Degrees of Britishness: The People of Albany, New York, and Questions of Cultural Community Membership, 1763-1775

Following the French and Indian War, Albanians believed themselves to be British, but visiting Britons did not recognize them as fellow countrymen. New World Dutch architecture, the Albany Dutch dialect, and the Dutch Reformed Church contributed to the British view of the Albanians as inter-imperial foreigners: subjects who lived within the British empire, but stood outside of the British cultural community. This paper, drawn from Covart’s larger book project, explores the Albanians’ response, which ranged from rebuilding efforts to public protest.