New York History

New York City is a sprawling metropolis on the east coast of the U.S., known throughout the world for its diversity, frenetic pace, and iconic skyline. With over 8 million residents covering over 320 square miles, it is easily the largest city in the nation and, indeed, one of the 15 largest in the world. The City of New York is a center for culture, transportation, and trade. As home to the United Nations, it is also a center for diplomacy throughout the world.

New York City encompasses five boroughs, each of which occupies a separate county and large enough to be considered a city in its own right. Brooklyn, located in Kings County, is the most populous of the boroughs and was actually an independent city until it was incorporated into the City of New York in 1898. Queens, located in Queens County, traverses the width of Long Island and is the home of New York's two major airports - LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International. The Bronx, in Bronx County, is the only New York borough located on the mainland and is home to New York's legendary baseball team, the New York Yankees (also known as the "Bronx Bombers"). Staten Island, located in Richmond County and accessed by the Staten Island Ferry, is the most rural of the boroughs and is primarily residential. But the city's most famous borough, and the one that comes to mind when most people picture New York City, is Manhattan, located in New York County. This island, flanked to either side by the Hudson and East Rivers, is the most densely populated part of New York City and is home to most of its famous skyscrapers. The diversity of New York City can be overwhelming to the uninitiated. Harlem, Chinatown, Astoria, Tribeca, Chelsea, Greenwich Village, Midtown, East Village, Soho - each neighborhood boasts its own culture, its own heritage and its own personality.

Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the Manhattan area was inhabited by the Lenape natives, who called the land Manna-hata ("island of many hills"). The first explorer to encounter the Lenape was Givanni da Verrazzano, who discovered the island in 1524 and named it New Angoulême in honor of Francis I, King of France and Count of Angoulême. Henry Hudson explored the area more fully in 1609, while searching for a route to India on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. He sailed up the river that now bears his name, mapping New York until he arrived at present day Albany. The Dutch settled the area over the next 20 years, calling it New Amsterdam. It was seen as a land of opportunity and religious freedom, especially for the Huguenots (or French Calvinists).

In 1626, Dutch political director Peter Minuit made his legendary deal with the Lenape, purchasing Manhattan Island and Staten Island from them.. The popular story, long since disproved, is that Minuit paid only $24 in glass beads and trinkets for the land. However, in actuality, Minuit exchanged a considerable amount of trade goods for the islands. The Lenape, who found the concept of owning land ridiculous, no doubt felt they had come out ahead in the bargain.

In 1640, Peter Stuyvesant became governor of New Amsterdam. Fearing an assault from the British, Stuyvesant requisitioned money from the Dutch West India Company to construct a massive, spiked wall along the northern end of the city (now known as Wall Street). The British did attack, but by sea rather than land, and had little trouble conquering Manhattan Island in 1664. The British renamed the city and the state New York, in honor of James II, King of England and Duke of York.

As part of the British colonies, the City of New York grew to prominence as a trading center. However, there were already grumblings from the colonists, who resented the policies of James II. In 1689, while James had his hands full with the Glorious Revolution in England, a colonist named Jacob Leisler led an insurrection in New York City, seizing control of the area until 1691. James was overthrown, but his successor, William III, sent British troops to retake the city. Royal authority was restored and Leisler was executed for his rebellion. The incident galvanized the city into two factions, those who supported British rule (Loyalists) and those who supported independence (Patriots). Leisler's Rebellion demonstrated to the colonists just how vulnerable their British rulers were, and inspired a number of uprisings against royal governors throughout the colonies. The first major battle of the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Long Island, was fought in 1776. The British overran the American soldiers and captured New York City. In the aftermath of the battle, Patriot Nathan Hale ("I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.") was hanged in the Park of Artillery, and nearly a quarter of the city was lost in what was later dubbed the Great Fire of New York. The British occupied the City of New York until 1783, when the war ended.

New York City served as the first capital of the U.S. from 1788 to 1790, and President George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall in 1789. During the 1800s, the city grew as a major economic power with the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, and became known as the "Empire State." With the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, New York enhanced its status as a transportation and shipping center, and its ports soon became some of the busiest in the world. Immigration rose sharply immediately following the Civil War, as millions of immigrants arrived at Ellis Island. The Statue of Liberty, a gift from the French in 1886, stood on an island at the mouth of the Hudson, offering for many their first glimpse of the promise America would hold.

The later 1800s also saw the rise of the corrupt political machine behind the closed doors of Tammany Hall. William M. "Boss" Tweed was New York City's most famous political boss, making illegal deals with the old world gangs and crooked politicians from Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Tweed made the bulk of his money by overcharging the city for construction projects and materials. Just how much money he plundered from the City of New York is still unknown, but has been estimated from $25 million to $200 million. Despite his criminal activities, Tweed was also responsible for widening Broadway along the Upper West Side, building hospitals and orphanages, and securing the land for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His criminal regime came to an ignoble end in 1871, when one of his associates became dissatisfied with the amount of money he was receiving and gave evidence of the corruption to The New York Times. Despite an offer of $5 million from Tweed not to publish the evidence, the Times ran the story. Tweed was tried and convicted in 1873, and died in the Ludlow Street Jail some years later.

With the early 20th century came an era of prosperity. The five separate boroughs were consolidated together to form "Greater New York" in 1898. The subway system, constructed in 1904, helped to bind the new city together and Grand Central Terminal quickly grew to become one of the busiest train stations in the world.. The New York Times moved its offices to a new location near 42nd street, which was dubbed Times Square in its honor. The Chrysler Building was erected in 1929 and held the distinction as the world' largest skyscraper for just over a year, until the Empire State Building went up just over a year later. Even during the Great Depression, the New York City continued to grow; many of the city's landmark Art-Deco skyscrapers were constructed during this time. The election of reformist mayor Fiorello LaGuardia was the final nail in the coffin of Tammany Hall.

During this time, New York City also underwent its Harlem Renaissance, as jazz musicians began flocking to the city to play in its many clubs, such as the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom. It was these musicians who dubbed Manhattan "The Big Apple," since the audiences were thought to be "the biggest, hippest, and most appreciative in the country." After World War II, New York enjoyed another economic boom that lasted well into the 1960s. The 1970s proved grueling for the city, as the nation was in a recession and crime was high. Wall Street rebounded in the 1980s, and benefited greatly from the dot com boom of the 1990s. Mayor Rudy Giuliani led the somewhat controversial efforts to clean up the city, doing away with adult theaters and strip clubs that had come to proliferate Times Square.

On September 11, 2001, New York City (and the U.S. as a whole) suffered perhaps the most devastating blow in its history. Nearly 3,000 people were killed when terrorists hijacked two commercial airliners and flew them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Despite the sheer magnitude of the tragedy, the City of New York rebounded quickly and bravely insisted on maintaining "business as usual." The clearing of the wreckage was completed ahead of schedule, and plans are currently underway to construct a new tower on the World Trade Center site. The Freedom Tower will stand exactly 1,776 feet tall (in honor of the year that America declared her independence), and is scheduled for construction between 2006 and 2010.