This book does not pretend to be a history of Sr. Maarten. Others more qualified than the author have written in much more detail the history of the island. The Dutch historians Dr. Knappert, Mr. Teenstra, and Dr. Hartog especially, have provided many details on the history of the island.
In our book several chapters will go into the details of the lives of people who through their examples have actually shaped the more recent history of the island.
St. Martin changed bands 22 rimes among the European nations. We contend that these changes of flag are insignificant when compared with the drastic changes of the past twenty years. We can only
speculate on the outcome for the island's people in the years to come and for generations to follow.
We contend that uncontrolled growth which only benefits foreign investors must be brought to a halt or else all vestiges of the rich history of the once unspoiled island of St. Maarten will be forever lost to future generations of the true people of St. Maarten, those who through their enslavement and their labour should by right be the real inheritors of the land over which the European powers fought so many
battles. We hope that they may be inspired by the lives of their ancestors and compatriots, and that through knowledge of the past they may liberate their
minds and find ways to assure their children of their rightful inheritance. Our only wish is that this little book will contribute to the preservation of memories of a St. Maarten we all knew and loved.
