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145-616: The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany , New York , United States . It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza , facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol . The museum houses art, artifacts ( prehistoric and historic ), and ecofacts that reflect New York ’s cultural, natural, and geological development. Operated by

290-740: 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

435-558: A fur-trading post and was the first documented European structure in present-day Albany. Commencement of the fur trade provoked hostility from 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

580-614: A mission school and was bilingual. By chance Morgan and the young Parker encountered each other in an Albany book store. Soon intrigued by Morgan's talk of the New Confederacy, Parker invited the older man to interview Johnson and meet the delegation. Morgan took pages of organizational notes, which he used to remodel the New Confederacy. Beyond such details of scholarship, Morgan and the Seneca men formed deep attachments of friendship. Morgan and his colleagues invited Parker to join

725-418: A 14-year-old girl enslaved by Volkert P. Douw ; and Bet, 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,

870-548: A Union classmate, George F. Danforth , a future judge. They could find no clients, as the nation was in an economic depression, which had started with the Panic of 1837 . Morgan wrote essays, which he had begun to do while studying law, and published some in The Knickerbocker under the pen name Aquarius. On January 1, 1841, Morgan and some friends from Cayuga Academy formed a secret fraternal society which they called

1015-466: 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

1160-563: A college for women, the Barleywood Female University , which was advertised but apparently never started. In the same year of its foundation, 1852, the donor of the land on which it was to be located gave it to the University of Rochester instead. Morgan was gravely disappointed. He believed that equality of the sexes is a mark of advanced civilization. For the present, he lacked the wealth and connections to prevent

1305-426: A few days' sail from New York City. Albany reported 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,

1450-546: A general convention of the population of Genesee County, New York sent Morgan to Congress with a counter-offer. The Seneca were allowed to buy back some land at $ 20 per acre, at which time the Tonawanda Reservation was created. The previous treaty was thrown out. Returning home, Morgan was adopted into the Hawk Clan, Seneca Tribe, as the son of Jimmy Johnson on October 31, 1847, in part to honor his work with

1595-403: A journal of several volumes. Extracts were published in 1937 by Leslie White . He continued with his independent scholarship, never becoming affiliated with any university, although he associated with university presidents and the leading ethnologists looked up to him as a founder of the field. He was an intellectual mentor to those who followed, including John Wesley Powell , who became head of

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1740-440: A large inheritance. The Morgans bought a brownstone in a wealthy suburb of Rochester. In that year they had a son, Lemuel, who "turned out to be mentally handicapped". Morgan's rising fame had brought him public attention, and Lemuel's condition (on no specific evidence) was universally attributed to the first-cousin marriage . The Morgans had to endure perpetual criticism, which they accepted as true, Lewis going so far as to take

1885-582: A panoramic view of the Empire State Plaza and other areas of downtown Albany, hence the gallery's name, "Windows on New York". As a research institution, the New York State Museum houses several programs, centers, and initiatives that further the geological, biological, archaeological and historical understanding of areas within and outside of New York State. The following is a list of several of these programs. The collections of

2030-545: A partnership creating the Morgan Iron Company in northern Michigan. The war had created such a high demand for metals that within the first year of business, the company paid off its founding debt and offered 100% dividends on its stock. The demand went on until 1868, enabling the company to construct a blast furnace. Morgan became independently wealthy and could retire from the practice of law. Morgan took up trout fishing during his Michigan period. He fished in

2175-505: 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 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

2320-587: A plow and formed a business partnership to manufacture parts for it; he built a blast furnace for the factory. He moved to Aurora, leaving the farm to a son. After joining the Masons , he helped to form the first Masonic lodge in Aurora. Elected a state senator, Morgan supported the construction of the Erie Canal , which opened in 1825. At his death in 1826, Jedediah left 500 acres with herds and flocks in trust for

2465-532: 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 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

2610-620: A scientific and literary society before which the members read papers they had researched for the occasion. Morgan read papers to The Club every year for the rest of his life. He also joined the American Association for the Advancement of Science . Morgan and other leading men of Rochester decided to found a university, the University of Rochester . It did not support the matriculation of women. The group resolved to found

2755-637: A series of "Iroquois Letters" to the American Whig Review , edited by George Colton. The Seneca case dragged on. Finally in 1857 the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed that only the federal government could evict the Seneca from their land. As it declined to do that, the case was over. The Ogden Land Company collapsed. In 1851 Morgan summarized his investigation of Iroquois customs in his first book of note, League of

2900-503: A special collection at the University of Rochester library. The Lewis Henry Morgan Lecture is a distinguished lecture held annually by the Department of Anthropology at the University of Rochester . Begun in 1963, the lectures honor the career and seminal research of American anthropologist Lewis H. Morgan. Many of the lectures have been published, including the inaugural one by South African anthropologist Meyer Fortes . Morgan

3045-769: A stand against cousin marriage in his book Ancient Society . The Morgan marriage nevertheless remained a close and affectionate one. In 1856, Mary Elisabeth was born and in 1860 Helen King. Morgan and his wife were active in the First Presbyterian Church of Rochester , although it was mainly of interest to Mary. Lewis refused to make "the public profession of Christ that was necessary for full membership". They both sponsored and contributed to charitable works. For several years "his ethnical interests lay dormant", but not his scholarship and writing. In 1852 Morgan and eight other "Rochester intellectuals" instituted The Pundit Club, shortened later to just The Club,

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3190-437: 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 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

3335-703: 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

3480-699: 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 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

3625-669: 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

3770-1019: Is significant, totaling 59.4 inches (151 cm) per season, but with less accumulation than 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

3915-421: 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 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

4060-645: 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 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

4205-539: 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 ) 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

4350-490: The American Civil War . They differed markedly from their friend Ely Parker . The latter attempted to raise an Iroquois regiment but was denied, on the grounds that he was not a US citizen, and denied service on the same ground. He entered the army finally by the intervention of his friend, Ulysses S. Grant , serving on Grant's staff. Parker was present at the surrender of General Lee ; to Lee's remark that Parker

4495-766: The Bureau of Ethnology in 1879 at the Smithsonian Institution . Morgan was consulted by the highest levels of government on appointments and other ethnological matters. In 1878 he conducted one final field trip, leading a small party in search of native ruins in the American Southwest . They were the first to describe the Aztec ruins on the Animas River but missed discovering Mesa Verde . In 1879 Morgan completed two construction projects. One

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4640-684: The COVID-19 pandemic forced the NYSM, State Archives, and State Library to close temporarily, with museum employees continuing to work behind the scenes, offering virtual programming and online exhibitions. The museum reopened to the public with reduced hours and days of operation and some exhibits still unopened on May 17, 2021. The New York State Museum was founded in 1836 as the New York State Geological and Natural History Survey , formed in 1836 by Governor William Marcy to document

4785-678: The Confederates for the duration. By the end of the war, he was insisting along with most others that Jefferson Davis be hanged as a traitor. In 1866 he formed the Rochester Committee for the Relief of Southern Starvation. Morgan did participate indirectly in the war through his company. Recovering from the deaths of his daughters and having resolved to end the expeditions that had taken him away from home, he gave his life totally over to business. In 1863 he and Samuel Ely formed

4930-457: The Duke of Albany . The city was officially chartered in 1686 under English rule. It became 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

5075-752: 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 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

5220-699: The Gordian Knot . As Morgan's earliest essays from that time had classical themes, the club may have been a kind of literary society, as was common then. In 1841 or 1842 the young men redefined the society, renaming it the Order of the Iroquois . Morgan referred to this event as cutting the knot. In 1843 they named it the Grand Order of the Iroquois, followed by the New Confederacy of the Iroquois. They made

5365-560: 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 , 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

5510-617: The Iron Mountain Railroad , Morgan joined them in creating the Bay de Noquet and Marquette Railroad Company , connecting the entire Upper Peninsula by a single, ore-bearing line. He became its attorney and director. At that time the U.S. government was selling lands previously confiscated from the natives in cases where the sale benefited the public good. Although the Upper Peninsula was known for its great natural beauty,

5655-472: The Legislature had frequently moved the state capital between Albany, Kingston , Poughkeepsie , and 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

5800-777: The New York State Education Department 's Office of Cultural Education, it is the oldest and largest state museum in the US. Formerly located in the State Education Building , the museum now occupies the first four floors of the Cultural Education Center , a ten-story, 1,500,000-square-foot (140,000 m) building that also houses the New York State Archives and New York State Library . In 2020,

5945-609: The New York State Senate in 1868 and 1869 . According to Herbert Marshall Lloyd, an attorney and editor of Morgan's works, Lewis was descended from James Morgan, a Welsh pioneer. Various sources record that James and his brothers, Miles and John, the three sons of William Morgan of Llandaff , Glamorganshire, left Wales for Boston in 1636. From there John Morgan went to Virginia, Miles to Springfield, Massachusetts , and James to New London, Connecticut . Lloyd writes, "From these two brothers [James and Miles] all

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6090-523: The Ogden Land Company began a campaign to defraud the remaining Iroquois in New York of their lands. By Iroquois law, only a unanimous vote of all the chiefs sitting in council could effect binding decisions relating to the tribe. The OLC set about to purchase the votes of as many chiefs as it could, plying some with alcohol. The chiefs in many cases complied, believing any resolutions to sell

6235-660: 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 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

6380-661: The Revolutionary War , the United States had forced the four Iroquois tribes allied with the British to cede their lands and migrate to Canada. By specific treaties, the US set aside small reservations in New York for their own allies, the Onondaga and Seneca. In the 1840s, long after the war, the Ogden Land Company , a real estate venture, laid claim to the Seneca Tonawanda Reservation on

6525-524: The September 11 attacks. 42°38′54″N 73°45′42″W  /  42.64833°N 73.76167°W  / 42.64833; -73.76167 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

6670-734: The Stadt Huys became home to the Albany Committee of Correspondence (the political arm of 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

6815-468: The W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus . Albany County Republican Chairman Joseph C. Frangella once quipped, "Governor Rockefeller 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

6960-469: 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 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

7105-413: The "People of the Waters That Are Never Still". The Mohawks, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy , were based in 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

7250-448: 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 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

7395-479: 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 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

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7540-434: The 1990s, the New York State Legislature approved for the city a US$ 234 million building and renovation plan, which spurred redevelopment downtown. In 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

7685-595: 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 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

7830-477: The Advancement of Science , Morgan decided on an ethnology study to compare kinship systems. He conducted a field research program funded by himself and the Smithsonian Institution , 1859–1862. He made four expeditions, two to the Plains tribes of Kansas and Nebraska , and two more up the Missouri River past Yellowstone . This was before the development of any inland transportation system. Passengers on riverboats could shoot Bison and other game for food along

7975-414: The British , the new government forced the latter's Iroquois allies to cede most of their traditional lands in New York and Pennsylvania to the US. New York made 5 million acres available for public sale. In addition, the US government granted some plots in western New York to Revolutionary War veterans as compensation for their military service. L. H. Morgan's ancestor James Morgan's brother Miles Morgan

8120-462: 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, 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

8265-417: The Corning years, as people moved to newer housing in 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

8410-448: The Division of Research and Collections and the Exhibits Division, is located on the third floor, also not accessible to the public. The fourth floor features a functioning carousel built between 1912 and 1916 which visitors may ride free of charge, plus supplementary exhibits covering regional topics and several historic cities in New York State, such as Buffalo and Rochester . The windowed walls surrounding this floor afford visitors

8555-441: 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 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

8700-419: The Erie Railroad grew rich; that is, Drew had found a way to transfer Vanderbilt's wealth to his own friends. Vanderbilt just escaped ruin. He immediately appealed to the state government. The Railroad Committee investigated the affair. Gould purchased inaction among the senators, a practice Morgan had seen in the Ogden Land Company Affair. This time he worked to protect his friends from investigation. No action

8845-444: The Grant administration, including to China and Peru. Grant's administration rejected all the applications, after which Morgan resolved to visit Europe on his own with a professional as well as a personal agenda. For one year, 1870–71, the three Morgans went on a grand tour of Europe. During his European travels, Morgan met Charles Darwin and the great British anthropologists of the age. He visited Sir John Lubbock , who had coined

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8990-445: The Iroquois , one of the founding works of ethnology. In it he compares systems of kinship . In that year also he married his cross-cousin , Mary Elizabeth Steele, his companion and partner for the rest of his life. She had intended to become a Presbyterian missionary . On their wedding day he presented to her an ornate copy of his new book. It was dedicated to his collaborator, Ely Parker . In 1853 Mary's father died, leaving her

9135-408: The Iroquois. He was seeking appointment by the President of the United States as Commissioner of the new Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Morgan anticipated that William H. Seward would be elected president, and outlined to him plans to employ the natives in the manufacture and sale of Indian goods. At the last moment Abraham Lincoln displaced Seward as the Republican candidate. The new president

9280-411: The Mohican nation". Based to the west along the Mohawk River , the Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk called it Sche-negh-ta-da , "through 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 ,

9425-403: The Morgans prominent in the annals of New York and New England are believed to be descended." It is these Morgans who played a critical part in the foundation of the colonies. During the American Revolutionary War , they were Continentals. Immediately after the war, James’s line, along with many other land-hungry Yankees, migrated into New York State . Following the United States' victory against

9570-424: The New Confederacy. They (chiefly Morgan) paid for the rest of Parker's education at the Cayuga Academy, along with his sister and a friend of hers. Later the Confederacy paid for Parker's studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York , where he graduated in civil engineering . After military service in the American Civil War , from which Parker retired at the rank of brigadier general , he entered

9715-468: The New York State Museum include geological samples, paleontology specimens, historic materials, and art. Their anthropological collections are extensive, and include the collections of several early and well-known anthropologists, including Lewis H. Morgan and Arthur C. Parker . These collections are open to researchers for analysis. A supplementary storage facility in Rotterdam, New York , houses material not presently displayed, including artifacts from

9860-445: 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,

10005-428: The Pacific Ocean; Albany became the county seat . Albany was formally chartered as 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

10150-545: 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

10295-432: The Revolutionary War, Albany County saw 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

10440-489: The Rochester market. Daniel Drew , Erie's treasurer, defended successfully by creating new stock, which he had his friends sold short, dropping the value of the stock. Vanderbilt dumped the stock, barely covering the losses. Ordinarily such stock manipulations were illegal. The Railroad Act of 1850, however, allowed railroads to borrow money in exchange for bonds convertible to stocks. Given essentially free stocks, friends of

10585-573: The Seneca on the reservation issues. They named him Tayadaowuhkuh , meaning "bridging the gap" (between the Iroquois and the European Americans). After Morgan was admitted to the tribe, he lost interest in the New Confederacy. The group retained its secrecy and initiation requirements, but they were being hotly disputed. When internal dissent began to impede the group's efficacy in 1847, Morgan stopped attending. For practical purposes it ceased to exist, but Morgan and Parker continued with

10730-543: 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

10875-686: 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; 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

11020-500: The basis of a fraudulent treaty. The Seneca sued and had representatives at the state capital pressing their case when Morgan was there. The delegation, led by Jimmy Johnson, its chief officer (and son of chief Red Jacket ), were essentially former officers of what was left of the Iroquois Confederacy. Johnson's 16-year-old grandson Ha-sa-ne-an-da ( Ely Parker ) accompanied them as their interpreter, as he had attended

11165-645: The best land and moved American Indians into the desert lands, which did not support small-scale household farms and did not have sufficient game for hunting. Thieves among the agents replaced food and goods intended for the Indians with inedible or no foodstuffs. Faced with these realities, the American Indians refused the reservations or abandoned them, and attempted to return to ancestral lands, now occupied by white settlers. In other cases, they raided white settlements for food or attacked them seeking to repel

11310-407: The ceremony which included a performance by Don Mclean . In June 2015, the museum announced the largest renovation in its history. Over three to four years, 35,000 square feet (3,300 m) of exhibition space was to be modernized. The NYSM is to remain open throughout the rebuilding process, although individual galleries may be closed during construction and re-installation. The large majority of

11455-480: 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 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

11600-439: 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

11745-502: 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,

11890-547: The city were African American (27%), Irish (18.1%), Italian (12.4%), German (10.4%), and English (5.2%); (33.1%) of the population reported "other ancestries". Albany is home to a Triqui language -speaking community of Mexican-Americans . Lewis H. Morgan Also interested in what leads to social change, he was a contemporary of the European social theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels , who were influenced by reading his work on social structure and material culture,

12035-473: The collapse of Barleywood. Later he would serve as a founding trustee of the board of Wells College in Aurora. In addition, he and Mary would leave their estate to the University of Rochester for the foundation of a women's college. In 1855 Morgan and other Rochester businessmen invested in the expanding metals industry of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After a brief sojourn on the 5-man board of

12180-413: The discovery of iron persuaded Morgan and others to develop wide-scale mining and industrialization of the peninsula. He spent the next few years between Washington, lobbying for the sale of the land to his company, and in large cities such as Detroit and Chicago, where he fought lawsuits to prevent competitors from taking it. Morgan vigorously defended American capitalism to protect his own interests. After

12325-403: 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 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

12470-453: 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

12615-510: The equality of women, yet they never made connection. Morgan was anti-slavery but opposed abolitionism on the grounds that slavery was protected by law. Before the war he assented to the possible division of the nation on the grounds of "irreconcilable differences", that is, slavery, between regions. Morgan began to change his mind when some of his friends who had gone out to watch the First Battle of Bull Run were captured and imprisoned by

12760-682: The extent and duration of those visits are unclear. Permanent European claims began when Englishman Henry Hudson , exploring for 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

12905-522: The former Freemasons of Aurora to use the upper floor of the Masonic temple as a meeting hall. New members underwent a secret rite called inindianation in which they were transformed spiritually into Iroquois. They met in the summer around campfires and paraded yearly through the town in costume. Morgan seemed infused with the spirit of the Iroquois. He said, "We are now upon the very soil over which they exercised dominion ... Poetry still lingers around

13050-424: The former mayor of the same name), was elected in 1941. Although he 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

13195-473: The future father of Lewis; and a daughter. In 1797, Jedediah Morgan (1774–1826) married Amanda Stanton, settling on a 100-acre gift of land from his father. After she had five children and died, Jedediah married Harriet Steele of Hartford, Connecticut. They had eight more children, including Lewis. As an adult, he adopted the middle initial "H." Morgan later decided that this H, if anything, stood for "Henry". A multi-skilled Yankee , Jedediah Morgan invented

13340-546: The group a research organization to collect information on the Iroquois , whose historical territory for centuries had included central and upstate New York west of the Hudson and the Finger Lakes region. The men intended to resurrect the spirit of the Iroquois. They tried to learn the languages, assumed Iroquois names, and organized the group by the historic pattern of Iroquois tribes. In 1844 they received permission from

13485-543: 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 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"

13630-574: The influence of technology on progress. Morgan is the only American social theorist to be cited by such diverse scholars as Marx, Charles Darwin , and Sigmund Freud . Elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences , Morgan served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1880. Morgan was a Republican member of the New York State Assembly (Monroe Co., 2nd D.) in 1861 , and of

13775-697: The invaders. Grant resorted to military solutions and used U.S. soldiers to repress the tribes. This warfare exacerbated the failure of the army to protect the American Indians against depredations and encroachment by white settlers. In 1871 Congress took action to halt the suppression of the Natives. It created a Board of Indian Commissioners and relieved Parker of his main responsibilities. Parker resigned in protest. After suffering years of poverty and attempt to suppress their cultures, American Indians were admitted to citizenship in 1924. The government continued to send their children to Indian boarding schools, started in

13920-493: The land annexed to Guilderland was ceded back to Albany in 1910, setting up the current western border. The train carrying 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

14065-658: The land to the west and annex land to the north and south. At this point, Albany had 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

14210-583: The land would be defeated in council. Obtaining a majority vote for sale at one council called for the purpose, the OLC took their treaty to the Congress of the United States, which knew nothing of Iroquois law. President Martin Van Buren advised Congress that the treaty was fraudulent but on June 11, 1838, Congress adopted it as a resolution. After being compensated for their land by $ 1.67 per acre (Morgan said it

14355-513: The late 1870s, where Indian languages and cultures were prohibited. Policies of diversity and limited sovereignty were adopted. The Grant administration is universally regarded as inept in Indian affairs as well as have been rife with corruption. Although Morgan contributed to the ideology of assimilation, he escaped accountability for the results. Having failed to become Commissioner of Indian Affairs , Morgan applied for various ambassadorships under

14500-454: 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 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

14645-715: The mineral wealth of the state. In 1870, it was reorganized as the New York State Museum of Natural History under the trusteeship of the regents of the State University. The museum was located in the State Education Building from 1912 until 1976, when it was moved to the Cultural Education Center upon the Empire State Plaza's completion. The current location opened on July 4, 1976, and 15,000 people took part in

14790-461: The museum's permanent exhibits are located in the voluminous first floor, which features high ceilings that can accommodate large artifacts and displays, such as a subway car, fire engines, a reconstructed Mohawk Iroquois Longhouse, and a mastodon skeleton. Several smaller galleries and halls on the first floor house various temporary art exhibitions, as well as temporary scientific, historical, and cultural exhibits. Presentations and lectures (such as

14935-426: The news from his wife. He wrote in his journal: Two of three of my children are taken. Our family is destroyed. The intelligence has simply petrified me. I have not shed a tear. It is too profound for tears. Thus ends my last expedition. I go home to my stricken and mourning wife, a miserable and destroyed man. During this time, neither Morgan nor Mary showed any interest in abolitionism , nor did they participate in

15080-538: 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 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

15225-538: The north end of the navigable Hudson River. It was the original eastern terminus of the Erie Canal , connecting to 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

15370-454: The office of mayor, it is said even those who admire him greatly cannot come up with 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

15515-523: 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 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 ,

15660-513: 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

15805-424: The scenery. ... " These new Iroquois retained a literary frame of mind, but they intended to focus on "the writing of a native American epic that would define national identity". On an 1844 business trip to New York’s capital, Albany , Morgan started research on old Cayuga treaties in the state archives. The Seneca people were also studying old US-Native American treaties to support their land claims. After

15950-569: The state government again as a senator, 1868–1869, still seeking appointment as head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs . He was ridiculed by the Union Advertiser as being a "hobby candidate". The Republicans that year were running on a platform of moral probity. They argued that as a superior class, they could and should serve as guardians of the public morals. Morgan passed muster on the heredity because of his descent and Mary's descent from William Bradford , of Mayflower note. Morgan soon

16095-572: The state. As of 2023, Albany's population was 101,228. The Hudson River area was originally inhabited by Algonquian -speaking Mohican . The area 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 ):

16240-714: The stockholders refused to pay him for some of his legal work, he all but withdrew from business in favor of field work in anthropology. In 1861 in the middle of his field work, Morgan was elected as Member of the New York State Assembly on the Republican ticket. The Morgans traditionally had belonged to the Whigs , which dissolved in 1856; most Whigs joined the Republicans , created in 1854. Morgan did not run with any agenda except his own as it pertained to

16385-483: 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

16530-617: The support of his family. This provided for education as well. Morgan studied classical subjects at Cayuga Academy: Latin , Greek , rhetoric and mathematics. His father had bequeathed money specifically for his college education, after giving land to the other children for their occupations. Morgan chose Union College in Schenectady . Due to his work at Cayuga Academy, Morgan finished college in two years, 1838–1840, graduating at age 22. The curriculum continued study of classics combined with science, especially mechanics and optics. Morgan

16675-463: The terms of the wills was to use the funds for the endowment of a college for women, dedicated as a memorial to the Morgan daughters. The nephew attempted to break the wills on his behalf but lost the case in the state supreme court. The house with the library survived into mid-20th-century, when it was demolished to make way for a highway bypass system. Materials relating to Morgan's writings are held in

16820-522: The upper Missouri River . He collected data on 51 kinship systems. Tribes included the Winnebago , Crow , Yankton , Kaw , Blackfeet , Omaha and others. At the height of Morgan's anthropological field work, death struck his family. In May and June, 1862, their two daughters, ages 6 and 2, died as a result of scarlet fever while Morgan was traveling in the West. In Sioux City, Iowa , Morgan received

16965-489: The upper ranks of civil service in the presidency of his former commander, Ulysses S. Grant . Meanwhile, the organization had had activist goals from the beginning. In his initial New Gordius address Morgan had said: ... when the last tribe shall slumber in the grass, it is to be feared that the stain of blood will be found on the escutcheon of the American republic. This nation must shield their declining day ... In 1838

17110-581: 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

17255-602: The weekly lecture series) are held in the Museum Theater, located near the West Gallery. A student visitors center is located behind the museum's main lobby. The Museum Store, located adjacent to the main lobby, offers souvenirs, high-quality mineral specimens, and selected New York State publications on science, history, and natural history. The second floor, generally not accessible to the public, contains education and youth services. The museum's staff, including

17400-485: 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 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

17545-482: The wilds of Michigan during the summers, sometimes with Ojibwe guides. During this recreational activity, he became interested in beavers , which had greatly modified the lowlands. After several summers of tracking and observing beavers in the field, in 1868 he published a work describing in detail the biology and habits of this animal, which shaped the environment through its construction of dams. In that year also, his wealth secure and free of business, Morgan entered

17690-501: The words " Paleolithic " and " Neolithic ", and used the terms "barbarians" and "savages" in his own studies of the three-age system . Morgan adopted these terms, but with an altered sense, in Ancient Society . Lubbock was using modern ethnology as he knew it to reconstruct the ways of human ancestors. Lubbock's main works had already been published by the time of Morgan's visit. Morgan recorded his European travel and contacts in

17835-496: 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

17980-504: Was a mausoleum for his daughters in Mount Hope Cemetery . It became the resting place of the entire remainder of the family, starting with Lewis. His wife survived him by two years. They both left wills. A nephew of Lewis moved to Rochester with his family and took up residence in the house to care for Lewis' and Mary's son. On the son's death 20 years later, the entire estate reverted to the University of Rochester, which by

18125-531: Was a seventh generation ancestor of J. P. Morgan . Lewis' grandfather, Thomas Morgan of Connecticut, had been a Continental soldier in the Revolutionary War. Afterward he and his family migrated west to New York's Finger Lakes region, where he bought land from the Cayuga people and planted a farm on the shores of Lake Cayuga near Aurora . He and his wife already had three sons, including Jedediah,

18270-608: 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

18415-475: 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 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

18560-561: Was broken. He asserted that the people had to use government action to rein in the power of large corporations. For the time being the Erie Railroad was supported, but Morgan noted that its victory was just as dangerous to society as its defeat would have been. Despite his new interest in government, which was to come to be expressed in his subsequent works on social systems, Morgan persisted in his major goal in running for office, to be appointed Commissioner of Indian Affairs. The choice

18705-422: Was deluged by letters from Morgan's associates asking that Morgan be appointed commissioner. Lincoln explained that the post had already been exchanged by his campaign manager for political support. With the chance for appointment lost, Morgan, who had made no pretense of interest in New York state's government, returned to field study of the natives. After attending the 1856 meeting of the American Association for

18850-754: 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 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

18995-559: Was his library, an addition to the house he had purchased with Mary many years before and where he died in December 1881. He combined the opening of the library with a celebration of the 25th anniversary of The Club. It included a dinner for 40 persons, who were by that time the leading lights of Rochester. The library acquired some fame as a local monument. Pictures were taken and published. The Club only met there one other time, however, at Morgan's funeral in 1881. The second building project

19140-597: Was immersed in such issues as whether beer drinking on Sunday should be allowed (a veiled hit at the new German immigrants). As member of the Standing Committee on Railroads, Morgan became embroiled in a major issue of the day and one closer to his interests: monopoly . The New York Central Railroad , under Cornelius Vanderbilt , had attempted a hostile takeover of the Erie Railroad under Jay Gould by buying up its stock. The two railroads competed for

19285-560: Was investigated by the state for attempting to raise funds for the college through a lottery. The students evaded his strict regime by founding secret (and forbidden) fraternities , such as the Kappa Alpha Society . Lewis Morgan joined in 1839. After graduating in 1840, Morgan returned to Aurora to read the law with an established firm. In 1842 he was admitted to the bar in Rochester , where he went into partnership with

19430-431: Was known from then on as Albany County Airport until 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

19575-536: Was more difficult than either man had anticipated. Parker controlled none of the variables. The American Indians were to be moved into reservations, assisted with supplies and food so they could start subsistence farming, and educated at mission schools to be converted to Christianity and American values, until they adopted European-American ways. In theory they would then be able to enter American society at large. The system of appointed Indian agents and traders had long been corrupt; in addition, unscrupulous land agents took

19720-487: Was never adopted by Parliament , it was an important precursor to 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 ,

19865-645: Was now up to President Grant. Together in The League , Parker and Morgan had determined the policy Grant was to adopt. They thought that, much as Parker had assimilated, American Indians should assimilate into American society; they were not yet considered US citizens. Of the two men responsible for his policy, Grant chose his former adjutant. Terribly disappointed, Morgan never applied for the post again. The two collaborators did not speak to each other during Parker's tenure, but Morgan stayed on intimate terms with Parker's family. The implementation of assimilation policy

20010-502: 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 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

20155-572: Was strongly interested in the works of the French naturalist Georges Cuvier . Eliphalet Nott , the president of Union College, was an inventor of stoves and a boiler; he held 31 patents. A Presbyterian minister, he kept the young men under a tight discipline, forbidding alcoholic beverages and requiring students to get permission to go to town. He held up the Bible as the one practical standard for all behavior. His career ended with some notoriety when he

20300-487: Was taken. The Erie Railroad affair tapped Morgan's deepest ideological beliefs. To him the role of capitalism in creating mobile wealth was essential to the advancement of civilization. A monopoly such as Vanderbilt had been trying to build would choke off the downward flow of wealth. His report of the Railroad Committee attacked both Vanderbilt and Gould. It argued that the system in its "tendency to combination"

20445-554: Was the "true American" (as an American Indian), he responded, "We are all Americans here, sir." Morgan held no consistent views on the war. He could easily have joined the anti-slavery cause if he had wished to do so. Rochester , as the last station before Canada on the Underground Railroad , was a center of abolitionism . Frederick Douglass published the North Star in Rochester. Like Morgan, Douglass supported

20590-453: 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 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),

20735-467: 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 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

20880-427: 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

21025-598: Was worth $ 16 per acre), the Seneca were to be evicted forthwith. The great majority of the tribe were against the sale of the land. When they discovered they had been defrauded, they were galvanized to action. The New Confederacy stepped into the case on the side of the Seneca, conducting a major publicity campaign. They held mass meetings, circulated a general petition, and spoke to congressmen in Washington. The US Indian agent and ethnologist Henry Rowe Schoolcraft and other influential men became honorary members. In 1846

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