History of New York City (prehistory–1664)
| History of New York City |
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Lenape and New Netherland, to 1664 New Amsterdam British and Revolution, 1665–1783 Federal and early American, 1784–1854 Tammany and Consolidation, 1855–1897 (Civil War, 1861–1865) Early 20th century, 1898–1945 Post–World War II, 1946–1977 Modern and post-9/11, 1978–present |
| See also |
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Transportation Timelines: NYC • Bronx • Brooklyn • Queens • Staten Island Category |
The history of New York City has been influenced by the prehistoric geological formation during the
last glacial period of the territory that is today New York City. The area was short inhabited by the Lenape; after initial European exploration in the 17th century, the Dutch established New Amsterdam
in 1624. In 1664, the British conquered the area and renamed it New York.
Lenape Settlement
According to archaeological digs, the first humans arrived in the region as early as 9,000 years ago. However, the area was abandoned, perhaps as a result of the local extinction of many large game species that were a source of food for the first settlers due to the warming climate of the area.
A second wave of inhabitants entered the region approximately 3,000 years ago and left behind more advanced hunting implements such as bows and arrows. The remains of approximately 8,000 such early encampments have been found throughout the city. The region has probably remained continually inhabited from that time.
By the time of the arrival of Europeans, the
New Angoulême to honor his patron, King Francis I of France.[10]
Dutch colonization
In 1613, the Dutch established a trading post on the western shore of
Juan Rodrigues was the first documented non-native to live on Manhattan Island.[11]
In 1614 the New Netherland company was established, and consequently they settled a second fur trading post in what is today
Huguenot families who were brought in primarily to farm the nearby land of lower Manhattan and supply the company operations with food. Sarah Rapelje (b.1625) was the first European born in the future New York City. Later in 1626, Peter Minuit purchased Manhattan Island and Staten Island from native people in exchange for trade goods.[12]
The Dutch took heavy advantage of the Indigenous reliance on
Five Boroughs
within two decades, leaving the Lenape largely dependent on the Dutch. As a result, the Indigenous population declined drastically throughout the 17th century through a combination of disease, starvation, and outward migration.
As the beaver trade shifted to
Jews
, and Africans, some of them as slaves.
_of_New_York_in_1679_at_Pearl_Street.jpg)
The Dutch origins can still be seen in many names in New York City, such as
Staaten
Eylandt").
Pavonia Massacre, across the Hudson River in present-day Jersey City resulted in the death of eighty Indigenous in February 1643. Following the massacre, eleven Algonquian tribes joined forces and nearly defeated the Dutch. Holland sent additional forces to the aid of Kieft, which took part in the overwhelming defeat of the Indigenous, leading to a peace treaty on August 29, 1645, to end the war.[14]
Manhattan Island was in some measure self-selected as a future metropolis by its extraordinary natural harbor formed by
Manhattan schist, a hard metamorphic rock that is ideal for foundations
of large buildings.
English conquest
In 1664, British ships entered
Gravesend Bay in modern Brooklyn, and troops marched to capture the ferry across the East River to the city, with minimal resistance: the governor at the time, Peter Stuyvesant, was unpopular with the residents of the city. Articles of Capitulation 1664 were drawn up, the Dutch West India Company
's colors were struck on September 8, 1664, and the soldiers of the garrison marched to the East River for the trip home to the Netherlands. The date of 1664 appeared on New York City's corporate seal until 1975, when the date was changed to 1625 to reflect the year of Dutch incorporation as a city and to incidentally allow New York to celebrate its 350th anniversary just 11 years after its 300th.
The British renamed the colony New York, after the king's brother James, Duke of York and on June 12, 1665, appointed Thomas Willett the first of the mayors of New York. The city grew northward, remaining the largest and most important city in the colony of New York.
Notes
- ^ Stevenson W. Fletcher, Pennsylvania Agriculture and Country Life 1640–1840 (Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1950), 2, 35–37, 63–65, 124.
- ^ Day, Gordon M. "The Indian as an Ecological Factor in the Northeastern Forests." Ecology, Vol. 34, #2 (April): 329–346. New England and New York Areas 1580–1800. Notes that the Lenni Lenape (Delaware) tribe in New Jersey and the Massachuset tribe in Massachusetts used fire in ecosystems.1953
- ^ Russell, Emily W.B. Vegetational Change in Northern New Jersey Since 1500 A.D.: A Palynological, Vegetational and Historical Synthesis Ph.D. dissertation. New Brunswick, PA: Rutgers University. Author notes on page 8 that Indians often augmented lightning fires. 1979
- ^ Russell, Emily W.B. "Indian Set Fires in the Forests of the Northeastern United States." Ecology, Vol. 64, #1 (Feb): 78 88. 1983a Author found no strong evidence that Indians purposely burned large areas, but they did burn small areas near their habitation sites. Noted that the Lenna Lenape Tribe used fire.
- ^ A Brief Description of New York, Formerly Called New Netherlands with the Places Thereunto Adjoining, Likewise a Brief Relation of the Customs of the Indians There, New York, NY: William Gowans. 1670. Reprinted in 1937 by the Facsimile Text Society, Columbia University Press, New York. Notes that the Lenni Lenape (Delaware) tribe in New Jersey used fire in ecosystems.
- ^ Smithsonian Institution—Handbook of North American Indians series: Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 15—Northeast. Bruce G. Trigger (volume editor). Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution. 1978 References to Indian burning for the Eastern Algonquians, Virginia Algonquians, Northern Iroquois, Huron, Mahican, and Delaware Tribes and peoples.
- ^ Mark Kurlansky, 2006 [page needed]
- ^ Dreibelbis, 1978 [page needed]
- ISBN 9780199729104.
- ^ Koussa, Nicolas (April 12, 2016). "Quand New York s'appelait Angoulême : une conférence le 21 avril" (in French). French Morning. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Letter of Pieter Schaghen (not Peter Schaghen) from Dutch National Archive, The Hague, with transcription Archived October 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Journal of New Netherland 1647. Written in the Years 1641, 1642, 1643, 1644, 1645, and 1646". World Digital Library. 1641–1647. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ^ Ellis, Edward Robb (1966). The Epic of New York City. Old Town Books. pp. 37–40.
References
- Bridenbaugh, Carl. Cities in the Wilderness-The First Century of Urban Life in America 1625-1742 (1938) online edition
- Morison, Samuel Eliot (1972) [1965]. "From the Hudson to the James 1626–1675: 1. New Netherland and New York". The Oxford History of the American People: Prehistory to 1789. New York: New American Library.
- Hunter, Douglas (2009). Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage That Redrew the Map of the New World. New York: ISBN 978-1-59691-680-7.
HENRY HUDSON'S PRECISE WHEREABOUTS in his first week in the vicinity of present-day New York have long caused debate and disagreement. A major challenge in deciphering the events of the Half Moon voyage is the fact that the geographic tableau has changed enormously in four centuries
Further reading
- Jackson, Kenneth T. and David S. Dunbar, eds. Empire City: New York Through the Centuries (2005), 1015 pages of excerpts excerpt
- Stokes, I.N. Phelps. The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909 compiled from original sources and illustrated by photo-intaglio reproductions of important maps plans views and documents in public and private collections (6 vols., 1915–28). A highly detailed, heavily illustrated chronology of Manhattan and New York City. see The Iconography of Manhattan Island All volumes are on line free at:
- I.N. Phelps Stokes; The Iconography of Manhattan Island Vol 1. 1915 v. 1. The period of discovery (1524-1609); the Dutch period (1609-1664). The English period (1664-1763). The Revolutionary period (1763-1783). Period of adjustment and reconstruction; New York as the state and federal capital (1783-1811)
- I.N. Phelps Stokes; The Iconography of Manhattan Island Vol 2. 1916 v. 2. Cartography: an essay on the development of knowledge regarding the geography of the east coast of North America; Manhattan Island and its environs on early maps and charts / by F.C. Wieder and I.N. Phelps Stokes. The Manatus maps. The Castello plan. The Dutch grants. Early New York newspapers (1725-1811). Plan of Manhattan Island in 1908
- I.N. Phelps Stokes; The Iconography of Manhattan Island Vol 3. 1918 v. 3. The War of 1812 (1812-1815). Period of invention, prosperity, and progress (1815-1841). Period of industrial and educational development (1842-1860). The Civil War (1861-1865); period of political and social development (1865-1876). The modern city and island (1876-1909)
- I.N. Phelps Stokes; The Iconography of Manhattan Island Vol 4. 1922; v. 4. The period of discovery (565-1626); the Dutch period (1626-1664). The English period (1664-1763). The Revolutionary period, part I (1763-1776)
- I.N. Phelps Stokes; The Iconography of Manhattan Island Vol 5. 1926; v. 5. The Revolutionary period, part II (1776-1783). Period of adjustment and reconstruction New York as the state and federal capital (1783-1811). The War of 1812 (1812-1815); period of invention, prosperity, and progress (1815-1841). Period of industrial and educational development (1842-1860). The Civil War (1861-1865); Period of political and social development (1865-1876). The modern city and island (1876-1909)
- I.N. Phelps Stokes; The Iconography of Manhattan Island Vol 6. 1928; v. 6. Chronology: addenda. Original grants and farms. Bibliography. Index.
External links
- New York and its origins Archived March 8, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Legend and Reality (about the Walloon contributions to the founding of New York City)