The History Of New York

The history of New York
, New York begins with the first European documentation of the area by Giovanni da Verrazzano, in command of the French ship, La Dauphine, when he visited the region in 1524. It is believed he sailed in Upper New York Bay where he encountered native Lenape, returned back through The Narrows where he anchored the night of April 17, and then left to continue his voyage. Henamed the area of present-day New York City Nouvelle-Angoulême (New Angoulême) in honor of Francis I of France, King of France and Count of Angoulême.[1]
European settlement began on September 3, 1609 when Englishman Henry Hudson in the employ of the Dutch East India Company sailed the Half Moon through The Narrows into Upper New York Bay. Like Christopher Columbus, Hudson was looking for awesterly passage to Asia. He never found one, but he did make note of the abundant beaver population. Beaver pelts were in fashion in Europe, fueling a lucrative business. Hudson's report on the beaver population of the New York area served as the impetus for the founding of Dutch trading colonies in the New World, among them New Amsterdam, which would become New York City. The beaver's importance inNew York City history is reflected by its use on the city's official seal.
The area around New York City was the location for multiple battles of the American Revolutionary War, including the largest battle of the war: the Battle of Brooklyn. The British won and went on to occupy the city from September 1776 to late 1783. George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the UnitedStates on April 30, 1789 in front of Federal Hall and the city served as the capital of the United States until 1790.
Modern New York City traces its development to the consolidation of the five boroughs in 1898 and an economic and building boom following the Great Depression and World War II. Throughout its history, New York City has served as a main port of entry for many immigrants, and itscultural and economic influences have made it one of the most important urban areas in the United States, and the world.
Lenape and New Netherland: prehistory – 1663
The area that would eventually encompass modern day New York City was inhabited by the Lenape people. These groups of culturally and linguistically identical Native Americans traditionally spoke an Algonquian language now referred to asUnami. Early European settlers would refer to bands of Lenape by the Unami place name for where they lived, such as: "Raritan" in what is now called Staten Island and New Jersey, "Canarsee" in what is now known as Brooklyn, and "Hackensack" in modern New Jersey across the Hudson River from current-day Lower Manhattan. Eastern Long Island neighbors were culturally and linguistically more closelyrelated to the Mohegan-Pequot peoples of what is now known as New England who spoke the Mohegan-Montauk-Narragansett language.
British and revolution: 1664–1783
In 1664, the English conquered the area and renamed it "New York" after the Duke of York and Albany.[11] The Dutch briefly regained it in 1673, renaming the city "New Orange", before permanently ceding the colony of New Netherland to theBritish for what is now Suriname in November 1674. Some area names are still reminisant of the Dutch period, most notably Flushing (Dutch town of Vlissingen), Harlem (Dutch town of Haarlem) and Brooklyn (Dutch town of Breukelen).
By 1700, the Lenape population of New York had diminished to 200.[12]
The new English rulers of the formerly Dutch New Amsterdam and New Netherland renamed the settlementNew York. As the colony grew and prospered, sentiment also grew for greater autonomy. In the context of the Glorious Revolution in England, Jacob Leisler led Leisler's Rebellion and effectively controlled the city and surrounding areas from 1689–1691, before being arrested and executed.
The 1735 libel trial of John Peter Zenger in the city was a seminal influence on freedom of the press in...