New York City is an American city in the U.S state of New York. It is the most populated city in the United States. The city consists of five boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, The Bronx, and Queens. As of 2020, New York City's population was 18,804,000, with many of its citizens coming from various parts of the world. Throughout history it has been a popular destination for immigrants, with Ellis Island serving as an immigration center from the 1800's-1900's.
History[]
Colonial Era[]
New York City was founded in 1624 as New Amsterdam by a Dutch republic called the United Providences 100 years after being first discovered by the Spanish explorer, Giovanni da Verrazzano and later by the English explorer, Henry Hudson. The Dutch purchased Manhattan from the Lenape for $1,000. For 40 years, the Dutch would colonize the area until 1664 when it was taken over by the English during the Second Anglo-Dutch War and it became a major trading center for Great Britain. The British built the city larger and larger on Manhattan island through the years, establishing Columbia University, then known as King's College
American Revolution[]
During the 1770's, the city became the home of many new ideas and new found patriotism during the American Revolution. 1775, the Sons of Liberty were formed there, making the city the epicenter of the revolutionary cause. In 1776, 32,000 British Redcoats fought George Washington's forces in the Battle of Long Island which resulted in a British victory and forcing Washington's army to retreat in New Jersey. After this, the city would become the British Army's main operating center during the war until the British evacuated in 1783, following the end of the revolution and for a short while was the capital of the United States before deciding on Washington D.C for the capital in 1790.
Industrial Revolution[]
During the industrial Revolution, New York rapidly developed, with buildings going up rapidly and it became the biggest immigration center in the country, with many Irish beginning the surge of immigrants due to the Potato Famine in Ireland. The Irish would be followed by the Polish, Russians Africans, Jews and Germans to name a few. During the American Civil War the city became the most important state in the Union Army and after the end of the war, with millions of people immigrating from all over the world, the city became a multicultural center, earning it the nickname of "the great melting pot".
New York Rises into the Sky[]
In 1898, the cities of Brooklyn, Manhattan and The Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens were all unified into one city. During the 1910's and 1920's, the city saw building rising higher and higher into the sky as the population grew, hitting 10,000,000 in the 1930's. After World War II, New York saw a huge economic boom which led the city to become the leading city of the world and the center of world trade. In 1952, New York City became the center for international relations when the United Nations Headquarters was completed that year. New York replaced Paris as the art center of the world, with artists immigrating to America and broadway becoming the center of theater, as well as becoming the center for the gay liberation movement in 1969.
Later 20th Century[]
The 1970's saw a spike in crime and decline in New York as the city was undergoing a period of industrial reconstruction. This decline led to poverty and unrest in the city which prompted riots in Attica and Manhattan. Despite this, the government managed to recover during the 1980's, but the crime rate soared in the 1980's, 1989 being the worst. Also during this time the city was hit hard by the HIV/AIDS Epidemic as well as the flood of cocaine, crack, and heroin which led to many American deaths. During the 1990's, New York was able to recover from the two decades of hard ships through, better policing, financial opportunities, and overall development in the city, with large transportation networks springing up.
21st Century[]
The 21st Century did not begin well for New York City as it was the site of the 9/11 attacks on September 11, 2001 when four airplanes were hijacked and two flew into the twin tower complex of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. During this time, mayor Rudy Giuliani used police to crush most crime in the city, with New York becoming yet again a "world city" with immigrants still flooding in.
In 2008, the Great Recession hit New York and the world hard and in 2016, New York businessman, Donald Trump ran and won the presidential election. His campaign and election causing much controversy. That same election, another New Yorker named Bernie Sanders ran for president but lost, he then decided to run again in 2020. In March of 2020, New York City became the epicenter for the COVID19 Outbreak in the United States with many New Yorker's dying from the disease.
