland in 1854. Van Boetsselaer was described as "an out-of-touch and aloof statesman." He was one of the few Directors in Meerenland history, unable to speak a word of French. However, his refusal to learn the language made him infamous in Meerenland. In 1855, he penned Meerenland's controversial Dutch Language Act ([[Amerikaens]]: ''Ackt op de Officiël Tallentallen v'n de Mîrenlandt),'' which designated Hollandic Dutch the only official language of government and recognized the Amerikaens variant of Dutch. Although the act mentioned nothing prohibiting the French language nor limiting its usage outside government, this act had upset the French-speaking elites and commonfolk alike.