The author shows how the bakers managed this opposition. The reading also showed the importance of bread in this area; showing how important it was. To show how bread was in high demand, the author writes: “The average Amsterdammer got about 2,500 to 3,000 calories a day” (7). The author explains how the bakers felt a sense of unity in the face of the mayors and were thus able to express their disagreement with politics in a civilized and coherent manner. Because they felt that their rights were being violated, some bakers compared their plight to that of slavery. Even though they were controlled by other people, bakers still enjoyed freedom (unlike slaves) because they were citizens of the country. A man named Peter Stuyvesant was sent to New Amsterdam to help resolve these problems. Although he established certain rules and regulations for the bakers to follow, they did not view him very favorably. He did not consider inflation as a factor in his decision making, which was a big mistake. Bakers simply chose not to bake after being informed of this situation, leading to a bread shortage. Stuyvesant threatened bakers with closure