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148-530: In 2003, the Masonic Hall Association decided to sell the building, citing the cost of maintaining the structure and declining membership for its decision. In 2017, a plan to renovate the building as a performing arts center was included in a ten million dollar New York State Empire State Development Corporation revitalization grant. [REDACTED] Media related to Watertown Masonic Temple at Wikimedia Commons This article about

296-665: A chateau on Castle Island , within present-day Albany; it was abandoned the following year due to flooding. In 1614, the Dutch, under the command of Hendrick Corstiaensen, rebuilt the French chateau, which they called Fort Nassau . Fort Nassau was the first Dutch settlement in North America, and was located along the Hudson River, also within present-day Albany. The small fort served as a trading post and warehouse. Located on

444-628: A humid subtropical climate . Weather in New York is heavily influenced by two continental air masses: a warm, humid one from the southwest and a cold, dry one from the northwest. Downstate New York (comprising New York City, Long Island, and lower portions of the Hudson Valley) have rather hot summers with some periods of high humidity and cold, damp winters which are relatively mild compared to temperatures in Upstate New York, due to

592-724: A 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States . The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod . Settlements were established in what became the states of New York , New Jersey , Delaware , and Connecticut , with small outposts in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island . The colony was originally conceived by

740-620: A Dutch company. The term New Netherland Dutch generally includes all the Europeans who came to live there, but may also refer to Africans, Indo-Caribbeans , South Americans, and even the Indians who were integral to the society. Dutch was the official language and likely the lingua franca of the province, although other languages were also spoken. There were various Algonquian languages ; Walloons and Huguenots tended to speak French, and Scandinavians and Germans brought their own tongues. It

888-545: A charter for a utopian society that included equal education of all classes, joint ownership of property, and a democratically elected government. Pieter Corneliszoon Plockhoy attempted such a settlement near the site of Zwaanendael, but it was largely destroyed in 1664 by the British. A few Dutch settlers to New Netherland made their home at Fort Goede Hoop on the Fresh River . As early as 1637, English settlers from

1036-536: A colonist was murdered in an act of revenge for some killings that had taken place years earlier and the Indians refused to turn over the perpetrator. Kieft suggested that they be taught a lesson by ransacking their villages. In an attempt to gain public support, he created the Citizens Commission the Council of Twelve Men . The Council did not rubber-stamp his ideas, as he had expected them to, but took

1184-425: A deep delta in which every kind of ship could pass" and he adds: "that it extends inland for a league and opens up to form a beautiful lake. This vast sheet of water swarmed with native boats." He landed on the tip of Manhattan and possibly on the furthest point of Long Island. Verrazzano's stay was interrupted by a storm which pushed him north towards Martha's Vineyard . In 1540, French traders from New France built

1332-579: A fleet of 21 ships led by Vice Admiral Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest and Commodore Jacob Binckes , then the largest ever seen in America. They chose Anthony Colve as governor and renamed the city New Orange, reflecting the installation of William of Orange as Stadtholder of Holland in 1672; he became King William III of England in 1689. Nevertheless, the Dutch Republic needed money after

1480-589: A government from which they had formerly fled. On 27 August 1664, four English frigates led by Richard Nicolls sailed into New Amsterdam's harbor and demanded New Netherland's surrender. They met no resistance to the capture of New Amsterdam , since requests for troops to protect the Dutch colonists from their English neighbors and Native Americans had been ignored. This left New Amsterdam effectively defenseless, but Stuyvesant negotiated good terms from his "too powerful enemies". Article VIII of these terms confirmed that New Netherlanders "shall keep and enjoy

1628-734: A historic property or district in Jefferson County , New York , that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places , is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . New York State New York , also called New York State , is a state in the Northeastern United States . One of the Mid-Atlantic states, it borders the Atlantic Ocean , New England , Canada, and

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1776-641: A joint effort of many New England tribes to push Europeans off their land. After the death of their leader, Chief Philip Metacomet , most of those peoples fled inland, splitting into the Abenaki and the Schaghticoke . Many of the Mohicans remained in the region until the 1800s, however, a small group known as the Ouabano migrated southwest into West Virginia at an earlier time. They may have merged with

1924-570: A map drawn in 1616. Hendricksz made his voyages aboard the IJseren Vercken (Iron Hog), a vessel built in America. Despite the survey, the company was unable to secure an exclusive patent from the States General for the area between the 38th and 40th parallels. The States General issued patents in 1614 for the development of New Netherland as a private, commercial venture. Soon after, traders built Fort Nassau on Castle Island in

2072-468: A passage to China with the yachts Craen and Vos , captained by Jan Cornelisz Mey and Symon Willemsz Cat respectively. Adriaen Block , Hendrick Christiaensen , and Cornelius Jacobsen Mey explored, surveyed, and mapped the area between Maryland and Massachusetts in four voyages made between 1611 and 1614. These surveys and charts were consolidated in Block's map, which used the name New Netherland for

2220-408: A portion of the state's economy in the second half of the 20th century, New York in the 21st century continues to be considered as a global node of creativity and entrepreneurship , social tolerance , and environmental sustainability . The state attracts visitors from all over the globe, with the highest count of any U.S. state in 2022. Many of its landmarks are well known, including four of

2368-460: A primary goal. The legislators preferred the formula of trading posts with small populations and a military presence to protect them, which was working in the East Indies, versus encouraging mass immigration and establishing large colonies. The company did not focus on colonization in America until 1654 when it was forced to surrender Dutch Brazil and forfeit the richest sugar-producing area in

2516-659: A temperature of −13 °F (−25 °C) or lower can be expected in the northern highlands (Northern Plateau) and 5 °F (−15 °C) or colder in the southwestern and east-central highlands of the Southern Tier. New York had a record-high temperature of 108   °F (42.2   °C) on July 22, 1926, in the Albany area. Its record-lowest temperature during the winter was −52   °F (−46.7   °C) in 1979. Governors Island, Manhattan , in New York Harbor ,

2664-613: A total area of 54,555 square miles (141,297 km ) and ranks as the 27th-largest state by size . The highest elevation in New York is Mount Marcy in the Adirondack High Peaks in Northern New York , at 5,344 feet (1,629 meters) above sea level ; while the state's lowest point is at sea level, on the Atlantic Ocean in Downstate New York . In contrast with New York City's urban landscape,

2812-611: A water border with Rhode Island , while Connecticut has land and sea borders. Except for areas near the New York Harbor and the Upper Delaware River , New York has a mostly land border with two Mid-Atlantic states , New Jersey and Pennsylvania . New York is the only state that borders both the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean . The Hudson River begins near Lake Tear of the Clouds and flows south through

2960-530: Is covered by ice. The summer climate is cool in the Adirondacks, Catskills, and at higher elevations of the Southern Tier. Buffalo and its metropolitan area are described as climate change havens for their weather pattern in Western New York. Summer daytime temperatures range from the high 70s to low 80s   °F (25 to 28   °C), over most of the state. In the majority of winter seasons,

3108-587: Is home to the headquarters of the United Nations , and it is sometimes described as the world's most important city, the cultural , financial , and media epicenter, and the capital of the world. The Native American tribes in what is now New York were predominantly Iroquois and Algonquian . Long Island was divided roughly in half between the Algonquian Wampanoag and Lenape peoples. The Lenape also controlled most of

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3256-623: Is likely that the Africans in Manhattan spoke their mother tongues but were taught Dutch from 1638 by Adam Roelantsz van Dokkum. The arrival of refugees from New Holland in Brazil may have brought speakers of Portuguese, Spanish, and Ladino (with Hebrew as a liturgical language). Commercial activity in the harbor could have been transacted simultaneously in any of a number of tongues. The Dutch West India Company introduced slavery in 1625 with

3404-536: Is planned to host a US$ 1 billion research and education center poised to make New York the global leader in addressing the climate crisis . Due to New York's relatively large land area and unique geography compared to other eastern states, there are several distinct ecoregions present in the state, many of them reduced heavily due to urbanization and other human activities: Southern Great Lakes forests in Western New York , New England–Acadian forests on

3552-658: Is shared between New York and Ontario as it flows on the Niagara River from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The Delaware River Basin Compact, signed in 1961 by New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania , Delaware , and the federal government, regulates the utilization of water of the Delaware system. Under the Köppen climate classification , most of New York has a humid continental climate , though New York City and Long Island have

3700-622: Is the Reformed Church in America. The colonists had to attract the Indians and other non-believers to God's word, "through attitude and by example" but not "to persecute someone by reason of his religion, and to leave everyone the freedom of his conscience." In addition, the laws and ordinances of the states of Holland were incorporated by reference in those first instructions to the Governors Island settlers in 1624. There were two test cases during Stuyvesant's governorship in which

3848-527: Is true for New York City: four of its five boroughs are situated on three islands at the mouth of the Hudson River : Manhattan Island ; Staten Island ; and Long Island , which contains Brooklyn and Queens at its western end. The state's borders include a water boundary in (clockwise from the west) two Great Lakes ( Lake Erie and Lake Ontario , which are connected by the Niagara River );

3996-517: The Algonquian and Iroquois population, possibly at Schenectady , Esopus , Quinnipiac , Communipaw , and elsewhere. In 1624, New Netherland became a province of the Dutch Republic, which had lowered the northern border of its North American dominion to 42 degrees latitude in acknowledgment of the claim by the English north of Cape Cod. The Dutch named the three main rivers of the province

4144-531: The American Civil War , in terms of finances, volunteer soldiers, and supplies. The state provided more than 370,000 soldiers to the Union armies. Over 53,000 New Yorkers died in service, roughly one of every seven who served. However, Irish draft riots in 1862 were a significant embarrassment. Since the early 19th century, New York City has been the largest port of entry for legal immigration into

4292-651: The Capital Region entered Phase   1 of reopening. On May 26, the Hudson Valley began Phase   1, and New York City partially reopened on June 8. During July 2020, a federal judge ruled Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio exceeded authority by limiting religious gatherings to 25% when others operated at 50% capacity. On Thanksgiving Eve, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked additional religious restrictions imposed by Cuomo for areas with high infection rates. The state of New York covers

4440-620: The Continental Army at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, a success that influenced France to ally with the revolutionaries; the state constitution was enacted in 1777. New York became the 11th state to ratify the United States Constitution , on July 26, 1788. In an attempt to retain their sovereignty and remain an independent nation positioned between the new United States and British North America , four of

4588-465: The Declaration of Independence on July 9, 1776. The New York State Constitution was framed by a convention which assembled at White Plains on July 10, 1776, and after repeated adjournments and changes of location, finished its work at Kingston on Sunday evening, April 20, 1777, when the new constitution drafted by John Jay was adopted with but one dissenting vote. It was not submitted to

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4736-682: The Dutch Republic at the time, as well as by the character of those who immigrated to it. It was during the early British colonial period that the New Netherlanders actually developed the land and society that had an enduring impact on the Capital District , the Hudson Valley , North Jersey , western Long Island , New York City , Fairfield County, and ultimately the United States. The concept of tolerance

4884-727: The Dutch West India Company (GWC) in 1621 to capitalize on the North American fur trade . Settlement initially stalled because of policy mismanagement by the GWC and conflicts with Native Americans . The settlement of New Sweden by the Swedish South Company encroached on its southern flank, while its eastern border was redrawn to accommodate the English colonies of an expanding New England Confederation . The colony experienced dramatic growth during

5032-656: The Finger Lakes , a popular tourist destination. To the south, along the state border with Pennsylvania , the Southern Tier sits atop the Allegheny Plateau , representing some of the northernmost reaches of Appalachia . New York was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that went on to form the United States. The area of present-day New York had been inhabited by tribes of the Algonquians and

5180-721: The French and Indian War . Most of these other groups assimilated and eventually ceased to exist as separate tribes. Then, after the American Revolution , a large group of Seneca split off and returned to Ohio, becoming known as the Mingo Seneca. The current Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy include the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Tuscarora and Mohawk. The Iroquois fought for both sides during

5328-631: The French crown , explored the Atlantic coast of North America between the Carolinas and Newfoundland , including New York Harbor and Narragansett Bay . On April 17, 1524, Verrazzano entered New York Bay , by way of the strait now called the Narrows into the northern bay which he named Santa Margherita, in honor of the King of France's sister . Verrazzano described it as "a vast coastline with

5476-740: The Great Lakes , with the port of New York City. Improving transportation, it enabled additional population migration to territories west of New York. After 1850, railroads largely replaced the canal. The connectivity offered by the canal, and subsequently the railroads, led to an economic boom across the entire state through the 1950s. Major corporations that got their start in New York during this time include American Express , AT&T , Bristol Myers Squibb , Carrier , Chase , General Electric , Goldman Sachs , IBM , Kodak , Macy's , NBC , Pfizer , Random House , RCA , Tiffany & Co. , Wells Fargo , Western Union , and Xerox . New York City

5624-429: The Great Lakes . With almost 19.6 million residents, it is the fourth-most populous state in the United States , and the 27th-largest state by area , with a total area of 54,556 square miles (141,300 km ). New York has a varied geography . The southeastern part of the state, known as Downstate , encompasses New York City , the United States's largest city; Long Island , the nation's most populous island; and

5772-734: The Iroquois Confederacy Native Americans for several thousand years by the time the earliest Europeans arrived. Stemming from Henry Hudson 's expedition in 1609, the Dutch established the multiethnic colony of New Netherland in 1621. England seized the colony from the Dutch in 1664, renaming it the Province of New York . During the American Revolutionary War , a group of colonists eventually succeeded in establishing independence, and

5920-603: The Iroquois Confederacy ) conquered the Mahicans, who retreated to Connecticut. The Mohawks gained a near-monopoly in the fur trade with the Dutch, as they controlled the upstate Adirondacks and Mohawk Valley through the center of New York. The Algonquin Lenape population around New York Bay and along the lower Hudson River were seasonally migrational people. The Dutch called the numerous band collectively

6068-722: The Iroquois Nations fought on the side of the British; only the Oneida and their dependents, the Tuscarora, allied themselves with the Americans. In retaliation for attacks on the frontier led by Joseph Brant and Loyalist Mohawk forces , the Sullivan Expedition of 1779 destroyed nearly 50 Iroquois villages, adjacent croplands and winter stores, forcing many refugees to British-held Niagara. As allies of

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6216-501: The Lake Champlain Valley . The Great Appalachian Valley dominates eastern New York and contains Lake Champlain Valley as its northern half and the Hudson Valley as its southern half within the state. The Tug Hill region arises as a cuesta east of Lake Ontario . The state of New York contains a part of the Marcellus shale , which extends into Ohio and Pennsylvania. Upstate and Downstate are often used informally to distinguish New York City or its greater metropolitan area from

6364-407: The Lenape . After gaining support from the Queen of Sweden , Minuit chose the west bank of the Delaware River to establish a colony there in 1638, calling it New Sweden . As expected, the government in New Amsterdam took no action other than to protest. Small settlements centered on Fort Christina sprang up as the colony slowly grew, mostly populated by Swedes , Finns , and Dutch . In 1651,

6512-459: The Manhattans ( Pavonia and Staten Island ) were attacked in an incident that is known as the Peach War . These raids are sometimes considered revenge for the murder of a Munsee woman attempting to pluck a peach, though it is possible that they were an attempt to disrupt the attack on New Sweden. A new experimental settlement on Delaware Bay was begun in 1663, just before the British takeover in 1664. Franciscus van den Enden had drawn up

6660-469: The Manhattoe , in exchange for traded goods worth 60 guilders , often said to be worth US$ 24. The figure of 60 guilders comes from a letter by a representative of the Dutch Estates General and member of the board of the Dutch West India Company , Pieter Janszoon Schagen, to the Estates General in November 1626. In 1846, New York historian John Romeyn Brodhead converted the figure of Fl 60 (or 60 guilders) to US$ 24 (he arrived at $ 24 = Fl 60/2.5, because

6808-406: The Massachusetts Bay Colony began to settle along its banks and on Lange Eylandt , some with permission from the colonial government and others with complete disregard for it. The English colonies grew more rapidly than New Netherland as they were motivated by a desire to establish communities with religious roots, rather than for trade purposes. The wal or rampart at New Amsterdam ( Wall Street )

6956-475: The New England border, Northeastern coastal forests in the lower Hudson Valley and western Long Island , Atlantic coastal pine barrens in southern Long Island, Northeastern interior dry–mesic oak forest in the eastern Southern Tier and upper Hudson Valley, Appalachian–Blue Ridge forests in the Hudson Valley), Central Appalachian dry oak–pine forest around the Hudson Valley, Eastern Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands , Eastern forest–boreal transition in

7104-523: The New York State Legislature created the Board of Commissioners of Immigration to regulate immigration. The first permanent immigration depot in New York was established in 1855 at Castle Garden , a converted War of 1812 era fort located within what is now Battery Park , at the tip of Lower Manhattan. The first immigrants to arrive at the new depot were aboard three ships that had just been released from quarantine . Castle Garden served as New York's immigrant depot until it closed on April 18, 1890, when

7252-423: The Philadelphia Convention , which drafted the United States Constitution, in which he also took part. The new government was to be a strong federal national government to replace the relatively weaker confederation of individual states. Following heated debate, which included the publication of The Federalist Papers as a series of installments in New York City newspapers, New York was the 11th state to ratify

7400-456: The Revolutionary War ; afterwards many pro-British Iroquois migrated to Canada. Today, the Iroquois still live in several enclaves across New York and Ontario. Meanwhile, the Lenape formed a close relationship with William Penn . However, upon Penn's death, his sons managed to take over much of their lands and banish them to Ohio. When the U.S. drafted the Indian Removal Act , the Lenape were further moved to Missouri, whereas their cousins,

7548-411: The Shawnee . The Mohawk and Susquehannock were the most militaristic . Trying to corner trade with the Europeans, they targeted other tribes. The Mohawk were also known for refusing white settlement on their land and discriminating against any of their people who converted to Christianity . They posed a major threat to the Abenaki and Mohicans, while the Susquehannock briefly conquered the Lenape in

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7696-432: The Treaty of Westminster concluded the war. It took until 10 November 1674 for the new English governor Edmund Andros to take over from governor Anthony Colve. New Netherland grew into the largest metropolitan area in the United States, and it left an enduring legacy on American cultural and political life, "a secular broadmindedness and mercantile pragmatism" greatly influenced by the social and political climate in

7844-476: The United States Constitution , on July 26, 1788. New York City remained the national capital under the new constitution until 1790 when it was moved to Philadelphia until 1800, when it was relocated to its current location in Washington, D.C. and was the site of the inauguration of President George Washington, In the first session of the Supreme Court of the United States , the United States Bill of Rights were drafted. Transportation in Western New York

7992-471: The World Trade Center site . On October 29 and 30, 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused extensive destruction of the state's shorelines, ravaging portions of New York City, Long Island , and southern Westchester with record-high storm surge , with severe flooding and high winds causing power outages for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, and leading to gasoline shortages and disruption of mass transit systems. The storm and its profound effects have prompted

8140-409: The Zuyd Rivier ( South River ), the Noort Rivier ( North River ), and the Versche Rivier ( Fresh River ). Discovery, charting, and permanent settlement were needed to maintain a territorial claim. To this end in May 1624, the GWC landed 30 families at Fort Orange and Noten Eylant (today's Governors Island ) at the mouth of the North River. They disembarked from the ship Nieu Nederlandt , under

8288-495: The patroons of Zwaanendael , Samuel Blommaert and Samuel Godijn was destroyed by the local Indigenous population soon after its founding in 1631 during the absence of their agent, David Pietersen de Vries . Peter Minuit , who had obtained a deed for Manhattan from the Lenape (and was soon after dismissed as director), knew that the Dutch would be unable to defend the southern flank of their North American territory and had not signed treaties with or purchased land there from

8436-517: The ring-necked pheasant , northern bobwhite , ruffed grouse , spruce grouse , Canada jay , wild turkey , blue jay , eastern bluebird (the state bird ), American robin , and black-capped chickadee . Birds of prey that are present in the state are great horned owls , bald eagles , red-tailed hawks , American kestrels , and northern harriers . Waterfowl like mallards , wood ducks , canvasbacks , American black ducks , trumpeter swans , Canada geese , and blue-winged teals can be found in

8584-539: The white-footed mouse , North American least shrew , little brown bat , muskrat , eastern gray squirrel , eastern cottontail , American ermine , groundhog , striped skunk , fisher , North American river otter , raccoon , bobcat , eastern coyote , red fox , gray fox white-tailed deer , moose , and American black bear ; extirpated mammals include Canada lynx , American bison , wolverine , Allegheny woodrat , caribou , eastern elk , eastern cougar , and eastern wolf . Some species of birds in New York are

8732-423: The 1600s. The most devastating event of the century, however, was the Beaver Wars . From approximately 1640–1680, the Iroquois peoples waged campaigns which extended from modern-day Michigan to Virginia against Algonquian and Siouan tribes, as well as each other. The aim was to control more land for animal trapping , a career most natives had turned to in hopes of trading with whites first. This completely changed

8880-557: The 1650s and became a major center for trade across the North Atlantic . The Dutch conquered New Sweden in 1655 but, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War , surrendered New Netherland to the English following the capture of New Amsterdam . In 1673, the Dutch retook the colony but relinquished it under the Treaty of Westminster (1674) that ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War . The inhabitants of New Netherland ( New Netherlanders ) were European colonists, Native Americans , and Africans imported as slave laborers. Not including Native Americans,

9028-548: The Adirondacks, Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests around the Adirondacks, and Allegheny Highlands forests , most of which are in the western Southern Tier. Some species that can be found in this state are American ginseng , starry stonewort , waterthyme , water chestnut, eastern poison ivy , poison sumac , giant hogweed , cow parsnip and common nettle . There are more than 70 mammal species, more than 20 bird species, some species of amphibians, and several reptile species. Species of mammals that are found in New York are

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9176-591: The Anglican government as in old England". The Dutch West India Company directors concluded that the religious freedom they offered in New Netherland would dissuade English colonists from working toward their removal. They wrote to Director-General Peter Stuyvesant : [W]e are in hopes that as the English at the north (in New Netherland) have removed mostly from old England for the causes aforesaid, they will not give us henceforth so much trouble, but prefer to live free under us at peace with their consciences than to risk getting rid of our authority and then falling again under

9324-438: The British, the Iroquois were forced out of New York, although they had not been part of treaty negotiations. They resettled in Canada after the war and were given land grants by the Crown. In the treaty settlement, the British ceded most Indian lands to the new United States. Because New York made a treaty with the Iroquois without getting Congressional approval, some of the land purchases have been subject to land claim suits since

9472-456: The Dutch Government came down against the GWC, granting the colony a measure of self-government and recalling Stuyvesant in April 1652. However, the orders were rescinded with the outbreak of the First Anglo-Dutch War a month later. Military battles were occurring in the Caribbean and along the South Atlantic coast. In 1654, the Netherlands lost New Holland in Brazil to Portugal, encouraging some of its residents to emigrate north and making

9620-436: The Dutch dismantled Fort Nassau and constructed Fort Casimir on the west bank in an attempt to disrupt trade and reassert control. Three years later, Fort Casimir was seized by the Swedes, who renamed it Fort Trinity. In 1655, Stuyvesant led a military expedition and regained control of the region, naming its main settlement " New Amstel " ( Nieuw-Amstel ). While Stuyvesant was conquering New Sweden, some villages and farms at

9768-471: The Dutch. The massacre left 130 dead. Within days, the surrounding tribes united and rampaged the countryside, in a unique move, forcing settlers who escaped to find safety at Fort Amsterdam. For two years, a series of raids and reprisals raged across the province, until 1645 when Kieft's War ended with a treaty, in a large part brokered by the Hackensack sagamore Oratam . The colonists were disenchanted with Kieft, his ignorance of Indigenous peoples, and

9916-409: The European continent. The Dutch Republic had become a home to many intellectuals, international businessmen, and religious refugees. In the Americas , the English had a settlement at Jamestown, Virginia , the French had small settlements at Port Royal and Quebec , and the Spanish were developing colonies in South America and the Caribbean. In 1609, English sea captain and explorer Henry Hudson

10064-422: The Fresh River, and Fort Wilhelmus on the South River. Many of the settlers were not Dutch but Walloons , French Huguenots , or Africans (most as enslaved labor, some later gaining "half-free" status). Peter Minuit became Director of the New Netherland in 1626 and made a decision that greatly affected the new colony. Originally, the capital of the province was to be located on the South River, but it

10212-419: The GWC, the States General, and the New Netherlanders. The English were nibbling at Dutch territory to the north and the Swedes to the south, while in the heart of the province, the Esopus were trying to contain further Dutch expansion. Discontent in New Amsterdam led locals to dispatch Adriaen van der Donck back to the United Provinces to seek redress. After nearly three years of legal and political wrangling,

10360-466: The Hudson River flood plain, the rudimentary fort was washed away by flooding in 1617, and abandoned for good after Fort Orange (New Netherland) was built nearby in 1623. Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage marked the beginning of European involvement in the area. Sailing for the Dutch East India Company and looking for a passage to Asia, he entered the Upper New York Bay on September 11 of that year. Word of his findings encouraged Dutch merchants to explore

10508-448: The Indians did not intend to leave or give up access. This misunderstanding and other differences led to violent conflict later. At the same time, such differences marked the beginnings of a multicultural society. Like the French in the north, the Dutch focused their interest on the fur trade . To that end, they cultivated contingent relations with the Five Nations of the Iroquois to procure greater access to key central regions from which

10656-428: The Indians. The Dutch West India Company would offer a land patent, and the recipient would be responsible for negotiating a deal with representatives of the local tribes, usually the sachem or high chief. The Indians referred to the Dutch colonists as Swannekins , or salt water people ; they had vastly different conceptions of ownership and use of land than the colonists did, and difficulties sometimes arose concerning

10804-492: The Institute for Social History of Amsterdam. Based on the price of silver , " The Straight Dope " newspaper column calculated an equivalent of $ 72 in 1992. Historians James and Michelle Nevius revisited the issue in 2014, suggesting that using the prices of beer and brandy as monetary equivalencies, the price Minuit paid would have the purchasing power of somewhere between $ 2,600 and $ 15,600 in current dollars. According to

10952-578: The Mohicans, were sent to Wisconsin. Also, in 1778, the United States relocated the Nanticoke from the Delmarva Peninsula to the former Iroquois lands south of Lake Ontario, though they did not stay long. Mostly, they chose to migrate into Canada and merge with the Iroquois, although some moved west and merged with the Lenape. In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano , an Italian explorer in the service of

11100-614: The Narrows into the Upper New York Bay . Hudson believed that he had found the continental water route, so he sailed up the major river that now bears his name. He found the water too shallow to proceed several days later at the site of Troy, New York . Upon returning to the Netherlands, Hudson reported that he had found fertile land and amicable people willing to engage his crew in small-scale bartering of furs, trinkets, clothes, and small manufactured goods. His report

11248-475: The North American colonies more appealing to some investors. The Esopus Wars are so named for the branch of Lenape that lived around Wiltwijck, today's Kingston , which was the Dutch settlement on the west bank of Hudson River between Beverwyk and New Amsterdam . These conflicts were generally over settlement of land by New Netherlanders for which contracts had not been clarified, and were seen by

11396-937: The River Indians, known the exonyms associated with place names as the Wecquaesgeek , Hackensacks , Raritans , Canarsee , and Tappans . These groups had the most frequent contact with the New Netherlanders. The Munsee inhabited the Highlands , Hudson Valley, and northern New Jersey , while the Susquehannocks lived west of the Delaware River along the Susquehanna River, which the Dutch regarded as their boundary with Virginia. Company policy required land to be purchased from

11544-594: The Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan , and the towers collapsed . 7 World Trade Center also collapsed due to damage from fires. The other buildings of the World Trade Center complex were damaged beyond repair and demolished soon thereafter. The collapse of the Twin Towers caused extensive damage and resulted in the deaths of 2,753 victims, including 147 aboard

11692-471: The US dollar was erroneously equated with the Dutch rijksdaalder having a standard value of 2.5 guilders). "[A] variable-rate myth being a contradiction in terms, the purchase price remains forever frozen at twenty-four dollars," as authors Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace remarked in their history of New York. In 1626, sixty guilders were valued at approximately $ 1,000 in 2006 and $ 963 in 2020, according to

11840-544: The United Provinces. Still, the Dutch could not populate or militarily defend their territorial claim and, therefore, could do nothing but protest the growing flood of English settlers. With the 1650 Treaty of Hartford , Stuyvesant provisionally ceded the Connecticut River region to New England, drawing New Netherland's eastern border 50 Dutch miles (approximately 250 km ) west of Connecticut's mouth on

11988-471: The United States . In the United States, the federal government did not assume direct jurisdiction for immigration until 1890. Prior to this time, the matter was delegated to the individual states, then via contract between the states and the federal government. Most immigrants to New York would disembark at the bustling docks along the Hudson and East Rivers , in the eventual Lower Manhattan . On May 4, 1847,

12136-460: The United States can trace their ancestry to these immigrants. Ellis Island was the subject of a contentious and long-running border and jurisdictional dispute between the State of New York and the State of New Jersey, as both claimed it. The issue was officially settled in 1998 by the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled that the original 3.3-acre (1.3 ha) island was New York state territory and that

12284-575: The area of Albany up Hudson's river. The fort was to defend river traffic against interlopers and to conduct fur trading operations with the Indians. The location of the fort proved to be impractical, however, due to repeated flooding of the island in the summers, and it was abandoned in 1618 when the patent expired. The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands granted a charter to the Dutch West India Company (GWC) ( Geoctroyeerde Westindische Compagnie ) on 3 June 1621, which gave

12432-542: The award. The New Netherland Company was an alliance of trading companies, and they used Adrian Block 's map to win a patent that expired on 1 January 1618. The New Netherland Company also ordered a survey of the Delaware Valley , and Cornelis Hendricksz of Monnickendam explored the Zuyd Rivier (South River) in 1616 from its bay to its northernmost navigable reaches. His observations were preserved in

12580-618: The balance of the 27.5 acres (11 ha) added after 1834 by landfill was in New Jersey. In May 1964, Ellis Island was added to the National Park Service by President Lyndon B. Johnson and is still owned by the federal government as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument . In 1990, Ellis Island was opened to the public as a museum of immigration. On September 11, 2001, two of four hijacked planes were flown into

12728-512: The canal carrying passengers and freight. Farm products came in from the Midwest , and finished manufactured goods moved west. It was an engineering marvel which opened up vast areas of New York to commerce and settlement. It enabled Great Lakes port cities such as Buffalo and Rochester to grow and prosper. It also connected the burgeoning agricultural production of the Midwest and shipping on

12876-649: The city on October 19 of that year, composed of representatives from across the Thirteen Colonies who set the stage for the Continental Congress to follow. The Stamp Act Congress resulted in the Declaration of Rights and Grievances , which was the first written expression by representatives of the Americans of many of the rights and complaints later expressed in the United States Declaration of Independence . This included

13024-578: The coast in search of profitable fur trading with local Native American tribes. During the 17th century, Dutch trading posts established for the trade of pelts from the Lenape, Iroquois, and other tribes were founded in the colony of New Netherland . The first of these trading posts were Fort Nassau (1614, near present-day Albany ); Fort Orange (1624, on the Hudson River just south of the current city of Albany and created to replace Fort Nassau), developing into settlement Beverwijck (1647), and into what became Albany; Fort Amsterdam (1625, to develop into

13172-569: The colonial population, many of whom were not of Dutch descent, was 4,301 in 1650 and 8,000 to 9,000 at the time of transfer to England in 1674. During the 17th century, Europe was undergoing expansive social, cultural, and economic growth, known as the Dutch Golden Age in the Netherlands. Nations vied for domination of lucrative trade routes around the globe, particularly those to Asia. Simultaneously, philosophical and theological conflicts were manifested in military battles throughout

13320-467: The colony fell, the company freed the slaves, establishing early on a nucleus of free blacks. The Union of Utrecht is the founding document of the Dutch Republic, signed in 1579, and it stated "that everyone shall remain free in religion and that no one may be persecuted or investigated because of religion". The Dutch West India Company , however, established the Reformed Church as the official religious institution of New Netherland. Its successor church

13468-521: The command of Cornelis Jacobsz May , the first Director of the New Netherland . He was replaced the following year by Willem Verhulst . In June 1625, 45 additional colonists disembarked on Noten Eylant from three ships named Horse , Cow , and Sheep , which also delivered 103 horses, steers, cows, pigs, and sheep. Most settlers were dispersed to the various garrisons built across the territory: upstream to Fort Orange , to Kievits Hoek on

13616-676: The company the exclusive right to operate in West Africa (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Cape of Good Hope ) and the Americas. Willem Usselincx was one of the founders of the GWC, and he promoted the concept that the company's main goal should be to establish colonies in the New World. In 1620, Usselincx made a last appeal to the States General, which rejected his principal vision as

13764-603: The conclusion of the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1672–1674, the historic "disaster years" in which the French simultaneously attacked the republic under Louis XIV , the English, the Prince-Bishop of Münster , and Archbishop-Elector of Cologne . The States of Zeeland had tried to convince the States of Holland to take on the responsibility for the New Netherland province, but to no avail. In February 1674,

13912-602: The confiscated property. In addition, a Mennonite settlement led by Pieter Corneliszoon Plockhoy near Lewes, Delaware was destroyed. The 1667 Treaty of Breda ended the Second Anglo-Dutch War ; the Dutch did not press their claims on New Netherland, and the status quo was maintained, with the Dutch occupying Suriname and the nutmeg island of Run . Within six years, the nations were again at war. The Dutch recaptured New Netherland in August 1673 with

14060-498: The construction of Fort Amsterdam at its southern tip, around which grew the heart of the province called The Manhattoes in the vocabulary of the day, rather than New Netherland. According to a letter by Pieter Janszoon Schagen, Peter Minuit and Walloon colonists of the West India Company acquired the island of Manhattan on May 24, 1626, from unnamed native people, who are believed to have been Canarsee Indians of

14208-427: The discussion of constructing seawalls and other coastal barriers around the shorelines of New York City and Long Island to minimize the risk from another such future event. Such risk is considered highly probable due to global warming and rising sea levels . On March 1, 2020, New York had its first confirmed case of COVID-19 after Washington (state) , two months prior. From May 19–20, Western New York and

14356-545: The downstate region's lower elevation, proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, and relatively lower latitude . Upstate New York experiences warm summers, marred by only occasional, brief intervals of sultry conditions, with long and cold winters. Western New York, particularly the Tug Hill region, receives heavy lake-effect snows , especially during the earlier portions of winter, before the surface of Lake Ontario itself

14504-402: The duration of the conflict, and consequently the focus of General George Washington 's intelligence network . On the notorious British prison ships of Wallabout Bay , more American combatants died than were killed in combat in every battle of the war combined. Both sides of combatants lost more soldiers to disease than to outright wounds. The first of two major British armies were captured by

14652-671: The eastern part of the state, without draining Lakes George or Champlain . Lake George empties at its north end into Lake Champlain, whose northern end extends into Canada, where it drains into the Richelieu River and then ultimately the Saint Lawrence River . The western section of the state is drained by the Allegheny River and rivers of the Susquehanna and Delaware River systems. Niagara Falls

14800-497: The ethnography of the region, and most large game was hunted out before whites ever fully explored the land. Still, afterward, the Iroquois Confederacy offered shelter to refugees of the Mascouten , Erie, Chonnonton , Tutelo , Saponi , and Tuscarora nations. The Tuscarora became the sixth nation of the Iroquois. In the 1700s, Iroquoian peoples would take in the remaining Susquehannock of Pennsylvania after they were decimated in

14948-412: The expectations on both sides. The colonists thought that their proffer of gifts in the form of sewant or manufactured goods was a trade agreement and defense alliance, which gave them exclusive rights to farming, hunting, and fishing. Often, the Indians did not vacate the property or reappeared seasonally according to their migration patterns. They were willing to share the land with the colonists, but

15096-565: The federal government assumed control over immigration. During that period, more than eight million immigrants passed through its doors (two of every three U.S. immigrants). When the federal government assumed control, it established the Bureau of Immigration , which chose the three-acre (1.2 ha) Ellis Island in Upper New York Harbor for an entry depot. Already federally controlled, the island had served as an ammunition depot. It

15244-638: The first time; it was also called Nova Belgica on maps. During this period, there was some trading with the Native American population. Fur trader Juan Rodriguez was born in Santo Domingo of Portuguese and African descent. He arrived in Manhattan during the winter of 1613–1614, trapping for pelts and trading with the Indians as a representative of the Dutch. He was the first recorded non-native inhabitant of New York City. The immediate and intense competition among Dutch trading companies in

15392-530: The importation of 11 black slaves who worked as farmers, fur traders, and builders. They had a few basic rights and families were usually kept intact. They were admitted to the Dutch Reformed Church and married by its ministers, and their children could be baptized. Slaves could testify in court, sign legal documents, and bring civil actions against whites. Some were permitted to work after hours earning wages equal to those paid to white workers. When

15540-594: The late 20th century by the federally recognized tribes. New York put up more than 5 million acres (20,000 km ) of former Iroquois territory for sale in the years after the Revolutionary War, leading to rapid development in Upstate New York. As per the Treaty of Paris , the last vestige of British authority in the former Thirteen Colonies —their troops in New York City—departed in 1783, which

15688-607: The liberty of their consciences in religion" under English rule. The Articles were largely observed in New Amsterdam and the Hudson River Valley, but were violated in another part of the conquest of New Netherland along the Delaware River, where Colonel Sir Robert Carr expropriated property for his own use and sold Dutch prisoners of war into slavery. Nicolls eventually forced Carr to return some of

15836-542: The mainland and just west of Oyster Bay on Long Island. The Dutch West India Company refused to recognize the treaty but failed to reach any other agreement with the English, so the Hartford Treaty set the de facto border. Connecticut was mostly assimilated into New England. In March 1664, Charles II of England , Scotland, and Ireland resolved to annex New Netherland and "bring all his Kingdoms under one form of government, both in church and state, and to install

15984-414: The more mountainous regions of Upstate and flows into the north–south Hudson River valley near the state capital of Albany . Western New York , home to the cities of Buffalo and Rochester , is part of the Great Lakes region and borders Lake Ontario and Lake Erie . Central New York is anchored by the city of Syracuse ; between the central and western parts of the state, New York is dominated by

16132-660: The natives as an unwanted incursion into their territory. Previously, the Esopus, a clan of the Munsee Lenape, had much less contact with the River Indians and the Mohawks . According to historian Eleanor Bruchey: New Netherlanders were not necessarily Dutch, and New Netherland was never a homogeneous society. Governor Peter Minuit was a Walloon born in what is now Germany who also spoke English and worked for

16280-518: The newly charted areas led to disputes in Amsterdam and calls for regulation. The States General was the governing body of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, and it proclaimed on 17 March 1614, that it would grant an exclusive patent for trade between the 40th and 45th parallels. This monopoly would be valid for four voyages, and all four voyages had to be undertaken within three years of

16428-464: The only governor of the colony to be called Director-General . Some years earlier, land ownership policy was liberalized, and trading was somewhat deregulated, and many New Netherlanders considered themselves entrepreneurs in a free market . The population had reached about 15,000, including 500 on Manhattan Island. During the period of his governorship, the province experienced exponential growth. Demands were made upon Stuyvesant from all sides:

16576-400: The opportunity to mention grievances that they had with the company's mismanagement and its unresponsiveness to their suggestions. Kieft thanked and disbanded them and, against their advice, ordered that groups of Tappan and Wecquaesgeek be attacked at Pavonia and Corlear's Hook , even though they had sought refuge from their more powerful Mohican enemies per their treaty understandings with

16724-566: The people for ratification. On July 30, 1777, George Clinton was inaugurated as the first Governor of New York at Kingston. Approximately a third of the battles of the American Revolutionary War took place in New York; the first major one and largest of the entire war was the Battle of Long Island , also known as the Battle of Brooklyn, in August 1776. After their victory, the British occupied present-day New York City, making it their military and political base of operations in North America for

16872-726: The provinces of Ontario and Quebec in Canada, with New York and Ontario sharing the Thousand Islands archipelago within the Saint Lawrence River, while most of its border with Quebec is on land; it shares Lake Champlain with the New England state of Vermont ; the New England state of Massachusetts has mostly a land border; New York extends into Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean , sharing

17020-819: The region surrounding New York Harbor . North of the Lenape was a third Algonquian nation, the Mohicans . Starting north of them, from east to west, were two Iroquoian nations: the Mohawk —part of the original Iroquois Five Nations, and the Petun . South of them, divided roughly along Appalachia , were the Susquehannock and the Erie . Many of the Wampanoag and Mohican peoples were caught up in King Philip's War ,

17168-400: The region. Maritime or shore birds of New York are great blue heron , killdeers , northern cardinals , American herring gulls , and common terns . Reptile and amphibian species in land areas of New York include queen snakes , hellbenders , diamondback terrapins , timber rattlesnakes , eastern fence lizards , spotted turtles , and Blanding's turtles . Sea turtles that can be found in

17316-605: The rest of the State of New York. The placement of a boundary between the two is a matter of great contention. Unofficial and loosely defined regions of Upstate New York include from the Southern Tier, which includes many of the counties along the border with Pennsylvania, to the North Country region, above or sometimes including parts of the Adirondack region. Among the total area of New York state, 13.6% consists of water. Much of New York's boundaries are in water, as

17464-452: The right to representative government . At the same time, given strong commercial, personal and sentimental links to Britain , many New York residents were Loyalists . The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga provided the cannon and gunpowder necessary to force a British withdrawal from the siege of Boston in 1775. New York was the only colony not to vote for independence , as the delegates were not authorized to do so. New York then endorsed

17612-540: The rule prevailed: the official granting of full residency for both Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews in New Amsterdam in 1655, and the Flushing Remonstrance involving Quakers in 1657. It was located in areas of Canada all the way to Delaware Apart from the second Fort Nassau , and the small community that supported it, settlement along the Zuyd Rivier was limited. The settlement sponsored by

17760-665: The second at Cape Cod . Hudson believed that the passage to the Pacific Ocean was between the St. Lawrence River and Chesapeake Bay , so he sailed south to the Bay, then turned northward, traveling close along the shore. From Delaware Bay , he began to sail upriver looking for the passage. This effort was foiled by sandy shoals, and the Halve Maen continued north along the coast. After passing Sandy Hook , Hudson and his crew entered

17908-723: The site on March 21, 2014. Upon its completion in 2014, the new One World Trade Center became the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere, at 1,776 feet (541 m), meant to symbolize the year America gained its independence , 1776. From 2006 to 2018, 3 World Trade Center , 4 World Trade Center , 7   World Trade Center, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub , Liberty Park , and Fiterman Hall were completed. St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center are under construction at

18056-478: The skins came. The Dutch encouraged a kind of feudal aristocracy over time to attract settlers to the region of the Hudson River in what became known as the system of the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions . Further south, a Swedish trading company that had ties with the Dutch tried to establish its first settlement along the Delaware River three years later. Without resources to consolidate its position, New Sweden

18204-463: The state are the green sea turtle , loggerhead sea turtle , leatherback sea turtle and Kemp's ridley sea turtle . New York Harbor and the Hudson River constitute an estuary , making the state of New York home to a rich array of marine life including shellfish—such as oysters and clams —as well as fish, microorganisms, and sea-birds. Due to its long history, New York has several overlapping and often conflicting definitions of regions within

18352-498: The state ratified the then new United States Constitution in 1788. From the early 19th century, New York's development of its interior, beginning with the construction of the Erie Canal , gave it incomparable advantages over other regions of the United States. The state built its political, cultural, and economic ascendancy over the next century, earning it the nickname of the " Empire State ". Although deindustrialization eroded

18500-400: The state. The regions are also not fully definable due to the colloquial use of regional labels. The New York State Department of Economic Development provides two distinct definitions of these regions. It divides the state into ten economic regions, which approximately correspond to terminology used by residents: New Netherland New Netherland ( Dutch : Nieuw Nederland ) was

18648-579: The suburbs and wealthy enclaves of the lower Hudson Valley . These areas are the center of the expansive New York metropolitan area and account for approximately two-thirds of the state's population. The larger Upstate area spreads from the Great Lakes to Lake Champlain and includes the Adirondack Mountains and the Catskill Mountains (part of the wider Appalachian Mountains ). The east–west Mohawk River Valley bisects

18796-454: The title came with powerful manorial rights and privileges , such as the creation of civil and criminal courts and the appointing of local officials. In return, a patroon was required by the Company to establish a settlement of at least 50 families within four years who would live as tenant farmers. Of the original five patents given, the largest and only truly successful endeavor

18944-416: The town New Amsterdam , which is present-day New York City); and Esopus (1653, now Kingston ). The success of the patroonship of Rensselaerswyck (1630), which surrounded Albany and lasted until the mid-19th century, was also a key factor in the early success of the colony. The English captured the colony during the Second Anglo-Dutch War and governed it as the Province of New York . The city of New York

19092-477: The two planes. Since September   11, most of Lower Manhattan has been restored. In the years since, over 7,000 rescue workers and residents of the area have developed several life-threatening illnesses, and some have died. A memorial at the site, the National September ;11 Memorial & Museum , was opened to the public on September   11, 2011. A permanent museum later opened at

19240-402: The unresponsiveness of the GWC to their rights and requests, and they submitted the Remonstrance of New Netherland to the States General . This document was written by Leiden-educated New Netherland lawyer Adriaen van der Donck , condemning the GWC for mismanagement and demanding full rights as citizens of the province of the Netherlands. Peter Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam in 1647,

19388-426: The vast majority of the state's geographic area is dominated by meadows , forests , rivers, farms, mountains, and lakes. Most of the southern part of the state rests on the Allegheny Plateau , which extends from the southeastern United States to the Catskill Mountains ; the section in the State of New York is known as the Southern Tier . The rugged Adirondack Mountains , with vast tracts of wilderness, lie west of

19536-412: The world's ten most-visited tourist attractions in 2013: Times Square , Central Park , Niagara Falls , and Grand Central Terminal . New York is home to approximately 200 colleges and universities , including Ivy League members Columbia University and Cornell University , and the expansive State University of New York , which is among the largest university systems in the nation. New York City

19684-415: The world. The first trading partners of the New Netherlanders were the Algonquins who lived in the area. The Dutch depended on the native nations to capture, skin, and deliver pelts to them, especially beaver. It is likely that Hudson's peaceful contact with the Mahicans encouraged them to establish Fort Nassau in 1614, the first of many garrisoned trading stations. In 1628, the Mohawks (members of

19832-525: The writer Nathaniel Benchley , Minuit conducted the transaction with Seyseys, chief of the Canarsee , who were willing to accept valuable merchandise in exchange for the island that was mostly controlled by the Weckquaesgeeks , a band of the Wappinger . The port city of New Amsterdam outside the fort walls became a major hub for trade between North America, the Caribbean, and Europe, and where raw materials were loaded, such as pelts, lumber, and tobacco. Sanctioned privateering contributed to its growth. It

19980-488: Was Rensselaerswyck , at the highest navigable point on the North River, which became the main thoroughfare of the province. Beverwijck grew from a trading post to a bustling, independent town in the midst of Rensselaerwyck, as did Wiltwyck , south of the patroonship in Esopus country. Willem Kieft was Director of New Netherland from 1638 until 1647. The colony had grown somewhat before his arrival, reaching 8,000 population in 1635. Yet it did not flourish, and Kieft

20128-460: Was a major ocean port and had extensive traffic importing cotton from the South and exporting manufacturing goods. Nearly half of the state's exports were related to cotton. Southern cotton factors, planters and bankers visited so often that they had favorite hotels. At the same time, activism for abolitionism was strong upstate, where some communities provided stops on the Underground Railroad . Upstate, and New York City, gave strong support for

20276-423: Was by expensive wagons on muddy roads before canals opened up the rich farmlands to long-distance traffic. Governor DeWitt Clinton promoted the Erie Canal , which connected New York City to the Great Lakes by the Hudson River , the new canal, and the rivers and lakes. Work commenced in 1817, and the Erie Canal opened eight years later, in 1825. Packet boats pulled by horses on tow paths traveled slowly over

20424-422: Was chosen due its relative isolation with proximity to New York City and the rail lines of Jersey City, New Jersey , via a short ferry ride. While the island was being developed and expanded via land reclamation , the federal government operated a temporary depot at the Barge Office at the Battery. Ellis Island opened on January 1, 1892, and operated as a central immigration center until the National Origins Act

20572-418: Was first published in 1611 by Emanuel van Meteren , the Dutch Consul at London. This stimulated interest in exploiting this new trade resource, and it was the catalyst for Dutch merchant-traders to fund more expeditions. Merchants such as Arnout Vogels sent the first follow-up voyages to exploit this discovery as early as July 1610. In 1611–1612, the Admiralty of Amsterdam sent two covert expeditions to find

20720-478: Was given its municipal charter in 1653, by which time the Commonality of New Amsterdam included the isle of Manhattan, Staaten Eylandt , Pavonia , and the Lange Eylandt towns. In the hope of encouraging immigration, the Dutch West India Company established the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions in 1629, which gave it the power to offer vast land grants and the title of patroon to some of its invested members. The vast tracts were called patroonships , and

20868-508: Was gradually absorbed by New Holland and later in Pennsylvania and Delaware. In 1613, temporary camp comprising a number of small huts was built by the crew of the " Tijger " ( Tiger ), a Dutch ship under the command of Captain Adriaen Block , which had caught fire while sailing on the Hudson. Soon after, the first of two Fort Nassaus was built at the confluence of the Hudson (North River) and Mohawk rivers, and small factorijen or trading posts went up, where commerce could be conducted with

21016-419: Was hired by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to find a Northeast Passage to Asia, sailing around Scandinavia and Russia. The ice of the Arctic turned him back in his second attempt, so he sailed west to seek a Northwest Passage rather than return home. He ended up exploring the waters off the northeast coast of North America aboard the flyboat Halve Maen . His first landfall was at Newfoundland and

21164-440: Was long afterward celebrated as Evacuation Day . New York City was the national capital under the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union , the first national government. That organization was found to be inadequate, and prominent New Yorker Alexander Hamilton advocated for a new government that would include an executive, national courts, and the power to tax. Hamilton led the Annapolis Convention (1786) that called for

21312-497: Was originally built due to fear of an invasion by the English. There initially was limited contact between New Englanders and New Netherlanders, but the two provinces engaged in direct diplomatic relations with a swelling English population and territorial disputes. The New England Confederation was formed in 1643 as a political and military alliance of the English colonies of Massachusetts, Plymouth , Connecticut , and New Haven . Connecticut and New Haven were on land claimed by

21460-536: Was passed in 1924, reducing immigration. After that date, the only immigrants to pass through were displaced persons or war refugees . The island ceased all immigration processing on November 12, 1954, when the last person detained on the island, Norwegian seaman Arne Peterssen, was released. He had overstayed his shore leave and left on the 10:15   a.m. Manhattan-bound ferry to return to his ship. More than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. More than 100 million Americans across

21608-402: Was recaptured by the Dutch in 1673 during the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672–1674) and renamed New Orange. It was returned to the English under the terms of the Treaty of Westminster a year later. The Sons of Liberty were organized in New York City during the 1760s, largely in response to the oppressive Stamp Act passed by the British Parliament in 1765. The Stamp Act Congress met in

21756-411: Was soon realized that the location was susceptible to mosquito infestation in the summer and the freezing of its waterways in the winter. He chose instead the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the river explored by Hudson , at that time called the North River . Minuit traded some goods with the local population and reported that he had purchased it from the natives, as was company policy. He ordered

21904-415: Was under pressure to cut costs. At this time, Indian tribes that had signed mutual defense treaties with the Dutch were gathering near the colony due to widespread warfare and dislocation among the tribes to the north. At first, he suggested collecting tribute from the Indians, as was common among the various dominant tribes, but his demands were simply ignored by the Tappan and Wecquaesgeek . Subsequently,

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