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127-763: The First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in 1774 in response to escalating tensions between the colonies and the British, which culminated in passage of the Intolerable Acts by the British Parliament following the Boston Tea Party . The First Congress met for about six weeks, mainly to try to repair the fraying relationship between Britain and the colonies while asserting the rights of colonists , proclaiming and passing

254-740: A Chabad-Lubavitch synagogue, an Orthodox synagogue, and two Reform synagogues. Albany is also home to one of the few Karaite synagogues outside Israel. As of 2008, the total membership in Albany's synagogues was estimated at 12,000-13,000, with half the members residing outside the city. Since the early 2000s, there has been an increase in Orthodox Jews moving to Albany from the New York Metro area, largely due to cheaper housing prices and closer walking proximity to synagogues. The Islamic community in Albany and its surrounding suburbs

381-865: A quorum . When the Articles of Confederation were superseded by the Constitution of the United States , the Confederation Congress was superseded by the United States Congress . The Confederation Congress ultimately established a suitable administrative structure for the Federal government, which placed into operation a federal government comprising three departments (finance, war, and foreign affairs), led by three ministers for each respective department. Robert Morris

508-575: A steamboat line from New York to Albany, the first successful enterprise of its kind anywhere in the world. By 1810 , with 10,763 people, Albany was the tenth-largest urban place in the nation. The town and village north of Albany known as "the Colonie" was annexed in 1815. In 1825 the Erie Canal was completed, forming a continuous water route from the Great Lakes to New York City. Unlike

635-523: A 12-year-old girl enslaved by Philip S. Van Rensselaer . On January 6, 1794, the three were sentenced to death. Governor George Clinton issued a temporary stay of execution, but Dinah and Bet were executed by hanging on March 14, and Pompey on April 11, 1794. In 1797, the state capital was moved permanently to Albany. From statehood to this date, the Legislature had frequently moved the state capital between Albany, Kingston , Poughkeepsie , and

762-474: A captive customer base in the west. Albany was known for its publishing houses, and to some extent, still is. Albany was second only to Boston in the number of books produced for most of the 19th century. Iron foundries in both the north and south ends of the city attracted thousands of immigrants to the city for industrial jobs. Intricate wrought-iron details constructed in those years remain visible on what are now historic buildings. The iron industry waned by

889-466: A city the size of Albany. One report from 2000 offers religious affiliations for Albany County. According to the data, 59.2% of Albany County residents identified as Christian : 47% are Roman Catholic , 8.4% are mainline Protestants , 2.7% are Evangelical Protestants , and 1.1% are Eastern or Oriental Orthodox Christians. Residents who practice Judaism make up 4.2% of the population and Muslims represent 0.2%. As of April 1, 2020, Albany's population

1016-852: A dozen of them had served as speakers of the houses of their legislatures." The initial idea for the development of the Continental Congress, including the Thirteen Colonies in British America , first arose in 1754 at the start of the French and Indian War , which started as the North American front of the Seven Years' War between Britain and France . Initially known as the Albany Congress ,

1143-498: A great increase in real estate transactions. After Horatio Gates defeated John Burgoyne at Saratoga in 1777, the upper Hudson Valley was generally at peace as the war raged on elsewhere. Prosperity was soon seen all over Upstate New York . Migrants from Vermont and Connecticut began flowing in, noting the advantages of living on the Hudson and trading at Albany, while being only a few days' sail from New York City. Albany reported

1270-587: A large squadron of French warships under Comte de Grasse to the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina . These French warships were decisive at the Battle of Yorktown along the coast of Virginia by preventing Lord Cornwallis 's British troops from receiving supplies, reinforcements, or evacuation via the James River and Hampton Roads . Robert Morris, the Minister of Finance, persuaded Congress to charter

1397-594: A massive upgrade and modernization project between 1996 and 1998, when it was rebranded Albany International Airport . Governor Nelson Rockefeller (1959–1973) ( R ) tried to stimulate the city with new monumental architecture and large, government-sponsored building projects; he drove construction of the Empire State Plaza , SUNY Albany 's uptown campus, and much of the W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus . Albany County Republican Chairman Joseph C. Frangella once quipped, "Governor Rockefeller

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1524-469: A metropolitan area including the nearby cities and suburbs of Colonie , Troy , Schenectady , and Saratoga Springs . With an estimated population of 1.1 million in 2013, the Capital District is the third most populous metropolitan region in the state. As of 2023, Albany's population was 101,228. The Hudson River area was originally inhabited by Algonquian -speaking Mohican . The area

1651-428: A municipality by provincial Governor Thomas Dongan on July 22, 1686. The Dongan Charter was virtually identical in content to the charter awarded to the city of New York three months earlier. Dongan created Albany as a strip of land 1 mile (1.6 km) wide and 16 miles (26 km) long. Over the years Albany would lose much of the land to the west and annex land to the north and south. At this point, Albany had

1778-707: A number of banks. The Bank of Albany (1792–1861) was the second chartered bank in New York. The city was the original home of the Albank (founded in 1820 as the Albany Savings Bank), KeyBank (founded in 1825 as the Commercial Bank of Albany), and Norstar Bank (founded as the State Bank of Albany in 1803). American Express was founded in Albany in 1850 as an express mail business. In 1871,

1905-431: A population of 3,498 in the first national census in 1790, an increase of almost 700% since its chartering. On November 17, 1793, fire broke out at a stable belonging to Leonard Gansevoort , destroying 26 homes on Broadway, Maiden Lane, James Street, and State Street. Three were arrested and charged with arson : Pompey, a man enslaved by Matthew Visscher; Dinah, a 14-year-old girl enslaved by Volkert P. Douw ; and Bet,

2032-574: A population of about 500 people. In 1754, representatives of seven British North American colonies met in the Stadt Huys , Albany's city hall , for the Albany Congress ; Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania presented the Albany Plan of Union there, which was the first formal proposal to unite the colonies. Although it was never adopted by Parliament , it was an important precursor to

2159-459: A quasi- federation to fight for their freedom, the president functioned as head of state (not of the country, but of its central government). Otherwise, the office was "more honorable than powerful". Congress also elected a secretary, scribe, doorman, messenger, and Chaplain. The rules of Congress guaranteed the right to debate and open access to the floor for each delegate. Additionally, to ensure that each state would be on an equal footing with

2286-478: A sizable list of "major concrete Corning achievements." Corning is given credit for saving—albeit somewhat unintentionally—much of Albany's historic architecture. During the 1950s and 1960s, a time when federal aid for urban renewal was plentiful, Albany did not have growth in its economy or infrastructure. It lost more than 20 percent of its population during the Corning years, as people moved to newer housing in

2413-505: Is a long-running debate on how effective the Congress was as an organization. The first critic may have been General George Washington . In an address to his officers, at Newburgh, New York , on March 15, 1783, responding to complaints that Congress had not funded their pay and pensions, he stated that he believed that Congress would do the army "complete justice" and eventually pay the soldiers. "But, like all other large Bodies, where there

2540-552: Is a variety of different Interests to reconcile, their deliberations are slow." In addition to their slowness, the lack of coercive power in the Continental Congress was harshly criticized by James Madison when arguing for the need of a Federal Constitution . His comment in Vices of the Political System of April 1787 set the conventional wisdom on the historical legacy of the institution for centuries to come: A sanction

2667-658: Is affected by the Atlantic tide —at an average of 2 feet (0.61 m) above sea level at low tide and 4 feet (1.2 m) at high tide. The interior of Albany consists of rolling hills which were once part of the Albany Pine Bush , an area of pitch pine and scrub oak , and has arid, sandy soil that is a remnant of the ancient Lake Albany . Due to development, the Pine Bush has shrunk from an original 25,000 to 6,000 acres (10,100 to 2,400 ha) today. A preserve

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2794-406: Is essential to the idea of law, as coercion is to that of Government. The federal system being destitute of both, wants the great vital principles of a Political Cons[ti]tution. Under the form of such a Constitution, it is in fact nothing more than a treaty of amity of commerce and of alliance, between so many independent and Sovereign States. From what cause could so fatal an omission have happened in

2921-703: Is home to the oldest Christian congregation in Upstate New York and the Mother Churches of two Christian dioceses . As of June 2010 , eight churches or religious buildings in the city were listed on the National Register of Historic Places , one of which— St. Peter's Episcopal Church on State Street—is a National Historic Landmark . Established in 1642, the congregation of the First Church in Albany (Reformed) , also known as

3048-433: Is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km ) (1.8%) is water. The city is bordered on the north by the town of Colonie (along with the village of Menands ), on the west by the town of Guilderland , and on the south by the town of Bethlehem . The former Foxes Creek, Beaver Kill, and Rutten Kill were diverted underground in the 19th century. There are four lakes within city limits: Buckingham Lake ; Rensselaer Lake at

3175-669: Is represented by at least four major mosques in the region. The Muslim population increased substantially starting in the late 2000s, with the arrival of many refugees from countries such as Iraq , Syria , and Afghanistan . Exact numbers on religious denominations in Albany are not readily available. Demographic statistics in the United States depend heavily on the United States Census Bureau , which cannot ask about religious affiliation as part of its decennial census . It does compile some national and statewide religious statistics, but these are not representative of

3302-726: The 1st United States Congress under the new Constitution of the United States took over the role as the nation's legislative branch of government. Both the First and Second Continental Congresses convened in Philadelphia , though when the city was captured during the Revolutionary War, the Second Congress was forced to meet in other locations for a time. The Congress of Confederation was also established in Philadelphia and later moved to New York City , which served as

3429-729: The American Revolution , committees of correspondence began building the foundation for interaction between the thirteen colonial states. In 1765, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act requiring that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp. The act provoked the ire of merchants in New York City , Boston , and Philadelphia , who responded by placing an embargo on British imports until

3556-669: The Bank of North America on December 31, 1781. Although a private bank, the Federal Government acquired partial ownership with money lent by France. The Bank of North America played a major role in financing the war against Great Britain . The combined armies of George Washington and Nathanael Greene , with the help of the French Army and Navy, defeated the British in the Battle of Yorktown during October 1781. Lord Cornwallis

3683-941: The Boston Massacre of 1770. Three years later, the Tea Act , which granted the British East India Company the right to directly ship its tea to North America and the right to the duty-free export of tea from Great Britain, became law, exacerbating the colonists' resentment toward the British government, inciting the December 1773 Boston Tea Party , and inspiring the September 1774 Suffolk Resolves . The First Continental Congress met briefly in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , from September 5 to October 26, 1774. Delegates from twelve of

3810-580: The British Parliament and many of their own colonial assemblies had powerful speakers of the house and standing committees with strong chairmen, with executive power held by the British Monarch or the colonial Governor. However, the organization of the Continental Congress was based less on the British Parliament or on local colonial assemblies than on the 1765 Stamp Act Congress. Nine delegates to that congress were in attendance at

3937-558: The British royal family with names of birds and mammals instead —was intersected by these major arterials coming out of Albany, cutting through the city at unexpected angles. The construction of the turnpike, in conjunction with canal and railroad systems, made Albany the hub of transportation for pioneers going to Buffalo and the Michigan Territory in the early and mid-19th century. In 1807, Robert Fulton initiated

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4064-714: The Continental Association , which was a unified trade embargo against Britain, and successfully building consensus for establishment of a second congress. The Second Continental Congress convened in 1775, soon after hostilities broke out in Massachusetts . Soon after meeting, the Second Congress sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III , established the Continental Army , and elected George Washington commander of

4191-694: The Dutch East India Company on the Half Moon ( Dutch : Halve Maen ), reached the area in 1609, claiming it for the United Netherlands . In 1614, Hendrick Christiaensen built Fort Nassau on Castle Island (now called Port of Albany ), in the Hudson River. The fort acted as a fur-trading post and was the first documented European structure in present-day Albany. Commencement of the fur trade provoked hostility from

4318-638: The Edenton Tea Party ) in response to the Intolerable Acts that focused on producing goods for the colonies. Additionally, Great Britain's colonies in the West Indies were threatened with a boycott unless they agreed to non-importation of British goods. Imports from Britain dropped by 97 percent in 1775, compared with the previous year. Committees of observation and inspection were to be formed in each Colony to ensure compliance with

4445-678: The French colony in Canada and among the natives, all of whom vied to control the trade. In 1618, a flood ruined Fort Nassau, but the Dutch replaced it with Fort Orange on the mainland in 1624. Both forts were named in honor of the leading family of the Dutch Revolt, members of the House of Orange-Nassau . Fort Orange and the surrounding area were incorporated as the village of Beverwijck (English: Beaverwick or Beaver District ) in 1652, and

4572-601: The Great Lakes , and was home to some of the earliest railroads in the world. In the 1920s a powerful political machine controlled by the Democratic Party arose in Albany. In the latter part of the 20th century, Albany's population shrank because of urban sprawl and suburbanization. In the 1990s, the New York State Legislature approved for the city a US$ 234 million building and renovation plan, which spurred redevelopment downtown. In

4699-584: The New York Central Railroad (NYCRR), headquartered in Albany until Cornelius Vanderbilt moved it to New York City in 1867. One of the ten companies that formed the NYCRR was the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad , which was the first railroad in the state and the first successful steam railroad running regularly scheduled service in the country. While the key to Albany's economic prosperity in

4826-599: The Pennsylvania . Peyton Randolph of Virginia was its president. Benjamin Franklin put forward the idea of such a meeting the year before, but he was unable to convince the colonies of its necessity until the Royal Navy instituted a blockade of Boston Harbor and Parliament passed the punitive Intolerable Acts in 1774, in response to the Boston Tea Party . During the congress, delegates organized an economic boycott of Great Britain in protest and petitioned

4953-680: The Second Continental Congress became the Congress of the Confederation , which was officially styled as the "United States in Congress Assembled", a unicameral body composed of delegates from the several states. A guiding principle of the Articles was to preserve the independence and sovereignty of the states. The weak central government established by the Articles received only those powers which

5080-534: The Thirteen Colonies participating. The delegates were elected by the people of the respective colonies, the colonial legislature, or by the Committee of Correspondence of a colony. Loyalist sentiments outweighed Patriot views in Georgia , leading that colony to not immediately join the revolutionary cause until the following year when it sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress . Peyton Randolph

5207-593: The Thirteen Colonies that would ultimately join in the Revolutionary War participated. Only Georgia , where Loyalist feelings still outweighed Patriotic emotion, and which relied upon Great Britain for military supplies to defend settlers against possible Indian attacks, did not, nor did East and West Florida, which at the time were also British colonies . Altogether, 56 delegates attended, including George Washington , Patrick Henry , and John Adams . Other notable delegates included Samuel Adams from Massachusetts Bay and Joseph Galloway and John Dickinson from

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5334-404: The Treaty of Westminster . On November 1, 1683, the Province of New York was split into counties, with Albany County being the largest: it included all of present New York State north of Dutchess and Ulster Counties in addition to present-day Bennington County , Vermont, theoretically stretching west to the Pacific Ocean; Albany became the county seat . Albany was formally chartered as

5461-574: The U.S. capital from 1785 to 1790. Much of what is known today about the daily activities of these congresses comes from the journals kept by the secretary for all three congresses, Charles Thomson . Printed contemporaneously, the Journals of the Continental Congress contain the official congressional papers , letters, treaties, reports and records. The delegates to the Continental and Confederation congresses had extensive experience in deliberative bodies , with "a cumulative total of nearly 500 years of experience in their Colonial assemblies , and fully

5588-435: The United States Constitution . The same year, the French and Indian War , the fourth in a series of wars dating back to 1689, began. It ended in 1763 with French defeat , resolving a situation that had been a constant threat to Albany and held back its growth. In 1775, with the colonies in the midst of the Revolutionary War , the Stadt Huys became home to the Albany Committee of Correspondence (the political arm of

5715-868: The lake effect areas to the north and west, as it is farther from Lake Ontario . However, Albany is close enough to the Atlantic coast to receive heavy snow from Nor'easters and the city occasionally receives Alberta clippers . Winters can be very cold with fluctuating conditions; temperatures drop to 0 °F (−18 °C) or below on nine nights per annum. Summers in Albany can contain stretches of excessive heat and humidity, with temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C) or hotter on nine days per year. Record temperature extremes range from −28 °F (−33 °C), on January 19, 1971, to 104 °F (40 °C) on July 4, 1911. The neighborhoods of Albany include Arbor Hill ; Center Square, "[an] eclectic mix of residential and commercial [buildings], including bars, night clubs, restaurants, and stores"; Pine Hills ; and

5842-413: The 1890s due to increased costs associated with a newly unionized workforce and the opening of mines in the Mesabi Range in Minnesota . Albany's other major exports during the 18th and 19th centuries were furs, wheat, meat, and lumber. By 1865, there were almost 4,000 saw mills in the Albany area and the Albany Lumber District was the largest lumber market in the nation. The city was also home to

5969-429: The 1960s and 1970s was the construction of Interstate 787 and the South Mall Arterial . Construction began in the early 1960s. A proposed Mid-Crosstown Arterial never came to fruition. One of the project's main results was separating the city from the Hudson River. Historian Paul Grondahl has described Corning as shortsighted with respect to use of the waterfront, saying the mayor could have used his influence to change

6096-418: The 1980s accepted the conventional interpretation on the weakness of the Congress due to the lack of coercive power. They explored the role of leadership , or rather the lack of it, in the Continental Congress. Going beyond even Madison's harsh critique, they used the "analytical stance of what has come to be called the new institutionalism " to demonstrate that "the norms, rules, and institutional structures of

6223-449: The 19th century was transportation, industry and business also played a role. Largely thanks to the city's Dutch and German roots, beer was one of its biggest commodities. Beverwyck Brewery , originally known as Quinn and Nolan ( Nolan being mayor of Albany 1878–1883), was the last remaining brewer from that time when it closed in 1972. The city's location at the east end of the Erie Canal gave it unparalleled access to both raw products and

6350-400: The 19th century", built the first electric motor . Three years later, he discovered electromagnetic self-induction (the SI unit for which is now the henry ). He went on to be the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution . In the 1830 and 1840 censuses, Albany was ranked as the ninth-largest urban place in the nation; it dropped back to tenth in 1850 . This was the last time

6477-555: The 343 serving delegates, only 55% (187 delegates) spent 12 or more months in attendance. Only 25 of the delegates served longer than 35 months. This high rate of turnover was not just a characteristic, it was due to a deliberate policy of term limits . In the Confederation phase of the Congress, "no delegate was permitted to serve more than three years in any six". Attendance was variable: while in session, between 54 and 22 delegates were in attendance at any one time, with an average of only 35.5 members attending between 1774 and 1788. There

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6604-598: The Albany Plan, renovation and new building projects were initiated around the downtown area. Many state workers were relocated from the Harriman State Office Campus to downtown, helping its retail businesses and vitality. The first decade of the 21st century saw a real possibility for a long-discussed and controversial Albany Convention Center; it opened in 2017 with the goal of making Albany a viable location for large events hosted by statewide organizations. Albany remains an important location for business presence, given its role as de facto seat of Tech Valley and being home to

6731-475: The Articles of Confederation? From a mistaken confidence that the justice, the good faith, the honor, the sound policy, of the several legislative assemblies would render superfluous any appeal to the ordinary motives by which the laws secure the obedience of individuals: a confidence which does honor to the enthusiastic virtue of the compilers, as much as the inexperience of the crisis apologizes for their errors. Political scientists Calvin Jillson and Rick Wilson in

6858-408: The British government's coercive actions, and they worked to make a common cause. As a prelude to its decisions, the Congress's first action was the adoption of the Suffolk Resolves , a measure drawn up by several counties in Massachusetts that included a declaration of grievances, called for a trade boycott of British goods, and urged each colony to set up and train its own militia. A less radical plan

6985-440: The Colonies and Great Britain. Others such as Patrick Henry , Roger Sherman , Samuel Adams , and John Adams believed their task to be developing a decisive statement of the rights and liberties of the Colonies. Their ultimate goal was to end what they felt to be the abuses of parliamentary authority and to retain their rights, which had been guaranteed under Colonial charters and the English constitution. Roger Sherman denied

7112-422: The Confederation Congress: Under the Articles of Confederation, the Confederation Congress had little power to compel the individual states to comply with its decisions. More and more prospective delegates elected to the Confederation Congress declined to serve in it. The leading men in each State preferred to serve in the state governments, and thus the Continental Congress had frequent difficulties in establishing

7239-410: The Congress met in Albany, New York from June 18 to July 11, 1754, and representatives from seven of the thirteen colonies attended. Among the delegates was Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia , who proposed that the colonies join in a confederation . Though the idea of a confederation was rejected, Franklin and others continued to argue that the colonies should act more cohesively. At the beginning of

7366-436: The Continental Congress" were equally to blame "for the institution's eventual failure", and that the "institutional structure worked against, rather than with, the delegates in tackling the crucial issues of the day." Historian Richard P. McCormick suggested that Madison's "extreme judgment" on the Congress was "motivated no doubt by Madison's overriding desire to create a new central government that would be empowered to veto

7493-417: The First Congress in 1774, and their perspective on governance influenced the direction of both the Continental Congresses and the later Confederation Congress. Congress took on powers normally held by the British King-in-Council , such as foreign and military affairs. However, the right to tax and regulate trade was reserved for the states, not Congress. Congress had no formal way to enforce its ordinances on

7620-433: The Intolerable Acts. That appeal was unsuccessful, leading delegates from the colonies to convene the Second Continental Congress , also held in Philadelphia. the following May, shortly after the Battles of Lexington and Concord , to organize the defense of the colonies as the American Revolutionary War . The Congress met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia with delegates from 12 of

7747-422: The King for a redress of grievances . The colonies were united in their effort to demonstrate to the mother country their authority by virtue of their common causes and their unity, but their ultimate objectives were inconsistent. Most delegates were not yet ready to break away from Great Britain, but they most definitely wanted the king and parliament to act in what they considered a fairer manner. Delegates from

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7874-413: The Mohawk valley and noted for their fur trading and their access to trade between the Iroquois and other nations. The Mohawk became strong trading partners with the Dutch and English. It is likely that the area was visited by European fur traders perhaps as early as 1540, but the extent and duration of those visits are unclear. Permanent European claims began when Englishman Henry Hudson , exploring for

8001-445: The North Dutch Church (on North Pearl Street), is the second-oldest Reformed Church in America . The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Eagle Street and Madison Avenue, built 1852) is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany , led by Bishop Edward Scharfenberger , and the Cathedral of All Saints (South Swan Street and Elk Street, built 1888) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany . As of 2023,

8128-545: The Revolution, Albany's population consisted mostly of ethnic Dutch descendants. Settlers migrating from New England tipped the balance toward British ethnicity in the early 19th century. Jobs on the turnpikes, canals, and railroads attracted floods of Irish immigrants in the early 19th century, especially in the 1840s during the Great Famine , solidifying the city's Irish base. Michael Nolan became Albany's first Irish Catholic mayor in 1878, two years before Boston. Polish and Italian immigrants began arriving in Albany in

8255-419: The South End. Historically, Albany's population has been mixed. First dominated by Mohican and Mohawk, then Dutch and Germans, it was overtaken by the British in the early 19th century. Irish immigrants soon outnumbered most other ethnicities by the mid-19th century, and were followed by Italians and Poles . In the mid-to-late 20th century, the African-American population increased with thousands of people from

8382-438: The Stamp Act was repealed in March 1766. The colonists' resistance to the Stamp Act served as a catalyst for subsequent acts of resistance. The Townshend Acts , which imposed indirect taxes on various items not produced within the colonies, and created a more effective means of enforcing compliance with trade regulations, passed by Parliament in 1767 and 1768, sparked renewed animosity in the colonies, which eventually resulted in

8509-436: The Stamp Act was repealed. To present a united front in their opposition, delegates from several provinces met in the Stamp Act Congress , which convened in New York City from October 7 through 25, 1765. It issued a Declaration of Rights and Grievances , which it sent to Parliament . Under pressure from British companies hurt by the embargo, the government of Prime Minister Lord Rockingham and King George III relented, and

8636-425: The acts of state legislatures," but that it fails "to take any notice of the fact that while the authority of the Confederation Congress was ambiguous, it was not a nullity". Benjamin Irvin in his social and cultural history of the Continental Congress, praised "the invented traditions by which Congress endeavored to fortify the resistance movement and to make meaning of American independence." But he noted that after

8763-413: The beginning of the American Revolution . The meeting was organized by the delegates after the British Navy implemented a blockade of Boston Harbor and the Parliament of Great Britain passed the punitive Intolerable Acts in response to the Boston Tea Party . During the opening weeks of the Congress, the delegates conducted a spirited discussion about how the colonies could collectively respond to

8890-431: The body of slain President Abraham Lincoln came through Albany on the way to Illinois and some claim the ghostly image of that train remains. Albany opened one of the first commercial airports in the world, and the first municipal airport in the United States, in 1908. Originally on a polo field on Loudon Road, it moved to Westerlo Island in 1909 and remained there until 1928. The Albany Municipal Airport—jointly owned by

9017-403: The boycott. It was further agreed that if the Intolerable Acts were not repealed, the colonies would also cease exports to Britain after September 10, 1775. The Houses of Assembly of each participating colony approved the proceedings of the Congress, with the exception of New York . The boycott was successfully implemented, but its potential for altering British colonial policy was cut off by

9144-426: The capital of New York in 1797 after the formation of the United States. Albany is the oldest surviving settlement of the original British thirteen colonies north of Virginia. In the late 18th century and throughout most of the 19th, Albany was a center of trade and transportation. The city lies toward the north end of the navigable Hudson River. It was the original eastern terminus of the Erie Canal , connecting to

9271-458: The city and county—was moved to its current location in Colonie in 1928. By 1916 Albany's northern and southern borders reached their modern courses; Westerlo Island , to the south, became the second-to-last annexation, which occurred in 1926. Erastus Corning 2nd , arguably Albany's most notable mayor (and great-grandson of the former mayor of the same name), was elected in 1941. Although he

9398-419: The city experiences four distinct seasons. Albany is in plant hardiness zone 6a near downtown and along the shore of the Hudson and 5b at its western end. Albany receives 40.7 inches (1,030 mm) of precipitation per year, with 138 days of at least 0.01 in (0.25 mm) of precipitation each year. Snowfall is significant, totaling 59.4 inches (151 cm) per season, but with less accumulation than

9525-460: The city of Albany in 1686. In these early decades of trade, the Dutch, Mohican, and Mohawk developed relations that reflected differences among their three cultures. Albany is one of the oldest surviving European settlements from the original Thirteen Colonies and the longest continuously chartered city in the United States. When New Netherland was captured by the English in 1664, the name

9652-501: The city of New York . Albany is the tenth-oldest state capital in the United States and the second-oldest city that is a state capital, after Santa Fe , New Mexico. Albany has been a center of transportation for much of its history. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Albany saw development of the turnpike and by 1815, Albany was the turnpike center of the state. The development of Simeon De Witt 's gridded block system in 1794—which renamed streets that had originally named after

9779-439: The city residents was 52.3% white ; 27% black or African American ; 0.06% Native American or Native Alaskan ; 7.4% Asian ; 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander ; .06% from other races; and 3.6% from two or more races. A total of 9.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Non-Hispanic Whites were 52.0% of the population in 2010, compared to 87.0% in 1970. As of 2010, 20.0% of Albany's population

9906-502: The city was home to twelve Catholic churches and four Episcopal churches. Despite its history of Christendom , in 2019 the Albany-Schenectady-Troy MSA was found to be among the most post-Christian cities in the United States in a study by Christian polling firm The Barna Group . A significant Jewish presence has existed in Albany as early as 1658. As of 2010, Albany is home to two Conservative synagogues,

10033-557: The city was one of the top ten largest urban places in the nation. Albany also has significant history with rail transport , as the location of two major regional railroad headquarters. The Delaware and Hudson Railway was headquartered in Albany at what is now the SUNY System Administration Building . In 1853, Erastus Corning , a noted industrialist and Albany's mayor from 1834 to 1837, consolidated ten railroads stretching from Albany to Buffalo into

10160-629: The current Barge Canal , which ends at nearby Waterford , the original Erie Canal ended at Albany; Lock 1 was north of Colonie Street. The Canal emptied into a 32-acre (13 ha) man-made lagoon called the Albany Basin , which was Albany's main port from 1825 until the Port of Albany-Rensselaer opened in 1932. In 1829, while working as a professor at the Albany Academy , Joseph Henry , widely regarded as "the foremost American scientist of

10287-417: The death of Corning and the retirement of Congressman Sam Stratton , the political environment changed. Long-term office holders became rare in the 1980s. Local media began following the drama surrounding county politics (specifically that of the newly created county executive position); the loss of Corning (and eventually the machine) led to a lack of interest in city politics. The election of Gerald Jennings

10414-405: The declaration, and John Adams was a leader in the debates in favor of its adoption. Afterward, the Congress functioned as the provisional government of the United States of America through March 1, 1781. To govern the war effort and to foster unity among the states , Congress created various standing committees to handle war-related activities, such as the committee of secret correspondence,

10541-432: The deliberations progressed, it became clear that those in attendance were not of one mind concerning why they were there. Conservatives such as Joseph Galloway , John Dickinson , John Jay , and Edward Rutledge believed their task to be forging policies to pressure Parliament to rescind its unreasonable acts. Their ultimate goal was to develop a reasonable solution to the difficulties and bring about reconciliation between

10668-479: The demands made by the colonies; however, it took no official notice of Congress's petitions and addresses. On November 30, 1774, King George III opened Parliament with a speech condemning Massachusetts and the Suffolk Resolves, prompting the Continental Congress to convene again. The Second Continental Congress convened on May 10, 1775, at Pennsylvania's State House in Philadelphia shortly after

10795-606: The early 21st century, Albany's high-technology industry grew, with great strides in nanotechnology . The Hudson River area was originally inhabited by Algonquian -speaking Mohican (Mahican), who called it Pempotowwuthut-Muhhcanneuw , meaning "the fireplace of the Mohican nation". Based to the west along the Mohawk River , the Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk called it Sche-negh-ta-da , "through

10922-510: The early years, African-Americans lived together with Italians, Jews, and other immigrants in the South End, where housing was older and less expensive. The black community has grown as a proportion of the population since then; African Americans made up three percent of the city's population in 1950, six percent in 1960, 12 percent in 1970, and 30 percent in 2010. The change in proportion is related mostly to middle-class white families moving to

11049-520: The end, the voices of compromise carried the day. Rather than calling for independence, the First Continental Congress passed and signed the Continental Association in its Declaration and Resolves , which called for a boycott of British goods to take effect in December 1774. After Congress signed on October 20, 1774, embracing non exportation they also planned nonimportation of slaves beginning December 1, which would have abolished

11176-434: The former colonies had recognized as belonging to king and parliament. Congress had the power to declare war, sign treaties, and settle disputes between the states. It could also borrow or print money, but did not have the power to tax. It helped guide the United States through the final stages of the Revolutionary War, but steeply declined in authority afterward. During peacetime, there were two important, long-lasting acts of

11303-548: The former colonies were now independent sovereign states . The Second Continental Congress served as the provisional government of the U.S. during most of the Revolutionary War. In March 1781, the nation's first Frame of Government , the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union , came into force , and thus the body became what later was called the Congress of the Confederation. This unicameral governing body would convene in eight sessions before adjourning in 1789, when

11430-481: The largest army and navy in the world, and created two new types of republic. Olsen suggests that the Congress, if slow, when judged by its many achievements – not the least being recognizing its flaws, then replacing and terminating itself – was a success. First Continental Congress The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates of 12 of the Thirteen Colonies held from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia at

11557-463: The legislative authority of Parliament, and Patrick Henry believed that the Congress needed to develop a completely new system of government, independent from Great Britain, for the existing Colonial governments were already dissolved. In contrast to these ideas, Joseph Galloway put forward a " Plan of Union " which suggested that an American legislative body should be formed with some authority, whose consent would be required for imperial measures. In

11684-553: The local revolutionary movement), which took over operation of Albany's government and eventually expanded its power to control all of Albany County . Tories and prisoners of war were often jailed in the Stadt Huys alongside common criminals. In 1776, Albany native Philip Livingston signed the Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall in Philadelphia . During and after the Revolutionary War, Albany County saw

11811-576: The location of I-787, which now cuts the city off from "its whole raison d'être " In 1967, the hamlet of Karlsfeld was the last annexation by the city, sourced from the Town of Bethlehem. When Corning died in 1983, Thomas Whalen assumed the mayorship and was reelected twice. He encouraged redevelopment of historic structures and helped attract federal dollars earmarked for that purpose. What Corning had saved from destruction, Whalen refurbished for continued and new uses. The Mayor's Office of Special Events

11938-585: The modern congress run by powerful partisan hierarchies, but modern government and corporate entities, for all their coercive power and vaunted skills as 'leaders'." Looking at their mission as defined by state resolutions and petitions entered into the Congressional Journal on its first day, it found that on the common issues of the relief of Boston, securing Colonial rights, eventually restoring harmonious relations with Great Britain, and repealing taxes, they overachieved their mission goals, defeated

12065-701: The mouth of the Patroon Creek; Tivoli Lake , which was formed as a reservoir and once connected to the Patroon Creek; and Washington Park Lake , which was formed by damming the Beaver Kill. The highest natural point in Albany is a USGS benchmark near the Loudonville Reservoir off Birch Hill Road, at 378 feet (115 m) above sea level . The lowest point is at the Hudson River—which is still technically an estuary at Albany and

12192-625: The new army. After the king issued the Proclamation of Rebellion in August 1775 in response to the Battle of Bunker Hill , some members of the Second Congress concluded that peace with Britain would not be forthcoming, and began working towards unifying the colonies into a new nation. The body adopted the Lee Resolution for Independence on July 2, 1776, and the Declaration of Independence two days later, on July 4, 1776, proclaiming that

12319-589: The next Congress. Albany, New York Albany ( / ˈ ɔː l b ə n i / AWL -bə-nee ) is the capital and oldest city in the U.S. state of New York , and the seat of and most populous city in Albany County . It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River , about 10 miles (16 km) south of its confluence with the Mohawk River . The city is the economic and cultural core of New York State's Capital District ,

12446-401: The northwestern portion of Albany—west from Magazine Street—was annexed to the neighboring town of Guilderland after the town of Watervliet refused annexation of the territory. In return for this loss, portions of Bethlehem and Watervliet were added to Albany. Part of the land annexed to Guilderland was ceded back to Albany in 1910, setting up the current western border. The train carrying

12573-504: The others, voting on ordinances was done en bloc , with each state having a single vote. Prior to casting its yay or nay vote, preliminary votes were taken within each state delegation. The majority vote determined here was considered the vote of the state on the motion; in cases of a tie the vote for the state was marked as divided, and was not counted. Turnover of delegates was high, with an average year-to-year turnover rate of 37% by one calculation, and 39% by session-to-session. Of

12700-575: The outbreak of hostilities in April 1775. Congress also voted to meet again the following year if their grievances were not addressed satisfactorily. Anticipating that there would be cause to convene a second congress, delegates resolved to send letters of invitation to those colonies that had not joined them in Philadelphia , including Quebec , Saint John's Island (now Prince Edward Island), Nova Scotia , Georgia, East Florida , and West Florida . Of these, only Georgia would ultimately send delegates to

12827-803: The pine woods", referring to the path they took there. According to Hendrick Aupaumut , the Mohicans came to the area from the north and the west. They settled along the Mahicannituck, which is now called the Hudson River, and called themselves the Muh-he-con-neok , the "People of the Waters That Are Never Still". The Mohawks, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy , were based in

12954-463: The provinces of Pennsylvania and New York were given firm instructions to pursue a resolution with Great Britain. While the other colonies all held the idea of colonial rights as paramount, they were split between those who sought legislative equality with Britain and those who instead favored independence and a break from the Crown and its excesses. In London, Parliament debated the merits of meeting

13081-513: The rural South, as part of the Great Migration . As historian (and Albany Assemblyman) John McEneny puts it, Dutch and Yankee, German and Irish, Polish and Italian, black and Chinese—over the centuries Albany's heritage has reflected a succession of immigrant nationalities. Its streets have echoed with a dozen languages, its neighborhoods adapting to the distinctive life-style and changing economic fortunes of each new group. Until after

13208-498: The slave trade in the United States of America 33 years before it actually ended. The primary accomplishment of the First Continental Congress was a compact among the colonies to boycott British goods beginning on December 1, 1774, unless parliament should rescind the Intolerable Acts. While delegates convened in the First Continental Congress, fifty-one women in Edenton, North Carolina formed their own association (now referred to as

13335-468: The start of the Revolutionary War . Initially, it functioned as a de facto common government by raising armies, directing strategy, appointing diplomats, and making formal treaties. The Thirteen Colonies were represented when in the following year it adopted a resolution for independence on July 2, 1776, and two days later approved the Declaration of Independence . Thomas Jefferson drafted

13462-556: The state capitol. Fortune 500 companies with offices in Albany include American Express , J.P. Morgan and Chase , Merrill Lynch , General Electric , Verizon , Goldman Sachs , International Paper , and Key Bank . Albany won the All-America City Award in both 1991 and 2009. Albany is about 150 miles (240 km) north of New York City on the Hudson River . It has a total area of 21.8 square miles (56 km ), of which 21.4 square miles (55 km )

13589-448: The state governments. Delegates were responsible to and reported directly to their home state assemblies; an organizational structure that Neil Olsen has described as "an extreme form of matrix management ". Delegates chose a presiding president to monitor the debate, maintain order, and make sure journals were kept and documents and letters were published and delivered. After the colonies declared their independence in 1776 and united as

13716-483: The suburbs and black families remaining within city limits during the same time period. Since 2007, the number of Burmese refugees to Albany has increased. The Burmese refugee community consists mostly of people of Karen ethnicity. An estimated 5,000 Burmese refugees reside in Albany as of January 2015 . Like most cities of comparable age and size, Albany has well-established Orthodox Christian , Roman Catholic , Protestant , and Jewish communities. Albany

13843-528: The suburbs, followed by most of the downtown businesses moving there as well . While cities across the country grappled with similar issues, the problems were magnified in Albany: interference from the Democratic political machine hindered progress considerably. In 1960, the mayor sold the city's stake in the airport to the county, citing budget issues. It was known from then on as Albany County Airport until

13970-484: The treasury board, the board of war and ordnance, and the navy board. Much work was also done in small ad hoc committees. One such small group was tasked with developing a constitution to perpetuate the new Union . Such an agreement, the Articles of Confederation was approved by Congress on November 15, 1777, and sent to the states for ratification . The Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all Thirteen Colonies , and

14097-481: The war's end, "Rather than passively adopting the Congress's creations, the American people embraced, rejected, reworked, ridiculed, or simply ignored them as they saw fit." An organizational culture analysis of the Continental Congress by Neil Olsen, looking for the values, norms, and underlying assumptions that drive an organization's decisions, noted that "the leaderless Continental Congress outperformed not only

14224-581: The wave of immigration in the latter part of the 19th century. Their numbers were smaller than in many other eastern cities mainly because most had found manufacturing jobs at General Electric in Schenectady. The Jewish community had been established early, with Sephardic Jewish members as part of the Beverwijck community. Its population rose during the late 19th century, when many Ashkenazi Jews immigrated from eastern Europe. In that period, there

14351-496: Was 99,224. With a 2013 Census-estimated population of 1.1 million, the eight county Capital District, encompassing Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga, is the third-most populous metropolitan region in the state. As of the 2010 census , Albany's population density was 4,572.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,765.5/km ). There were 46,362 housing units at an average density of 2,166.4 per square mile (836.5/km ); 5,205 of these units (11.2%) were vacant. The racial makeup of

14478-543: Was Rockefeller's only viable option, and he agreed. Due to the clout Corning gained from the situation, he gained inclusion of the State Museum, a convention center, and a restaurant, back in the plans—ideas which Rockefeller had originally vetoed. The county gained $ 35 million in fees and the city received $ 13 million for lost tax revenue. Having the state offices in the city enabled it to keep good jobs and retain middle-class residents. Another major project of

14605-532: Was a surprise, and he served as mayor from 1994 until his retirement at the end of 2013. His tenure essentially ended the political machine that had been in place since the 1920s. During the 1990s, the State Legislature approved the $ 234 million "Albany Plan", "a building and renovation project [that] was the most ambitious building project to affect the area since the Rockefeller era." Under

14732-608: Was also an influx of Chinese and east Asian immigrants, who settled in the downtown section of the city. Many of their descendants have since moved to suburban areas. Asian immigration all but halted after the Immigration Act of 1924 . Albany saw its last large immigration pattern as part of the Great Migration when many African Americans moved there from the American South before and after World War I to fill industrial positions and find other opportunities. In

14859-624: Was changed from Beverwijck to Albany in honor of the Duke of Albany (later James II). Duke of Albany was a Scottish title given since 1398, generally to a younger son of the King of Scots . The name is ultimately derived from Alba , the Gaelic name for Scotland. The Dutch briefly regained Albany in August 1673 and renamed the city Willemstadt ; the English took permanent possession in 1674 with

14986-428: Was created in an effort to increase the number of festivals and artistic events in the city, including a year-long Dongan Charter tricentennial celebration in 1986. Whalen is credited for an "unparalleled cycle of commercial investment and development" in Albany due to his "aggressive business development programs". Prior to the recession of the 1990s , downtown Albany was home to four Fortune 500 companies. After

15113-535: Was elected as president of the Congress on the opening day, and he served through October 22 when ill health forced him to retire, and Henry Middleton was elected in his place for the balance of the session. Charles Thomson , leader of the Philadelphia Committee of Correspondence, was selected as the congressional secretary. The rules adopted by the delegates were designed to guard the equality of participants and to promote free-flowing debate. As

15240-579: Was forced to sue for peace and to surrender his entire army to General Washington. During 1783, the Americans secured the official recognition of the independence of the United States from Great Britain following negotiations with British diplomats in Paris , which culminated with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783. The Treaty of Paris was later ratified by the British Parliament. Both

15367-440: Was one of the longest-serving mayors of any city in United States history (1942 until his death in 1983), one historian describes Corning's tenure as "long on years, short on accomplishments," citing Corning's preference for maintaining the status quo as a factor that held back potential progress during his tenure. While Corning brought stability to the office of mayor, it is said even those who admire him greatly cannot come up with

15494-416: Was selected as the new Superintendent of Finance, and then Morris secured a loan from the French government to deal with his empty treasury and also runaway inflation, for a number of years, in the supply of paper money. As the ambassador to France, Benjamin Franklin secured the loan for a common budget, and also persuaded France to send an army of about 6,000 soldiers to the United States and to dispatch

15621-498: Was set up by the State Legislature in 1988 and is on the city's western edge, spilling into Guilderland and Colonie; it is the only sizable inland pine barrens sand dune ecosystem in the United States, and is home to many endangered species, including the Karner Blue butterfly . Albany is in the humid continental climate zone ( Köppen climate classification : Dfa), and features cold, snowy winters, and hot, humid summers;

15748-519: Was settled by Dutch colonists, who built Fort Nassau in 1614 for fur trading and Fort Orange in 1624. In 1664, the English took over the Dutch settlements, renaming the city Albany in honor of the Scottish title of the Duke of York (later James II of England and Ireland and James VII of Scotland ): the Duke of Albany . The city was officially chartered in 1686 under English rule. It became

15875-467: Was the best mayor Albany ever had." Corning, although opposed to the project, was responsible for negotiating the payment plan for the Empire State Plaza . Rockefeller did not want to be limited by the Legislature's power of the purse , so Corning devised a plan to have the county pay for the construction and have the state sign a lease-ownership agreement. The state paid off the bonds until 2004. It

16002-533: Was then proposed to create a Union of Great Britain and the Colonies , but the delegates tabled the measure and later struck it from the record of their proceedings. The First Continental Congress agreed on a Declaration and Resolves that included the Continental Association , a proposal for an embargo on British trade. They also drew up a Petition to the King pleading for redress of their grievances and repeal of

16129-427: Was under the age of 18, 19.3% was aged 18 to 24, 29.2% was aged 25 to 44, 18.1% was aged 45 to 64, and 13.4% was aged 65 years or older. The median age was 31.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. Some 81.3% of the population had completed high school or earned an equivalency diploma. As of the 2000 census , the top five ancestry groups in

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