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A BRIEF HISTORY OF NEW YORK CITY

By Tim Lambert

17th Century New York

An Italian, Giovanni da Verrazano discovered New York Harbor

in 1524. In 1609 an Englishman, Henry Hudson, sailed up the
Hudson River. Then in 1624 the Dutch founded the first
permanent trading post. In 1626 the first governor, Peter Minuit,
bought the island of Manhattan from the Native Americans.

The Dutch built a little town on the southern tip of Manhattan

Island. It was called New Amsterdam and it flourished by selling
skins. The settlers sold otter, beaver, mink and seal skins.
However New Amsterdam was a tiny town with only about 1,500
inhabitants in the mid-17th century. However some farmers
cultivated the land on Manhattan and at Brooklyn. (The Bowery
takes its name from Bouwerie the Dutch word for farm).

Furthermore by no means all the early settlers were Dutch. They

included Walloons (from what is now Belgium), French people
and English people. The first Jews arrived in New Amsterdam in
1654. Meanwhile the first black slaves arrived in 1628. Slaves
played a major role in building the colony.

In New Amsterdam buildings were, at first, made of wood but in

time houses of stone or brick were erected. Thatched roofs were
banned in 1657 (because of the risk of fire).

In 1653 a wall was built across Manhattan Island to protect the

little town of New Amsterdam. The street next to it was called
Wall Street.
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In 1639 a Swede called Jonas Bronck settled in the Bronx, which

is named after him. A settlement was founded at Flushing in
1645.

In 1658 Dutch farmers built a village they called Nieuw Haarlem

(New Harlem) after a town in Holland. In the 18th century it
became a fashionable place for merchants to build country
houses in. The first settlement on Staten Island was made in
1661.

Meanwhile in 1647 Peter Stuyvesant (c. 1592-1672) became

governor of New Amsterdam. Stuyvesant was the son of a
Calvinist minister. He had a wooden leg. In 1647 Stuyvesant
wrote 'I shall govern you as a father his children'. (Remember
that fathers were much stricter in the 17th century than they are
today). He was as good as his word. Stuyvesant ruled very
strictly and he soon alienated the people. Stuyvesant ordered all
taverns to close at 9 pm. Nevertheless in 1653 Stuyvesant
established a municipal government for New Amsterdam based
on those of Dutch cities.

However in 1664 an English fleet arrived. Fearing the English

would sack the colony Stuyvesant surrendered. The Dutch briefly
recaptured New Amsterdam in 1673 but they lost it to the English
again in 1674. This time it was renamed New York in honor of
the Duke of York, brother of King Charles II. Meanwhile
Stuyvesant retired to a farm.

In 1689 a man named Jacob Leisler (1640-1691) staged a coup-

d'etat in New York. For his pains he was executed in 1691.

Trinity Church was dedicated in 1698.

Meanwhile in 1635 the Dutch built a fort called Fort Amsterdam.

The British later renamed it Fort George. In 1693 92 cannons
were installed to protect New York. The area became known as
the Battery.
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18th Century New York

By 1700 New York had a population of almost 5,000 and it

continued to grow rapidly. By 1776 the population was about
25,000. In 1800 New York City had about 60,000 inhabitants.

In the 18th century the main industry in New York was milling.
Grain was ground into flour by windmills. Meanwhile New York
Merchants also traded with Britain and the West Indies. There
was also a shipbuilding industry in New York in the 18th century.
The first shipyard opened in 1720.

There were still many slaves in New York in the 18th century. In
1712 slaves set fire to a building in Maiden Lane. They also
killed 9 white people who attempted to stop the fire. When
soldiers arrived 6 slaves committed suicide and another 21 were
captured and executed.

A horrific episode in the history of New York happened in 1741.

At that time a series of fires broke out. Fires were not unusual, of
course, but many people feared they were the result of arson.
They feared that there was a conspiracy among the slaves. The
authorities began to investigate. They questioned an indentured
servant named Mary Burton and she eventually claimed there
was a conspiracy of slaves and poor whites. (Indentured
servants had to pay the cost of their journey across the Atlantic
by working without wages for several years). Mary Burton was
later rewarded and released from her indenture for her part in
uncovering the 'conspiracy'. There is no proof that any such
conspiracy existed. Nevertheless as the hysteria spread 18
slaves were hanged and 13 were burned at the stake.
Furthermore 4 whites were hanged.

During the 18th century amenities in New York improved. The

first newspaper the New York Gazette began publication in 1725.
The first theater in New York opened in 1732. Kings College
(now Columbia University) was founded in 1754.
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The oldest park in New York is Bowling Green. It was first used
for lawn bowling in 1733. St Paul's Chapel was built in 1766. St
Marks Church-in-the-Bowery was built in 1799. Meanwhile the
Jews built their first synagogue in Mill Street in 1730.

In 1776 George Washington withdrew from New York leaving the

British army to occupy it. Then on 21 September 1776 New York
was struck by a great fire, which destroyed hundreds of houses.
Altogether about one quarter of the city was destroyed. The
British continued to occupy New York until the end of the war.
George Washington entered New York on 25 November 1783.

Life in 18th Century Colonial America

On 20 April 1789 Washington took his presidential oath at

Federal Hall.

Meanwhile after the war some New York streets were renamed.
King Street was renamed Pine Street and Queen Street was
renamed Pearl Street. However nearby Queens County (named
for Charles II's queen Catherine of Braganza) kept its original
name. Later Queens became a borough of New York.

The Bank of New York was founded in 1784. Until 1792 trading
in stocks and shares took place informally in and around Wall
Street. However in that year a group of merchants signed an
agreement to only deal with each other. That was the beginning
of the New York Stock Exchange.

In 1791 and 1798 New York suffered outbreaks of Yellow Fever.

However it's population grew rapidly.

19th Century New York

In 1811 a new fort called West Battery replaced Fort George. In

1815 it was renamed Castle Clinton after the mayor DeWitt
Clinton.

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At first New York City grew in a haphazard way. However in 1807

the governor of the state of New York appointed a commission to
draw up a plan for the city. The commission reported in 1811.
The plan proposed that new streets should be laid out on a grid
pattern. There would be 12 avenues running north to south and
155 streets running east to west. As New York City grew the grid
pattern spread north across Manhattan.

By 1820 New York had become the USA's largest city with a
population of 123,000. It continued to grow rapidly. By 1840 New
York had a population of 312,000. By 1860 it had 813,000
inhabitants.

However in 1835 fire destroyed much of the old district of New

York but it was soon rebuilt. In 1837 Harlem was connected to
New York by railway. As a result it grew rapidly.

Meanwhile New York boomed as a port. In 1807 Robert Fulton

launched a steamboat on the Hudson River. In 1818 ship owners
in New York formed the Black Ball Line, the first shipping line
between New York and Liverpool.

However the port of New York really boomed when the Erie
Canal was built. It allowed goods to be transported from the
coast to the interior cheaply and quickly. The shipbuilding
industry in New York flourished in the 19th century.

New York University was founded in 1831. New York City Police
Force was founded in 1845.

The Astor Place Riot occurred in May 1849. On 10 May 1849

English actor William Macready played Macbeth at Astor Place
Opera House. It was a time of anti-English feeling in New York
and an angry crowd gathered outside. The crowd then began to
riot. The National Guard was called and they fired on the rioters.
Altogether at least 25 civilians were killed and many more were
wounded. Afterwards 86 rioters were arrested.
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On 12 July 1863 New York City was rocked by draft riots. Angry
about a new law on conscription rioters roamed the streets until
Lincoln sent troops to quell the disorder. Many lives were lost
and a great deal of material damage was done.

Like other cities in the 19th century in Europe and North

America, New York was an unhealthy place. As a result cholera
struck New York in 1832 and in 1849. it returned in 1866.

Nevertheless amenities in New York City improved during the

19th century. Trinity Church was rebuilt in the 1840s. It was
consecrated in 1846. The architect was Richard Upjohn (1802-
1878). Macy's opened in 1858. Central Synagogue was built in
1870. Bloomingdales was founded in 1872. St Patrick's
Cathedral was dedicated in 1879.

In 1832 the first horse drawn streetcars ran in New York. The
first elevated railway in New York began carrying passengers in
1868. It was soon followed by many other elevated railways or
'els'. The first line of the New York subway opened in 1904.

The Croton Reservoir was built in 1842 to provide New York with
piped drinking water. Madison Square opened in 1847. The New
York Times began publication in 1851.

Washington Square Park was created in 1826. Then, in 1858

Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux created Central Park.
Prospect Park was laid out in 1867. Bryant Park was laid out in
1884. It was named after the poet William Cullen Bryant (1794-
1878).

Meanwhile the first telephones were installed in New York City in

1878. New York gained an electricity supply in the 1880s.
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Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883. Unfortunately on the opening

day a crowd on the bridge panicked, thinking it was going to
collapse. As a result 12 people were trampled to death.

The Museum of Natural History in New York was founded in

1869. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870.
Carnegie Hall opened in 1891. Bronx Zoo opened in 1899.

In 1883 Metropolitan Opera House was founded on Broadway. In

the early 20th century Broadway became famous for its theaters.

Meanwhile the Statue of Liberty was dedicated by President

Grover Cleveland on 28 October 1886. Then in 1888 New York
City was struck by a terrible blizzard and 400 people froze to
death.

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The Statue of Liberty

In the mid-19th century many Germans and Irish went to live in

New York. In the late 19th century many Italians arrived and in
the 1890s many Eastern European Jews came to New York.

In 1892 the United States Immigration Station opened on Ellis

Island. Between 1892 and its closure in 1954 almost 17 million
immigrants passed through Ellis Island. However restrictions
were placed on Chinese immigration in 1882, on Japanese in
1907 and on illiterate people in 1917. At the end of the 19th
century and the beginning of the 20th many African Americans
went to live in Harlem.

At that time many poor New Yorkers lived in tenements. They

were overcrowded, poorly ventilated and rooms often lacked
windows.

In 1892 a notorious slum called Five Points was demolished and

replaced by Columbus Park. Seward Park was created in 1901.

Furthermore at the end of the 19th century the garment trade in

New York boomed. However working conditions were often
appalling with people working very long hours for very low
wages.

On 15 June disaster struck New York. A ship called the General

Slocum was taking people on an excursion. It caught fire and
1,021 people were killed.

Furthermore on 25 March 1911 a dreadful fire at the Triangle

Shirtwaist Factory took the lives of 146 workers.

Meanwhile in 1898 the 5 boroughs were united under a single

municipal government. The city of New York had a population of
3.4 million.

20th Century New York

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In the 20th century New York City continued to grow. In the

1980s large numbers of Asians migrated to the city. By 1980
New York had a population of 7 million.

Many famous buildings were built in New York City in the early
20th century. The Flatiron Building was built in 1902. New York
Public Library opened in 1911. The Woolworth Building was
erected in 1913. The same year, 1913, Grand Central Station
opened. The Chrysler building was erected in 1930 and the
Empire State Building was erected in 1931. Also in 1931 the
General Electric Building was built. The Rockefeller Center was
built in 1932-1940.

Furthermore Times Square is named after the New York Times,

which moved there in 1904.

Meanwhile Williamsburg Bridge was built in 1903 and

Queensboro Bridge followed in 1909. Manhattan Bridge was also
built in 1909. George Washington Bridge was built in 1931.
Verrazano Narrows Bridge was built in 1964. Meanwhile Holland
Tunnel opened in 1927. It took 7 years to build and it was named
after chief engineer Clifford Holland (1883-1924). The tunnel
took 7 years to build and unfortunately Holland died before it was
completed.

Many museums opened in New York City during the 20th

century. The Museum of the city of New York was founded in
1923. The Museum of Modern Art was founded in 1929.
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney founded the Whitney Museum of
American Art in 1930. The Guggenheim Museum was founded in
1939 but it moved to a modern building in 1959.

Furthermore The Museum of American Folk Art was founded in

1961. South Street Seaport Museum was founded in 1967. The
Museum of The Moving Image opened in 1988. Ellis Island
Museum of Immigration opened in 1990.

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Other museums in New York include New York City Police

Museum (1929), Merchants House Museum (1936), American
Folk Art Museum (1961), Bronx Museum of the Arts (1971),
Staten Island Children's Museum (1974), Museum of Television
and Radio (1975), Ukrainian Museum, Museum of Chinese in the
Americas (1980), Museum of American Illustration (1981), New
York City Fire Museum (1987), Museum of American Financial
History (1988), Museum of Jewish Heritage (1997),

Furthermore many landmark buildings were erected in New York

City in the late 20th century including the General Motors
Building (1968), the IBM Building (1982), Jacob Javits
Convention Center (1986) and the World Financial Center
(1988). Furthermore the Lincoln Center was built in 1962-1969.

World Fairs were held in New York in 1939-40 and 1964-64.

However in 1965 there were also race riots in Harlem. Also in
1965 New York suffered a power blackout. Another blackout
happened in 1977.

In 1990 David Dinkins became the first African American Mayor

of New York. In 1993 Rudolph Giuliani was elected. He
succeeded in reducing crime in New York.

21st Century New York City

In 2001 tragedy struck when the World Trade Center was

destroyed in a terrorist attack. However New York recovered
from the attack.

In the 21st century New York continued to thrive. One World

Trade Center opened in 2014 and World Trade Center
Transportation Center opened in 2016. New York is still a busy
port. It is also a major industrial and financial center. New York
City is also, of course, an important tourist destination. In 2017
the population of New York City was 8.6 million.

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A timeline of New York

A brief history of Boston

A brief history of Philadelphia

A brief history of Washington DC

A brief history of New Orleans

A brief history of Detroit

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