| 释义 |
New York
New York Abbr. NY or N.Y.1. A state of the northeast United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies, it was explored by Samuel de Champlain and Henry Hudson and claimed by the Dutch in 1624 but fell to the English in 1664-1667. New York ratified the United States Constitution in 1788. The building of the Erie Canal and railroad lines in the 1820s and 1830s led to development of the western part of the state and great economic prosperity, establishing New York City as the financial center of the nation. Albany is the capital and New York City the largest city.2. or New York City A city of southern New York on New York Bay at the mouth of the Hudson River. Founded by the Dutch as New Amsterdam, it was renamed by the English in honor of the Duke of York. It is the largest city in the country and a major commercial and cultural center. Originally consisting only of Manhattan Island, it was rechartered in 1898 to include the five present-day boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.
New York′er n.New York n 1. (Placename) Also called: New York City a city in SE New York State, at the mouth of the Hudson River: the largest city and chief port of the US; settled by the Dutch as New Amsterdam in 1624 and captured by the British in 1664, when it was named New York; consists of five boroughs (Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, which was called Richmond until 1975) and many smaller islands, with its commercial and financial centre in Manhattan; the country's leading commercial and industrial city. Pop: 8 085 742 (2003 est). Abbreviation: N.Y.C. or NYC 2. (Placename) a state of the northeastern US: consists chiefly of a plateau with the Finger Lakes in the centre, the Adirondack Mountains in the northeast, the Catskill Mountains in the southeast, and Niagara Falls in the west. Capital: Albany. Pop: 19 190 115 (2003 est). Area: 123 882 sq km (47 831 sq miles). Abbreviation: N.Y. or NY (with zip code) New` York′
n. 1. Also called New′ York` State′. a state in the NE United States. 18,976,457; 49,576 sq. mi. (128,400 sq. km). Cap.: Albany. Abbr.: NY, N.Y. 2. Also called New′ York` Cit′y. a seaport in SE New York at the mouth of the Hudson: comprising the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island. 7,380,906. 3. Greater, New York City, the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, and Westchester in New York, and the counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, and Union in New Jersey: the metropolitan area as defined by the U.S. census. 17,412,652. 4. the borough of Manhattan. New` York′er, n. Thesaurus| Noun | 1. |  New York - the largest city in New York State and in the United States; located in southeastern New York at the mouth of the Hudson river; a major financial and cultural centerGreater New York, New York CityBronx-Whitestone Bridge - a suspension bridge across the East River in New York CityBrooklyn Bridge - a suspension bridge across the East River in New York City; opened in 1883Columbia University, Columbia - a university in New York CityCooper Union, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art - university founded in 1859 by Peter Cooper to offer free courses in the arts and sciencesEmpire State Building - a skyscraper built in New York City in 1931; 1250 feet tallGeorge Washington Bridge - a suspension bridge across the Hudson River between New York and New JerseyQueensboro Bridge - a cantilever bridge across the East River between Manhattan and QueensVerrazano-Narrows Bridge - a suspension bridge across the Verrazano Narrows between Brooklyn and Staten Islandtwin towers, World Trade Center, WTC - twin skyscrapers 110 stories high in New York City; built 1368 feet tall in 1970 to 1973; destroyed by a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001ground zero - the site of the World Trade Center before it was destroyedManhattan Island - an island at the north end of New York Bay where the borough of Manhattan is locatedNew Amsterdam - a settlement established by the Dutch near the mouth of Hudson River and the southern end of Manhattan Island; annexed by the English in 1664 and renamed New YorkEmpire State, New York State, NY, New York - a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 coloniesBronx - a borough of New York CityBrooklyn - a borough of New York CityManhattan - one of the five boroughs of New York CityGreenwich Village, Village - a mainly residential district of Manhattan; `the Village' became a home for many writers and artists in the 20th centuryQueens - a borough of New York CityStaten Island - a borough of New York CityEast River - a tidal strait separating Manhattan and the Bronx from Queens and BrooklynHarlem River - a channel separating Manhattan from the BronxVerrazano Narrows - a narrow channel of water separating Staten Island and BrooklynNew York Bay - a bay of the North Atlantic; fed by the Hudson River | | 2. |  New York - a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 coloniesEmpire State, New York State, NYbattle of Saratoga, Saratoga - a battle during the American Revolution (1777); the British under Burgoyne were defeatedCornell University - a university in Ithaca, New YorkTappan Zee Bridge - a cantilever bridge across the Hudson RiverU.S.A., United States, United States of America, US, USA, America, the States, U.S. - North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776Mid-Atlantic states - a region of the eastern United States comprising New York and New Jersey and Pennsylvania and Delaware and MarylandBedloe's Island, Liberty Island - an island in New York Bay to the southwest of Manhattan where the Statue of Liberty stands; "Congress officially changed the name from Bedloe's Island to Liberty Island in 1956"New Netherland - a Dutch colony in North America along the Hudson and lower Delaware rivers although the colony centered in New Amsterdam; annexed by the English in 1664Albany, capital of New York - state capital of New York; located in eastern New York State on the west bank of the Hudson riverBuffalo - a city on Lake Erie in western New York (near Niagara Falls)Cooperstown - a small town in east central New York; site of the National Baseball Hall of FameErie Canal - an artificial waterway connecting the Hudson river at Albany with Lake Erie at Buffalo; built in the 19th century; now part of the New York State Barge CanalGreater New York, New York, New York City - the largest city in New York State and in the United States; located in southeastern New York at the mouth of the Hudson river; a major financial and cultural centerIthaca - a college town in central New York on Lake CayugaWest Point - United States Army installation on the west bank of Hudson river to the north of New York City; site of United States Military AcademyLong Island - an island in southeastern New York; Brooklyn and Queens are on its western endBinghamton - a city in south central New York near the border with PennsylvaniaKingston - a town on the Hudson River in New YorkNewburgh - a town on the Hudson River in New York; in 1782 and 1783 it was George Washington's headquartersNiagara Falls - a city in western New York State at the falls of the Niagara river; tourist attraction and honeymoon resortRochester - a city in western New York; a center of the photographic equipment industrySchenectady - a city of eastern New York on the Mohawk river; it prospered after the opening of the Erie CanalSyracuse - a city in central New YorkUtica - a city in central New YorkSaratoga Springs - a town in eastern New York State famed for its spa and its horse racingWatertown - a town in northern New YorkAdirondack Mountains, Adirondacks - a mountain range in northeastern New York State; a popular resort areaAllegheny, Allegheny River - a river that rises in Pennsylvania and flows north into New York and then back south through Pennsylvania again to join the Monongahela River at Pittsburgh which is the beginning of the Ohio RiverAmerican Falls - a part of Niagara Falls in western New York (north of Buffalo)Catskill Mountains, Catskills - a range of the Appalachians to the west of the Hudson in southeastern New York; includes many popular resort areasDelaware, Delaware River - a river that rises in the Catskills in southeastern New York and flows southward along the border of Pennsylvania with New York and New Jersey to northern Delaware where it empties into Delaware BayHudson, Hudson River - a New York river; flows southward into New York Bay; explored by Henry Hudson early in the 17th centuryLake Champlain, Champlain - a lake in northeastern New York, northwestern Vermont and southern Quebec; site of many battles in the French and Indian War and in the American Revolution and in the War of 1812Mohawk River - a river of central New York that flows southeastward to the Hudson RiverNiagara, Niagara Falls - waterfall in Canada is the Horseshoe Falls; in the United States it is the American FallsSusquehanna, Susquehanna River - a river in the northeastern United States that rises in New York and flows southward through Pennsylvania and Maryland into Chesapeake BayTaconic Mountains - a range of the Appalachian Mountains along the eastern border of New York with Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont | | 3. | New York - one of the British colonies that formed the United StatesFort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga - a pitched battle in which American revolutionary troops captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775 |
TranslationsNew York
See also: National Parks and Monuments (table)National Parks and Monuments
National Parks
Name Type1 Location Year authorized Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Acadia NP SE Maine 1919 48,419 (19,603) Mountain and coast scenery.
..... Click the link for more information. New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Ontario (NW), and the province of Quebec (N). Facts and Figures Area, 49,576 sq mi (128,402 sq km). Pop. (2010) 19,378,102, a 2.1% increase since the 2000 census. Capital, Albany. Largest city, New York City. Statehood, July 26, 1788 (11th of the original 13 states to ratify the Constitution). Highest pt., Mt. Marcy, 5,344 ft (1,630 m); lowest pt., sea level. Nickname, Empire State. Motto, Excelsior [Ever Upward]. State bird, bluebird. State flower, rose. State tree, sugar maple. Abbr., N.Y.; NY Geography Eastern New York is dominated by the Great Appalachian Valley. Lake Champlain is the chief northern feature of the valley, which also includes the Hudson River. The Hudson is noted for its beauty, as are Champlain and neighboring Lake George. West of the lakes are the rugged Adirondack Mts., another major vacationland, with extensive wildernesses and sports centers like Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. Mt. Marcy (5,344 ft/1,629 m), the highest point in the state, is near Lake Placid. The rest of NE New York is hilly, sloping gradually to the valleys of the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario, both of which separate it from Ontario. The Mohawk River, which flows from Rome into the Hudson north of AlbanyAlbany
. 1 Residential city (1990 pop. 16,327), Alameda co., W Calif., on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay; inc. 1908. The city has varied manufacturing; Tilden Regional Park is nearby.
2 City (1990 pop. 78,122), seat of Dougherty co., SW Ga.
..... Click the link for more information. , is part of the New York State Canal SystemNew York State Canal System,
waterway system, 524 mi (843 km) long, traversing New York state and connecting the Great Lakes with the Finger Lakes, the Hudson River, and Lake Champlain.
..... Click the link for more information. 's Erie Canal, once a major route to the Great Lakes and the midwestern United States as well as the only complete natural route through the Appalachian Mts. Most of the southern part of the state is on the Allegheny plateau, which rises in the SE to the Catskill Mts., an area that attracts many vacationers from New YorkNew York,
city (1990 pop. 7,322,564), land area 304.8 sq mi (789.4 sq km), SE N.Y., largest city in the United States and one of the largest in the world, on New York Bay at the mouth of the Hudson River.
..... Click the link for more information. City and its environs. New York City, in turn, attracts tourists from all over the world. On the extreme SE, the state extends into the Atlantic Ocean to form Long IslandLong Island
(1990 pop. 6,861,454), 1,723 sq mi (4,463 sq km), 118 mi (190 km) long, and from 12 to 20 mi (19–32 km) wide, SE N.Y.; fourth largest island of the United States and the largest outside Alaska and Hawaii.
..... Click the link for more information. , which is separated from Connecticut on the N by Long Island Sound. The western extension of the state to Lakes Ontario and Erie contains many bodies of water, notably Oneida Lake and the celebrated Finger Lakes. In the northwest the Niagara River, with scenic Niagara FallsNiagara Falls,
in the Niagara River, W N.Y. and S Ont., Canada; one of the most famous spectacles in North America. The falls are on the international line between the cities of Niagara Falls, N.Y., and Niagara Falls, Ont.
..... Click the link for more information. , forms the border with Ontario between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The western region has resorts as well as large, traditionally industrial cities such as BuffaloBuffalo,
city (1990 pop. 328,123), seat of Erie co., W N.Y., on Lake Erie and the Niagara and Buffalo rivers; inc. 1832. With more than 37 mi (60 km) of waterfront, it is a major commercial and industrial port and railroad hub.
..... Click the link for more information. on Lake Erie, RochesterRochester
. 1 City (1990 pop. 70,745), seat of Olmsted co., SE Minn.; inc. 1858. It is a farm trade center, and its industries include printing and publishing, food processing, machinery, fabricated metal products, computers and electronic equipment, and construction
..... Click the link for more information. on Lake Ontario, SyracuseSyracuse
, city (1990 pop. 163,860), seat of Onondaga co., central N.Y., on Onondaga Lake and the Erie Canal; settled c.1788, inc. as a city 1848. It is a port of entry, and its many manufactures include electrical and electronic equipment, automobile and aircraft parts,
..... Click the link for more information. , and UticaUtica,
city (1990 pop. 68,637), seat of Oneida co., central N.Y., on the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal, in a large dairy region; inc. 1862. It is a port of entry, and its manufactures include electrical, electronic, and consumer goods; transportation and medical equipment;
..... Click the link for more information. . The western section is drained by the Allegheny River and rivers of the Susquehanna and Delaware systems. The Delaware River Basin CompactDelaware River Basin Compact
, providing for the utilization and development of the water resources of the Delaware River basin. In 1961 the federal government and the states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York agreed to form a partnership in a 100-year building
..... Click the link for more information. , signed in 1961 by New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the federal government, regulates the utilization of water of the Delaware system. In addition to the great forest preserves of the Adirondacks and Catskills, New York has many state parks, among them Jones Beach State Park and Allegany State Park. Part of Fire Island, which lies off Long Island, is a national seashore. The racetrack at Saratoga SpringsSaratoga Springs,
resort and residential city (1990 pop. 25,001), Saratoga co., E N.Y.; inc. as a village 1826, as a city 1915. Skidmore College is the largest source of employment, but the city also has light manufacturing.
..... Click the link for more information. , a pleasure and health resort, and the Thousand IslandsThousand Islands,
a group of more than 1,800 islands and 3,000 shoals in the St. Lawrence River, E of Lake Ontario, N N.Y. and S Ont., stretching c.50 mi (80 km) along the U.S.-Canada line. Most of the islands are in Canada; Wolfe Island, Ont.
..... Click the link for more information. in the St. Lawrence River are popular with summer vacationers. Among the places of historic interest in the state under federal administration (see National Parks and MonumentsNational Parks and Monuments
National Parks
Name Type1 Location Year authorized Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Acadia NP SE Maine 1919 48,419 (19,603) Mountain and coast scenery.
..... Click the link for more information. , table) are those at Hyde ParkHyde Park,
town (1990 pop. 21,230), Dutchess co., SE N.Y., on the Hudson River; settled c.1740. It is famous as the site of the Roosevelt estate, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt was born and is buried.
..... Click the link for more information. , with the burial place of Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Vanderbilt Mansion. Albany is the capital; New York City is the largest city, followed by Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse. Economy SchenectadySchenectady
, city (1990 pop. 65,566), seat of Schenectady co., E central N.Y., on the Mohawk River and Erie Canal; founded 1661 by Arent Van Curler, inc. 1798. The General Electric Company was established there in 1892, but its presence waned in the late 20th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. , Albany, and New York City, once the major industrial cities of the lower Mohawk and the Hudson, continue their long-time manufacturing decline. Except in the mountain regions, the areas between cities are rich agriculturally. The Finger LakesFinger Lakes,
group of 11 narrow glacial lakes in north to south valleys, W central N.Y. Cayuga and Seneca lakes, both more than 35 mi (56 km) long, are the largest and deepest. Keuka Lake is the center of the area's wine industry, the largest in New York.
..... Click the link for more information. region has orchards producing apples, one of New York's leading crops; vineyards here and on Long Island make the state famous for its wines. The state produces other, diverse crops, especially grapes, strawberries, cherries, pears, onions, and potatoes (grown especially on E Long Island); maple syrup is extracted, and New York is the third leading U.S. producer of dairy goods. New York's mineral resources include crushed stone, cement, salt, and zinc. The state has a complex system of railroads, air routes, and modern highways, notably the New York State Thruway. The New York State Canal System, an improvement of the old Erie CanalErie Canal,
artificial waterway, c.360 mi (580 km) long; connecting New York City with the Great Lakes via the Hudson River. Locks were built to overcome the 571-ft (174-m) difference between the level of the river and that of Lake Erie.
..... Click the link for more information. , is now mainly used for recreational travel; the Hudson and some other rivers still carry freight. Ocean shipping is handled by the port of New York City and, to a much lesser extent, by Buffalo. Hydroelectricity for N New York is produced by the St. Lawrence power project and by the Niagara power project, which began producing in 1961. In spite of significant decline, New York has retained some important manufacturing industries, and, by virtue of New York City, it has strengthened is position as a commercial and financial leader. Although the largest percentage of the state's jobs lie in the service sector, its manufactures are extremely diverse and include printed materials, apparel, food products, machinery, chemicals, paper, electrical equipment (notably at Schenectady), computer equipment (Poughkeepsie), optical instruments and cameras (Rochester), sporting goods, and transportation equipment. Printing and publishing, mass communications, advertising, and entertainment are among New York City's notable industries. Long Island has aircraft plants (although these have declined sharply since the 1970s) and Brookhaven National Laboratory, a research center. Many corporate headquarters and research facilities have relocated in Westchester co., N of New York City. Some commercial fishing is pursued in Lakes Erie and Ontario and in the waters around Long Island. The state has c.18,775,000 acres (7,294,000 hectares) of forest, but forestry is no longer a major industry. Government, Politics, and Higher Education Under its present constitution (adopted 1894), New York is run by a governor, who is elected to a four-year term and may be reelected, and by a bicameral legislature made up of a 61-member senate and a 150-member assembly. Republican George PatakiPataki, George Elmer
, 1945–, U.S. politician, b. Peekskill, N.Y. He graduated from Yale Univ. (1967) and Columbia Law School (1970). A Republican, Pataki served as mayor of Peekskill (1981–84) and in the New York assembly (1985–92) and senate (1992–94).
..... Click the link for more information. was elected governor in 1994, defeating the Democratic incumbent, Mario CuomoCuomo, Mario Matthew
, 1932–2014, American politician, b. New York City. The son of an immigrant grocer, Cuomo attended St. John's Univ., was admitted to the New York bar in 1956, and attracted attention after successfully mediating (1972) a local housing dispute.
..... Click the link for more information. , and was reelected in 1998 and 2002. He did not run in 2006, when Democrat Eliot SpitzerSpitzer, Eliot Laurence,
1959–, U.S. lawyer and politician, b. Riverdale, N.Y., grad. Princeton (B.A. 1981), Harvard Law School (J.D. 1984). A Democrat, he practiced corporate law before serving (1986–92) as assistant New York State district attorney for Manhattan
..... Click the link for more information. won the office. Spitzer resigned in 2008 after being linked to a prostitute; Lt. Gov. David PatersonPaterson, David Alexander,
1954–, American politician, the first African-American governor of New York (2008–11), b. Brooklyn, N.Y., grad. Columbia (B.A., 1977), Hofstra Law School (J.D., 1982).
..... Click the link for more information. succeeded him, becoming the state's first African-American governor. Andrew CuomoCuomo, Andrew Mark
, 1957–, American politician, b. Queens, N.Y., grad. Fordham Univ. (1979), Albany Law School (1982). The son of Mario Cuomo, he was (1982) a key operative on his father's campaign staff and later a policy adviser to Gov. Cuomo.
..... Click the link for more information. , a Democrat and Mario Cuomo's son, was elected to succeed Paterson in 2010; he was reeelected in 2014 and 2018. Members of both branches of the legislature are elected to two-year terms. The state has 2 U.S. senators and 27 representatives and has 29 electoral votes in national presidential elections (a significant drop from its 41 votes in 1970). Apart from New York City (see separate articles for educational and cultural institutions in New York City and its boroughs), institutions of higher education in the state include Alfred Univ., Bard College, Colgate Univ., Cornell, Hobart College, Iona Univ., Long Island Univ., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, Skidmore College, Syracuse Univ., the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, Univ. of Rochester, Vassar College, and Wells College. The State Univ. of New York has major campuses at Stony Brook, Albany, Binghamton, and Buffalo. History The Algonquians and the Iroquois Before Europeans began to arrive in the 16th cent., New York was inhabited mainly by Algonquian- and Iroquoian-speaking Native Americans. The Algonquians, including the Mohegan, Lenni Lenape, and Wappinger tribes, lived chiefly in the Hudson valley and on Long Island. The Iroquois, living in the central and western parts of the state, included the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca tribes, who joined c.1570 to form the Iroquois ConfederacyIroquois Confederacy
or Iroquois League
, North American confederation of indigenous peoples, initially comprising the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca.
..... Click the link for more information. . French and Dutch Claims Europeans first approached New York from both the sea and from Canada. Giovanni da VerrazzanoVerrazzano, Giovanni da
, c.1480–1527?, Italian navigator and explorer, in the service of France, possibly the first European to enter New York Bay. Sailing west to reach Asia, Verrazzano explored (1524) the North American coast probably from North Carolina to Maine.
..... Click the link for more information. , a Florentine in the service of France, visited (1524) the excellent harbor of New York Bay but did little exploring. In 1609, Samuel de ChamplainChamplain, Samuel de
, 1567–1635, French explorer, the chief founder of New France.
After serving in France under Henry of Navarre (King Henry IV) in the religious wars, Champlain was given command of a Spanish fleet sailing to the West Indies, Mexico, and the
..... Click the link for more information. , a Frenchman, traveled S on Lake Champlain from Canada, and Henry HudsonHudson, Henry,
fl. 1607–11, English navigator and explorer. He was hired (1607) by the English Muscovy Company to find the Northeast Passage to Asia. He failed, and another attempt (1608) to find a new route was also fruitless.
..... Click the link for more information. , an Englishman in the service of the Dutch, sailed the Hudson nearly to Albany. The French, who had allied themselves with the Hurons of Ontario, continued to push into N and W New York from Canada, but met with resistance from the Iroquois Confederacy, which dominated W New York. The Dutch early claimed the Hudson region, and the Dutch West India CompanyDutch West India Company,
trading and colonizing company, chartered by the States-General of the Dutch republic in 1621 and organized in 1623. Through its agency New Netherland was founded.
..... Click the link for more information. (chartered in 1621, organized in 1623) planted (1624) their colony of New Netherland, with its chief settlements at New Amsterdam on the lower tip of present-day Manhattan island (purchased in 1626 from the Canarsie tribe for goods worth about 60 Dutch guilders) and at Fort Nassau, later called Fort Orange (present-day Albany). To increase the slow pace of colonization the Dutch set up the patroon system in 1629, thus establishing the landholding aristocracy that became the hallmark of colonial New York. The last and most able of the Dutch administrators, Peter StuyvesantStuyvesant, Peter
, c.1610–1672, Dutch director-general of New Netherland. He served as governor of Curaçao and lost a leg in an expedition against St. Martin before succeeding Willem Kieft in New Netherland.
..... Click the link for more information. (in office 1647–64), captured New Sweden for the Dutch in 1655. An English Colony The English, claiming the whole region on the basis of the explorations of John CabotCabot, John,
fl. 1461–98, English explorer, probably b. Genoa, Italy. He became a citizen of Venice in 1476 and engaged in the Eastern trade of that city. This experience, it is assumed, was the stimulus of his later explorations.
..... Click the link for more information. , made good their claim in the Second Dutch War (1664–67). In 1664 an English fleet sailed into the harbor of New Amsterdam, and Stuyvesant surrendered without a struggle. New Netherland then became the colonies of New York and New Jersey, granted by King Charles IICharles II,
1630–85, king of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1660–85), eldest surviving son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria. Early Life
Prince of Wales at the time of the English civil war, Charles was sent (1645) to the W of England with his council,
..... Click the link for more information. to his brother, the duke of York (later James IIJames II,
1633–1701, king of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1685–88); second son of Charles I, brother and successor of Charles II. Early Life
..... Click the link for more information. ). Except for brief recapture (1673–74) by the Dutch, New York remained English until the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution,
1775–83, struggle by which the Thirteen Colonies on the Atlantic seaboard of North America won independence from Great Britain and became the United States. It is also called the American War of Independence.
..... Click the link for more information. . After the early days of the colony, the popular governor Thomas DonganDongan, Thomas
, 1634–1715, colonial governor of New York, b. Co. Kildare, Ireland. He was appointed governor in 1682, and on the instructions of the duke of York (later James II), he called (1683) a legislative assembly; measures, known as the Charter of Liberties and
..... Click the link for more information. (1683–88) put New York on a firm basis and began to establish the alliance of the English with the Iroquois, which later played an important part in New York history. The attempt in 1688 to combine New York and New Jersey with New England under the rule of Sir Edmund AndrosAndros, Sir Edmund
, 1637–1714, British colonial governor in America, b. Guernsey. As governor of New York (1674–81) he was bitterly criticized for his high-handed methods, and he was embroiled in disputes over boundaries and duties (see New Jersey), going so far as
..... Click the link for more information. was a failure, turning almost all the colonists against him. The threat of the French was continuous, and New York was involved in a number of the French and Indian WarsFrench and Indian Wars,
1689–1763, the name given by American historians to the North American colonial wars between Great Britain and France in the late 17th and the 18th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. (1689–1763). The friendship of Sir William JohnsonJohnson, Sir William,
1715–74, British colonial leader in America, b. Co. Meath, Ireland. He settled (1738) in the Mohawk valley, became a merchant, and gained great power among the Mohawk and other Iroquois. He acquired large landed properties, founded (1762) Johnstown, N.
..... Click the link for more information. with some of the Iroquois aided the British in the warfare and also opened part of central New York to settlers, mainly from the British Isles. Frequent warfare hindered growth, however, and much of W New York remained unsettled by colonists throughout the 18th cent. Slowly, however, the colony, with its busy shipping and fishing fleets, its expanding farms, and its first college (King's College, founded in 1754, now Columbia Univ.), was beginning to establish its own identity, separate from that of England. Colonial self-assertiveness grew after the warfare with the French ended; there was considerable objection to the restrictive commercial laws, and the Navigation ActsNavigation Acts,
in English history, name given to certain parliamentary legislation, more properly called the British Acts of Trade. The acts were an outgrowth of mercantilism, and followed principles laid down by Tudor and early Stuart trade regulations.
..... Click the link for more information. were flouted by smuggling. When the Stamp ActStamp Act,
1765, revenue law passed by the British Parliament during the ministry of George Grenville. The first direct tax to be levied on the American colonies, it required that all newspapers, pamphlets, legal documents, commercial bills, advertisements, and other papers
..... Click the link for more information. was passed, New York was a leader of the opposition, and the Stamp Act Congress met (1765) in New York City. The policies of Lt. Gov. Cadwallader ColdenColden, Cadwallader
, 1688–1776, colonial scholar and political leader of New York, b. Ireland, of Scottish parents. After studying medicine in London, Colden arrived (1710) in Philadelphia to practice.
..... Click the link for more information. , who did not oppose the Stamp Act, occasioned considerable complaint, and unrest grew. Revolution and a New Constitution As troubles flared and escalated into the American Revolution, New Yorkers were divided in their loyalties. About one third of all the military engagements of the American Revolution took place in New York state. The first major military action in the state was the capture (May, 1775) of Ticonderoga by Ethan AllenAllen, Ethan,
1738–89, hero of the American Revolution, leader of the Green Mountain Boys, and promoter of the independence and statehood of Vermont, b. Litchfield (?), Conn.
..... Click the link for more information. and his Green Mountain BoysGreen Mountain Boys,
popular name of armed bands formed (c.1770) under the auspices of Ethan Allen in the Green Mountains of what is today Vermont. Their purpose was to prevent the New Hampshire Grants, as Vermont was then known, from becoming part of New York, to which it had
..... Click the link for more information. and Benedict ArnoldArnold, Benedict,
1741–1801, American Revolutionary general and traitor, b. Norwich, Conn. As a youth he served for a time in the colonial militia in the French and Indian Wars. He later became a prosperous merchant.
..... Click the link for more information. . Crown Point was also taken. In Aug., 1776, however, George WashingtonWashington, George,
1732–99, 1st President of the United States (1789–97), commander in chief of the Continental army in the American Revolution, called the Father of His Country. Early Life
He was born on Feb. 22, 1732 (Feb. 11, 1731, O.S.
..... Click the link for more information. was unable to hold lower New York against the British under Gen. William HoweHowe, William Howe, 5th Viscount,
1729–1814, English general in the American Revolution; younger brother of Admiral Richard Howe.
..... Click the link for more information. and lost the battle of Long Island, as he did the succeeding actions at Harlem Heights (Sept. 16) and White Plains (Oct. 28). The British invested New York City and held it to the war's end. The state had, however, declared independence and functioned with KingstonKingston.
1 City (1990 pop. 23,095), seat of Ulster co., SE N.Y., on the Hudson River at the mouth of Rondout Creek; inc. as a village 1805, and as a city through the union (1872) of Kingston and Rondout.
..... Click the link for more information. as its capital, George ClintonClinton, George,
c.1686–1761, colonial governor of New York (1743–53), b. England; father of Sir Henry Clinton. He entered (1708) the British navy and rose to the rank of admiral in 1747.
..... Click the link for more information. as its first governor, and John JayJay, John,
1745–1829, American statesman, 1st chief justice of the United States, b. New York City, grad. King's College (now Columbia Univ.), 1764. He was admitted (1768) to the bar and for a time was a partner of Robert R. Livingston.
..... Click the link for more information. as its first chief justice. In 1777 New York was the key to the overall British campaign plan, which was directed toward taking the entire state and thus separating New England from the South. This failed finally (Oct., 1777) in the battles near the present-day resort of Saratoga Springs (see Saratoga campaignSaratoga campaign,
June–Oct., 1777, of the American Revolution. Lord George Germain and John Burgoyne were the chief authors of a plan to end the American Revolution by splitting the colonies along the Hudson River.
..... Click the link for more information. ), generally considered as the decisive action of the war, partly because France was now persuaded to join the war on the side of the Colonies. The British alliance with the Iroquois resulted in widespread violence in the frontier portion of the state. After the devastation of two Iroquois villages, the Iroquois and British responded with the massacre at Cherry Hill (1778). For the rest of the war there was more or less a stalemate, with the British occupying New York City, the patriots holding most of the rest of the state, and Westchester co. disputed ground. In 1780 Benedict Arnold failed in his attempt to betray West Point. The influence of Alexander HamiltonHamilton, Alexander,
1755–1804, American statesman, b. Nevis, in the West Indies. Early Career
He was the illegitimate son of James Hamilton (of a prominent Scottish family) and Rachel Faucett Lavien (daughter of a doctor-planter on Nevis and the estranged
..... Click the link for more information. was paramount in bringing New York to accept (1788) the Constitution of the United States at a convention in Poughkeepsie. Other leaders, however, mostly from the landed aristocracy (such as John Jay and Gouverneur Morris), were also powerful. Hamilton, Jay, and James MadisonMadison, James,
1751–1836, 4th President of the United States (1809–17), b. Port Conway, Va. Early Career
A member of the Virginia planter class, he attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton), graduating in 1771.
..... Click the link for more information. wrote The FederalistFederalist, The,
series of 85 political essays, sometimes called The Federalist Papers, written 1787–88 under the pseudonym "Publius." Alexander Hamilton initiated the series with the immediate intention of persuading New York to approve the Federalist Constitution.
..... Click the link for more information. , a series of essays, to promote ratification. New York City was briefly (1789–90) the capital of the new nation and was also the state capital until 1797, when Albany succeeded it. Political dissension between the Federalists and the Jeffersonians was particularly keen in New York state, and Aaron BurrBurr, Aaron,
1756–1836, American political leader, b. Newark, N.J., grad. College of New Jersey (now Princeton). Political Career
A brilliant law student, Burr interrupted his study to serve in the American Revolution and proved himself a valiant soldier in
..... Click the link for more information. had much to do with swinging the state to Jefferson. Land Speculation and Commercial Development By the end of the war many Loyalists had left New York; the emigrants included former large landowners whose holdings had been seized by the legislature. After the war speculation in W New York land (some newly acquired by quieting Massachusetts claims) rose to dizzying heights. The eastern boundary of the state was established after long wrangles and violence when Vermont was admitted as a state in 1791. From the 1780s increased commerce (somewhat slowed by the Embargo Act of 1807Embargo Act of 1807,
passed Dec. 22, 1807, by the U.S. Congress in answer to the British orders in council restricting neutral shipping and to Napoleon's restrictive Continental System. The U.S.
..... Click the link for more information. ) and industry, especially textile milling, marked the turn away from the old, primarily agricultural, order. It was on the Hudson that Robert FultonFulton, Robert,
1765–1815, American inventor, engineer, and painter, b. near Lancaster, Pa. He was a man remarkable for his many talents and his mechanical genius.
..... Click the link for more information. demonstrated (1807) his steamboat. In the War of 1812 New York saw action in 1813–14, with the British capture of Fort Niagara and particularly with the brilliant naval victory of Thomas MacdonoughMacdonough, Thomas
, 1783–1825, American naval officer, b. New Castle co., Del. In the Tripolitan War he took part in the burning of the captured Philadelphia and the attack on the Tripolitan gunboats.
..... Click the link for more information. over the British on Lake Champlain at Plattsburgh. The state continued its development, which was quickened and broadened by the building of the Erie Canal. The canal, completed in 1825, and railroad lines constructed (from 1831) parallel to it made New York the major East-West commercial route in the 19th cent. and helped to account for the growth and prosperity of the port of New York. Cities along the canal (Buffalo, Syracuse, Rome, Utica, and Schenectady) prospered. Albany grew, and New York City, whose first bank had been established by Hamilton in 1784, became the financial capital of the nation. Political, Reform, and Cultural Movements New constitutions broadened the suffrage in 1821 and again in 1846; slavery was abolished in 1827. Politics was largely controlled from the 1820s to the 40s by the Albany RegencyAlbany Regency,
name given, after 1820, to the leaders of the first political machine, which was developed in New York state by Martin Van Buren. The name derived from the charge that Van Buren's principal supporters, residing in Albany, managed the machine for him while he
..... Click the link for more information. , which favored farmers, artisans, and small businessmen. Martin Van BurenVan Buren, Martin,
1782–1862, 8th President of the United States (1837–41), b. Kinderhook, Columbia co., N.Y. Early Career
He was reared on his father's farm, was educated at local schools, and after reading law was admitted (1803) to the bar.
..... Click the link for more information. was the regency's chief figure. The regency's control was challenged by the business-oriented Whigs, led by Thurlow WeedWeed, Thurlow
, 1797–1882, American journalist and political leader, b. Cairo, N.Y. After working on various newspapers in W New York, Weed joined the Rochester Telegraph and was influential as a supporter of John Quincy Adams.
..... Click the link for more information. and William H. SewardSeward, William Henry,
1801–72, American statesman, b. Florida, Orange co., N.Y. Early Career
A graduate (1820) of Union College, he was admitted to the bar in 1822 and established himself as a lawyer in Auburn, N.Y., which he made his lifelong home.
..... Click the link for more information. , and by the Anti-Masonic partyAnti-Masonic party,
American political organization that rose after the disappearance in W New York state in 1826 of William Morgan. A former Mason, Morgan had written a book purporting to reveal Masonic secrets.
..... Click the link for more information. . The rise of tension between the reform-minded LocofocosLocofocos
, name given in derision to the members of a faction that split off from the Democratic party in New York in 1835. Tension had been growing between radical Democrats, who believed that Andrew Jackson's war against the national bank should be extended to state banks and
..... Click the link for more information. and the TammanyTammany
or Tammany Hall,
popular name for the Democratic political machine in Manhattan. Origins
After the American Revolution several patriotic societies sprang up to promote various political causes and economic interests.
..... Click the link for more information. organization in New York City weakened the Democratic party in the 1830s. After the panic of 1837, Seward was governor (1839–52), and his Whig program included internal improvements, educational reform, and opposition to slavery. New York was a leader in numerous 19th-century reform groups. Antislavery groups made their headquarters in New York. In 1848 the first women's rights convention in the United States met in Seneca Falls. Early in its history New York state emerged as one of the cultural leaders of the nation. In the early 19th cent. Washington IrvingIrving, Washington,
1783–1859, American author and diplomat, b. New York City. Irving was one of the first Americans to be recognized abroad as a man of letters, and he was a literary idol at home.
..... Click the link for more information. and William Cullen BryantBryant, William Cullen
, 1794–1878, American poet and newspaper editor, b. Cummington, Mass. The son of a learned and highly respected physician, Bryant was exposed to English poetry in his father's vast library.
..... Click the link for more information. , leaders of the famed Knickerbocker School of writers, and James Fenimore CooperCooper, James Fenimore,
1789–1851, American novelist, b. Burlington, N.J., as James Cooper. He was the first important American writer to draw on the subjects and landscape of his native land in order to create a vivid myth of frontier life.
..... Click the link for more information. were among the country's foremost literary figures. The natural beauty of New York inspired the noted Hudson River schoolHudson River school,
group of American landscape painters, working from 1825 to 1875. The 19th-century romantic movements of England, Germany, and France were introduced to the United States by such writers as Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper.
..... Click the link for more information. of American landscape painters. With New England's decline as a literary center, many writers came to New York City from other parts of the nation, helping to make it a literary and publishing center and the cultural heart of the country. Immigration and Civil War Migrants from New England had been settling on the western frontier, and in the 1840s famine and revolution in Europe resulted in a great wave of Irish and German immigrants, whose first stop in America was usually New York City. In 1850, Millard FillmoreFillmore, Millard,
1800–1874, 13th President of the United States (July, 1850–Mar., 1853), b. Locke (now Summer Hill), N.Y. Because he was compelled to work at odd jobs at an early age to earn a living his education was irregular and incomplete.
..... Click the link for more information. became the second New Yorker to be President of the United States; the first was Martin Van Buren (1837–41). The split of the Democrats over the slavery issue into antislavery BarnburnersBarnburners,
radical element of the Democratic party in New York state from 1842 to 1848, opposed to the conservative Hunkers. The name derives from the fabled Dutchman who burned his barn to rid it of rats; by implication, the Barnburners would destroy corporations and public
..... Click the link for more information. and the HunkersHunkers,
conservative faction of the Democratic party in New York state in the 1840s, so named because they were supposed to "hanker" or "hunker" after office. In opposition to them stood the radical Democrats, or Barnburners.
..... Click the link for more information. , who were not opposed to the extension of slavery, helped pave the way for New York's swing to the Republicans and Abraham LincolnLincoln, Abraham
, 1809–65, 16th President of the United States (1861–65). Early Life
Born on Feb. 12, 1809, in a log cabin in backwoods Hardin co., Ky. (now Larue co.), he grew up on newly broken pioneer farms of the frontier.
..... Click the link for more information. in the fateful election of 1860. Despite the draft riotsdraft riots,
in the American Civil War, mob action to protest unfair Union conscription. The Union Conscription Act of Mar. 3, 1863, provided that all able-bodied males between the ages of 20 and 45 were liable to military service, but a drafted man who furnished an acceptable
..... Click the link for more information. (1863) in New York City and the activities of the Peace Democrats, New York state strongly favored the Union and contributed much to its cause in the Civil War. Industrial development was stimulated by the needs of the military, and railroads increased their capacity. New York City's newspapers, notably the Tribune under the guidance of Horace GreeleyGreeley, Horace,
1811–72, American newspaper editor, founder of the New York Tribune, b. Amherst, N.H. Early Life
His irregular schooling, ending at 15, was followed by a four-year apprenticeship (1826–30) on a country weekly at East Poultney, Vt.
..... Click the link for more information. , had considerable national influence, and after the war the publication of periodicals and books centered more and more in the city, whose libraries expanded. From 1867 to 1869, Cornelius VanderbiltVanderbilt, Cornelius,
1794–1877, American railroad magnate, b. Staten Island, N.Y. As a boy he ferried freight and passengers from Staten Island to Manhattan, and he soon gained control of most of the ferry lines and other short lines in the vicinity of New York City.
..... Click the link for more information. consolidated the New York Central RR system. Political Corruption and the Labor Movement As economic growth accelerated, political corruption became rampant. Samuel J. TildenTilden, Samuel Jones,
1814–86, American political figure, Democratic presidential candidate in 1876, b. New Lebanon, N.Y. Admitted to the bar in 1841, Tilden was an eminently successful lawyer, with many railroad companies as clients.
..... Click the link for more information. won a national reputation in 1871 for prosecuting the Tweed Ring of New York City, headed by William Marcy "Boss" TweedTweed, William Marcy,
1823–78, American politician and Tammany leader, b. New York City. A bookkeeper, he became (1848) a volunteer fireman and as a result acquired influence in his ward. He was an alderman (1852–53) and sat (1853–55) in Congress.
..... Click the link for more information. , but Tammany soon recovered much of its prestige and influence as the Democratic city organization. The Republican party also had bosses, notably Roscoe ConklingConkling, Roscoe,
1829–88, American politician, b. Albany, N.Y. On his admission to the bar in 1850, he was immediately appointed district attorney of Albany. The son of Alfred Conkling, Congressman and federal judge, he became a U.S.
..... Click the link for more information. and Thomas Collier PlattPlatt, Thomas Collier,
1833–1910, American legislator and political boss, b. Owego, N.Y. He was president of the Tioga County National Bank and had acquired considerable commercial interests by the time he served in the U.S.
..... Click the link for more information. , and the split between Democratic New York City and Republican upstate widened. New Yorkers Chester A. ArthurArthur, Chester Alan,
1829–86, 21st President of the United States (1881–85), b. Fairfield, Vt. He studied law and before the Civil War practiced in New York City. In the war he was (1861–63) quartermaster general of New York State.
..... Click the link for more information. (1881–85) and Grover ClevelandCleveland, Grover
(Stephen Grover Cleveland), 1837–1908, 22d (1885–89) and 24th (1893–97) President of the United States, b. Caldwell, N.J.; son of a Presbyterian clergyman.
..... Click the link for more information. (1885–89, 1893–97) served as Presidents of the United States in the late 19th cent. After 1880 the inpouring of immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe brought workers for the old industries, which were expanding, and for the new ones, including the electrical and chemical industries, which were being established. Labor conditions worsened but were challenged by the growing labor movement, whose targets included sweatshops (particularly notorious in New York City). Muckrakersmuckrakers,
name applied to American journalists, novelists, and critics who in the first decade of the 20th cent. attempted to expose the abuses of business and the corruption in politics.
..... Click the link for more information. were particularly vociferous in New York in the late 19th and early 20th cent. Service as New York City's police commissioner and then as a reform-oriented governor of the state helped Theodore RooseveltRoosevelt, Theodore,
1858–1919, 26th President of the United States (1901–9), b. New York City. Early Life and Political Posts
Of a prosperous and distinguished family, Theodore Roosevelt was educated by private tutors and traveled widely.
..... Click the link for more information. establish the national reputation that sent him to the vice presidency and then to the White House (1901–9). A fire in 1911 at the Triangle Waist CompanyTriangle Waist Company,
often called the Triangle Shirtwaist Co., manufacturers of women's cotton and linen blouses. Located in lower Manhattan in the early 20th cent., on Mar. 25, 1911 it was the site of New York City's worst factory fire.
..... Click the link for more information. in Manhattan that killed 146 workers resulted in the passage of early health, fire safety, and labor laws including the Widowed Mothers Pension Act. New York since 1912 The Democrats returned to power in the state in 1912, and subsequently New York seesawed from one party to the other. The reform programs continued to gain ground, however, and Democratic state administrations between World War I and II—those of Alfred E. SmithSmith, Alfred Emanuel,
1873–1944, American political leader, b. New York City. Reared in poor surroundings, he had no formal education beyond grade school and took various jobs—including work in the Fulton fish market—to help support his family.
..... Click the link for more information. (1918–20, 1922–28), Franklin D. RooseveltRoosevelt, Franklin Delano
, 1882–1945, 32d President of the United States (1933–45), b. Hyde Park, N.Y. Early Life
Through both his father, James Roosevelt, and his mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, he came of old, wealthy families.
..... Click the link for more information. (1928–32), and Herbert H. LehmanLehman, Herbert Henry
, 1878–1963, American political leader, b. New York City. At first an executive of a textile firm, he became (1908) a partner in the family banking house of Lehman Brothers.
..... Click the link for more information. (1932–42)—presided over a wide variety of reform measures. The reform programs emphasized public works, conservation, reorganization of state finances, social welfare, and extensive labor laws. Four years after Smith's defeat in the 1928 presidential election, Roosevelt went to the White House. Lehman followed Roosevelt's national New DealNew Deal,
in U.S. history, term for the domestic reform program of the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt; it was first used by Roosevelt in his speech accepting the Democratic party nomination for President in 1932.
..... Click the link for more information. program by instituting the Little New Deal in New York state. At the same time Fiorello LaGuardiaLaGuardia, Fiorello Henry
, 1882–1947, U.S. public official, congressman, and mayor of New York City (1934–45), b. New York City. He spent his early years in Arizona with his father, an army bandmaster who had come from Italy to the United States.
..... Click the link for more information. , Republican mayor of New York City (1934–45), enthusiastically supported Roosevelt's social and economic reforms. The Republican party returned to power in the state in 1942 with the election of Thomas E. DeweyDewey, Thomas Edmund,
1902–71, American political figure, governor (1943–55) of New York, b. Owosso, Mich. Admitted (1925) to the bar, Dewey practiced law and in 1931 became chief assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
..... Click the link for more information. as governor (reelected 1946, 1950). Dewey had the immense task of coordinating state activities with national efforts in World War II, straining New York's resources to the utmost. He also built upon the reforms of his predecessors, extending social and antidiscrimination legislation, and won a reputation for effectiveness that made him twice (1944 and 1948) the Republican presidential nominee. During the governorship (1959–73) of Nelson RockefellerRockefeller, Nelson Aldrich,
1908–79, U.S. public official, governor of New York (1959–73), Vice President of the United States (1974–77), b. Bar Harbor, Maine; grandson of John D. Rockefeller.
..... Click the link for more information. , a Republican, state social-welfare programs and the State Univ. of New York were expanded, and a large state office and cultural complex was built in Albany. New York's growth slowed from the 1970s, though, as the state lost its dominant position in U.S. manufacturing, and the older cities lost businesses and residents to suburbs or to other states. Bibliography See A. C. Flick, A History of The State of New York (10 vol., 1933–37; repr. 10 vol. in 5, 1962); D. M. Ellis, A History of New York State (1967); E. Wilson, Upstate: Records and Recollections of Northern New York (1971); W. Smith, The History of The Province of New York, ed. by M. Karnmen (1972); J. H. Thompson, ed., The Geography of New York State (rev. ed. 1977); T. Gergel, The Encyclopedia of New York (1983); N. White, New York: A Physical History (1987); D. Stradling, The Nature of New York: An Environmental History of the Empire State (2010).
See also: National Parks and Monuments (table)National Parks and Monuments
National Parks
Name Type1 Location Year authorized Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Acadia NP SE Maine 1919 48,419 (19,603) Mountain and coast scenery.
..... Click the link for more information. New York, city (1990 pop. 7,322,564), land area 304.8 sq mi (789.4 sq km), SE N.Y., largest city in the United States and one of the largest in the world, on New York Bay at the mouth of the Hudson River. It comprises five boroughs, each coextensive with a county: ManhattanManhattan,
borough (1990 pop. 1,487,536), 28 sq mi (57 sq km), New York City, SE N.Y., coextensive with New York co. Manhattan is the cultural and commercial heart of the city, and its dramatic skyline symbolizes New York City around the world.
..... Click the link for more information. (New York co.), the heart of the city, an island; the BronxBronx, the,
borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx co. (1990 pop. 1,203,789), land area 42 sq mi (106 sq km), SE N.Y. The name comes from Jonas Bronck, who purchased the land from Native Americans in 1639.
..... Click the link for more information. (Bronx co.), on the mainland, NE of Manhattan and separated from it by the Harlem River; QueensQueens,
borough of New York City (1990 pop. 1,951,598), land area c.109 sq mi (293 sq km), on the western portion of Long Island, SE N.Y., coextensive with Queens co.; settled by the Dutch 1635, established as a New York City borough 1898.
..... Click the link for more information. (Queens co.), on Long Island, E of Manhattan across the East River; BrooklynBrooklyn
, borough of New York City (1990 pop. 2,300,664), 71 sq mi (184 sq km), coextensive with Kings co., SE N.Y., at the western extremity of Long Island; an independent city from 1834, it became a New York borough in 1898.
..... Click the link for more information. (Kings co.), also on Long Island, on the East River adjoining Queens and on New York Bay; and Staten IslandStaten Island
(1990 pop. 378,977), 59 sq mi (160 sq km), SE N.Y., in New York Bay, SW of Manhattan, forming Richmond co. of New York state and the borough of Staten Island of New York City.
..... Click the link for more information. (Richmond co.), on Staten Island, SW of Manhattan and separated from it by the Upper Bay. The metropolitan area (1990 est. pop. 18,087,000) encompasses parts of SE New York state, NE New Jersey, and SW Connecticut. The port of New York (which is now centered on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River) remains one of the world's leading ports, with significant container, cruise, and other terminals. Economy New York is a vibrant center for commerce and business and one of the three "world cities" (along with London and Toyko) that control world finance. Manufacturing—primarily of small but highly diverse types—accounts for a large but declining amount of employment. Clothing and other apparel, such as furs; chemicals; metal products; and processed foods are some of the principal manufactures. The city is also a major center of television broadcasting, book publishing, advertising, and other facets of mass communication. It became a major movie-making site in the 1990s, and it is a preeminent art center, with artists revitalizing many of its neighborhoods. The most celebrated newspapers are the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. New York attracts many conventions—including the national Democratic (1868, 1924, 1976, 1980, 1992) and Republican (2004) party conventions—and was the site of two World's Fairs (1939–40; 1964–65). It is served by three major airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, both in Queens, and Newark International Airport, in New Jersey. Railroads converge upon New York from all points. With its vast cultural and educational resources, famous shops and restaurants, places of entertainment (including the theater district and many off-Broadway theaters), striking and diversified architecture (including the Woolworth Building, Chrysler BuildingChrysler Building,
in midtown Manhattan, New York City, at Lexington Ave. between 42d and 43d St. The ultimate art deco-style skyscraper, it was commissioned by Walter P. Chrysler, designed by William Van Alen, and built in 1926–30.
..... Click the link for more information. , Empire State BuildingEmpire State Building,
in central Manhattan, New York City, on Fifth Ave. between 33d St. and 34th St. It was designed by the firm of Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon and built in 1930–31.
..... Click the link for more information. , Seagram Building, 8 Spruce St., and One World Trade Center), and parks and botanical gardens, New York draws millions of tourists every year. Some of its streets and neighborhoods have become symbols throughout the nation. Wall StreetWall Street,
narrow street in the lower part of Manhattan island, New York City, extending E from Broadway to the East River. It is the center of one of the greatest financial districts in the world, and by extension the term "Wall St." has come to designate U.S.
..... Click the link for more information. means finance; BroadwayBroadway,
famous thoroughfare in New York City. It extends from Bowling Green near the foot of Manhattan island N to 262d St. in the Bronx. Throughout its length Broadway is chiefly a commercial street.
..... Click the link for more information. , the theater; Fifth AvenueFifth Avenue,
famous north-south street of the borough of Manhattan, New York City. It begins at Washington Square and ends at the Harlem River. Between 34th and 59th streets, Fifth Ave. is lined with fashionable department stores and specialty shops.
..... Click the link for more information. , fine shopping; Madison AvenueMadison Avenue,
celebrated street of Manhattan, borough of New York City. It runs from Madison Square (23d St.) to the Madison Bridge over the Harlem River (138th St.). In the 1940s and 50s, some of the major U.S.
..... Click the link for more information. , advertising; and SoHo, art. Ethnic Diversity New York City is also famous for its ethnic diversity, manifesting itself in scores of communities representing virtually every nation on earth, each preserving its identity. Little Italy and Chinatown date back to the mid-19th cent. African Americans from the South began to migrate to HarlemHarlem,
residential and business section of upper Manhattan, New York City, bounded roughly by 110th St., the East River and Harlem River, 168th St., Amsterdam Ave., and Morningside Park. The Dutch settlement of Nieuw Haarlem was established by Peter Stuyvesant in 1658.
..... Click the link for more information. after 1910, and in the 1940s large numbers of Puerto Ricans and other Hispanic-Americans began to settle in what is now known as Spanish Harlem. Since the 1980s New York City has undergone substantial population growth, primarily due to new immigration from Latin America (especially the Dominican Republic), Asia, Jamaica, Haiti, the Soviet Union and Russia, and Africa. Points of Interest and Educational and Cultural Facilities The city's many bridges include the George Washington BridgeGeorge Washington Bridge,
vehicular suspension bridge across the Hudson River, between Manhattan borough of New York City and Fort Lee, N.J.; constructed 1927–31. It is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world.
..... Click the link for more information. , Brooklyn BridgeBrooklyn Bridge,
vehicular suspension bridge, New York City, southernmost of the bridges across the East River, between lower Manhattan and Brooklyn; built 1869–83. The achievement of J. A. Roebling and his son W. A. Roebling, it has a span of 1,595.5 ft (487 m).
..... Click the link for more information. , Henry Hudson Bridge, Robert F. Kennedy (formerly Triborough) Bridge, the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, the Throgs Neck Bridge, and the Verrazzano-Narrows BridgeVerrazzano-Narrows Bridge,
vehicular suspension bridge, New York City, across the Narrows at the entrance to New York harbor, linking the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. Designed by O. H. Ammann, the bridge was completed in 1964.
..... Click the link for more information. . The Holland Tunnel (the first vehicular tunnel under the Hudson) and the Lincoln Tunnel link Manhattan with New Jersey. The Queens-Midtown Tunnel and the Hugh L. Carey (formerly Brooklyn-Battery) Tunnel, both under the East River, connect Manhattan with W Long Island. Islands in the East River include Roosevelt Island (site of Cornell Tech and apartments), Rikers Island (site of a city penitentiary), and Randalls Island (with Downing Stadium). In New York Bay are Liberty Island (with the Statue of LibertyLiberty, Statue of,
statue on Liberty Island in Upper New York Bay, commanding the entrance to New York City. Liberty Island, c.10 acres (4 hectares), formerly Bedloe's Island (renamed in 1956), was the former site of a quarantine station and harbor fortifications.
..... Click the link for more information. ); Governors IslandGovernors Island,
173 acres (70 hectares), in Upper New York Bay, S of Manhattan island, SE N.Y. Bought from the Native Americans by the Dutch in 1637, it was the site of an early New Netherlands settlement (1624).
..... Click the link for more information. ; and Ellis IslandEllis Island,
island, c.27 acres (10.9 hectares), in Upper New York Bay, SW of Manhattan island. Government-controlled since 1808, it was long the site of an arsenal and a fort, but most famously served (1892–1954) as the chief immigration station of the United States.
..... Click the link for more information. . New York City is the seat of the United NationsUnited Nations
(UN), international organization established immediately after World War II. It replaced the League of Nations. In 1945, when the UN was founded, there were 51 members; 193 nations are now members of the organization (see table entitled United Nations Members).
..... Click the link for more information. . Lincoln Center for the Performing ArtsLincoln Center for the Performing Arts,
in central Manhattan, New York City, between 62d and 66th streets W of Broadway. Lincoln Center is both a complex of buildings and the arts organizations that reside there.
..... Click the link for more information. is a complex of buildings housing the Metropolitan Opera CompanyMetropolitan Opera Company,
term used in referring collectively to the organizations that have produced opera at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City. The original house, at West 39th Street and Broadway, was built by members of New York society who could not be
..... Click the link for more information. , the New York PhilharmonicNew York Philharmonic,
dating from 1842, the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States. The orchestra as it now exists is the result of the merger of the Philharmonic Society of New York with the National Symphony Orchestra (1921), the City Symphony (1923), and finally the
..... Click the link for more information. , the New York City BalletNew York City Ballet
(NYCB), one of the foremost American dance companies of the 20th and 21st cents. It was founded by Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine as the Ballet Society in 1946.
..... Click the link for more information. , and the Juilliard SchoolJuilliard School, The
, in New York City; school of music, drama, and dance; coeducational; est. 1905 as the Institute of Musical Art, chartered 1926 as the Juilliard School of Music with two separate units—the Juilliard Graduate School (1924) and Institute of Musical Art.
..... Click the link for more information. . Other performances venues include Carnegie Hall and New York City Center. Among the best known of the city's many museums and scientific collections are the Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of Art,
New York City, founded in 1870. The Metropolitan Museum is the foremost repository of art in the United States and one of the world's great museums. It opened in 1880 on its present site on Central Park facing Fifth Ave.
..... Click the link for more information. , the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern Art
(MoMA), New York City, established and incorporated in 1929. It is privately supported. Alfred H. Barr, Jr., was its first director. Operating at first in rented galleries, the museum specialized in loan shows of contemporary European and American art.
..... Click the link for more information. , the Solomon R. Guggenheim MuseumGuggenheim Museum,
officially Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, major museum of modern art in New York City. Founded in 1939 as the Museum of Non-objective Art, the Guggenheim is known for its remarkable circular building (1959) with curving interior ramp designed by Frank Lloyd
..... Click the link for more information. (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright), the Frick Collection (housed in the Frick mansion), the Whitney Museum of American ArtWhitney Museum of American Art,
in New York City, founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney with a core group of 700 artworks, many from her own collection. The museum was an outgrowth of the Whitney Studio (1914–18), the Whitney Studio Club (1918–28), and the
..... Click the link for more information. , the Neue Galerie, the Museum of the City of New York, the Museum of Jewish Heritage–a Living Memorial to the Holocaust, the American Museum of Natural HistoryAmerican Museum of Natural History,
incorporated in New York City in 1869 to promote the study of natural science and related subjects. Buildings on its present site facing Central Park were opened in 1877.
..... Click the link for more information. (with the Hayden Planetarium), the museum and library of the New-York Historical SocietyNew-York Historical Society,
New York City. Founded in 1804, the society is a repository of art, artifacts, and literature relating to American, especially New York, history.
..... Click the link for more information. , the Brooklyn Museum (see Brooklyn Institute of Arts and SciencesBrooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences,
cultural and educational institution founded in 1823 in Brooklyn, N.Y., as the Brooklyn Apprentices' Library Association. The scope was broadened in 1843 and the name changed to The Brooklyn Institute.
..... Click the link for more information. ), and the Paley Center for MediaPaley Center for Media,
American archive of radio and television programs, and forum for the discussion of the role and evolution of electronic media as well as the intersections of media and society; opened New York City as the Museum of Broadcasting 1976, renamed the Museum of
..... Click the link for more information. . The New York Public LibraryNew York Public Library,
free library supported by private endowments and gifts and by the city and state of New York. It is the one of largest libraries in the world. The library was created by a 1895 law consolidating older reference libraries established by bequests of John
..... Click the link for more information. is the largest in the United States. Major educational institutions include the City Univ. of New York (see New York, City Univ. ofNew York, City University of
(CUNY), at New York City; created in 1961 by combining the city's 17 municipal colleges. It includes Bernard M. Baruch College (1919; specializes in business studies), Brooklyn College (1930), City College (1847; the oldest member college), the
..... Click the link for more information. ), Columbia Univ.Columbia University,
mainly in New York City; founded 1754 as King's College by grant of King George II; first college in New York City, fifth oldest in the United States; one of the eight Ivy League institutions.
..... Click the link for more information. , Cooper UnionCooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art,
accredited institution of higher education; in New York City; coeducational; chartered and opened in 1859. Founded by Peter Cooper, it pioneered in evening engineering and art schools; day schools were added in 1900.
..... Click the link for more information. , Fordham Univ.Fordham University
, in New York City; Jesuit; coeducational; founded as St. John's College 1841, chartered as a university 1846; renamed 1907. Fordham College for men and Thomas More College for women merged in 1974. The university has an antiquities museum.
..... Click the link for more information. , General Theological Seminary, Jewish Theological Seminary, New School Univ.New School University,
in New York City; coeducational; chartered and opened 1919 as the New School for Social Research, a center for adult education, renamed 1997. Founded by Charles Beard, Thorstein Veblen, John Dewey, and others, it originally emphasized classes for adults
..... Click the link for more information. , New York Univ.New York University,
mainly in New York City; coeducational; chartered 1831, opened 1832 as the Univ. of the City of New York, renamed 1896. It comprises 13 schools and colleges, maintaining four main centers (including the Medical Center) in the city, as well as the Institute
..... Click the link for more information. , and Union Theological SeminaryUnion Theological Seminary in the City of New York,
nondenominational, coeducational Christian seminary; opened 1836, chartered 1839. Originally Presbyterian, Union Theological Seminary has been free of denominational control since the early 1890s.
..... Click the link for more information. . A center for medical treatment and research, New York has more than 130 hospitals and several medical schools. Noted hospitals include Bellevue HospitalBellevue Hospital,
municipal hospital, in New York City. America's oldest public hospital, Bellevue developed from a "Publick Workhouse and House of Correction" commissioned in 1734.
..... Click the link for more information. , Mt. Sinai Hospital (part of Mt. Sinai NYU Health), and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (encompassing Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and New York Weill Cornell Medical Center). Among New York's noted houses of worship are Trinity Church, St. Paul's Chapel (dedicated 1776), Saint Patrick's CathedralSaint Patrick's Cathedral,
New York City, largest Roman Catholic church in the United States. The Gothic building at Fifth Ave. between 50th and 51st St. replaces an earlier cathedral at Mott St.
..... Click the link for more information. , the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (see Saint John the Divine, Cathedral ofSaint John the Divine, Cathedral of,
New York City, the world's largest Gothic cathedral. The Episcopal cathedral was begun in 1892 in the Byzantine-Romanesque style after designs by G. L. Heins and C. Grant La Farge.
..... Click the link for more information. ), Riverside Church, and Temple Emanu-El. New York's parks and recreation centers include parts of Gateway National Recreation Area (see National Parks and MonumentsNational Parks and Monuments
National Parks
Name Type1 Location Year authorized Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Acadia NP SE Maine 1919 48,419 (19,603) Mountain and coast scenery.
..... Click the link for more information. , table); Central ParkCentral Park,
840 acres (340 hectares), the largest park in Manhattan, New York City; bordered by 59th St. on the south, Fifth Ave. on the east, 110th St. on the north, and Central Park West on the west.
..... Click the link for more information. , the Battery, Washington Square Park, Hudson River Park, Riverside Park, and Fort Tryon Park (with the CloistersCloisters, the,
museum of medieval European art, in Fort Tryon Park, New York City, overlooking the Hudson River. A branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it was opened to the public in May, 1938.
..... Click the link for more information. ) in Manhattan; the New York Zoological Park (Bronx Zoo) and the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx; Coney IslandConey Island
, beach resort, amusement center, and neighborhood of S Brooklyn borough of New York City, SE N.Y., on the Atlantic Ocean. The tidal creek that once separated the island from the mainland has been filled in, making the area a peninsula.
..... Click the link for more information. (with a boardwalk, beaches, and an aquarium) and Prospect Park in Brooklyn; and Flushing Meadows–Corona Park (the site of two World's Fairs, two museums, a botanic garden, and a zoo) in Queens. Sports events are held at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, home to the Knickerbockers (basketball) and Rangers (hockey); at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, home to the Yankees (baseball); at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, home to the Nets (basketball); and at Citi Field, home to the Mets (baseball), and the United States Tennis Association Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home to the U.S. Open (tennis), in Queens. In the suburbs are the homes of the Islanders (hockey; in Uniondale, Long Island) and the Giants and the Jets (football; at the Meadowlands, in East Rutherford, N.J.). Other places of interest are Rockefeller CenterRockefeller Center,
complex of buildings in central Manhattan, New York City, between 48th and 51st streets and Fifth Ave. and the Ave. of the Americas (Sixth Ave.). The project was sponsored by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., with fourteen of the buildings built between 1931 and 1939.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Battery Park City; Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village
, residential district of lower Manhattan, New York City, extending S from 14th St. to Houston St. and W from Washington Square to the Hudson River. North of the main settlement of New York City in colonial times, in the 1830s it became an exclusive residential
..... Click the link for more information. , with its cafés and restaurants; and Times SquareTimes Square,
in New York City. Formed by the intersection of Broadway, Seventh Ave., and 42d St., this famous square was named (1904) for the building there that formerly belonged to the New York Times.
..... Click the link for more information. , with its lights and theaters. Of historic interest are Fraunces Tavern (built 1719), where Washington said farewell to his officers after the American Revolution; Gracie Mansion (built late 18th cent.), now the official mayoral residence; the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage; and Grant's Tomb. History The Colonial Period Although Giovanni da VerrazzanoVerrazzano, Giovanni da
, c.1480–1527?, Italian navigator and explorer, in the service of France, possibly the first European to enter New York Bay. Sailing west to reach Asia, Verrazzano explored (1524) the North American coast probably from North Carolina to Maine.
..... Click the link for more information. was probably the first European to explore the region and Henry HudsonHudson, Henry,
fl. 1607–11, English navigator and explorer. He was hired (1607) by the English Muscovy Company to find the Northeast Passage to Asia. He failed, and another attempt (1608) to find a new route was also fruitless.
..... Click the link for more information. certainly visited the area, it was with Dutch settlements on Manhattan and Long Island that the city truly began to emerge. In 1624 the colony of New NetherlandNew Netherland,
territory included in a commercial grant by the government of Holland to the Dutch West India Company in 1621. Colonists were settled along the Hudson River region; in 1624 the first permanent settlement was established at Fort Orange (now Albany, N.Y.).
..... Click the link for more information. was established, initially on Governors Island, but the town of New AmsterdamNew Amsterdam,
Dutch settlement at the mouth of the Hudson River and on the southern end of Manhattan island; est. 1624. It was the capital of the colony of New Netherland from 1626 to 1664, when it was captured by the British and renamed New York.
..... Click the link for more information. on the lower tip of Manhattan was soon its capital. Peter MinuitMinuit, Peter
, c.1580–1638, first director-general of New Netherland, b. Wesel (then the duchy of Cleves). Sent by the Dutch West India Company to take charge of its holdings in America, Minuit purchased (1626) Manhattan from the Native Americans for trade goods costing
..... Click the link for more information. of the Dutch West India CompanyDutch West India Company,
trading and colonizing company, chartered by the States-General of the Dutch republic in 1621 and organized in 1623. Through its agency New Netherland was founded.
..... Click the link for more information. supposedly bought the island from its Native inhabitants for 60 Dutch guilders worth of merchandise (the sale was completed in 1626). Under the Dutch, schools were opened and the Dutch Reformed Church was established. The indigenous population was forced out the area of European settlement in a series of bloody battles. In 1664 the English, at war with the Netherlands (see Dutch WarsDutch Wars,
series of conflicts between the English and Dutch during the mid to late 17th cent. The wars had their roots in the Anglo-Dutch commercial rivalry, although the last of the three wars was a wider conflict in which French interests played a primary role.
..... Click the link for more information. ), seized the colony for the duke of York, for whom it was renamed. Peter StuyvesantStuyvesant, Peter
, c.1610–1672, Dutch director-general of New Netherland. He served as governor of Curaçao and lost a leg in an expedition against St. Martin before succeeding Willem Kieft in New Netherland.
..... Click the link for more information. was replaced by Richard NicollsNicolls, Richard,
1624–72, first English governor of New York, b. Bedfordshire, England. He served in the English civil war as a royalist and followed the Stuarts into exile, where he entered the service of the duke of York (later King James II).
..... Click the link for more information. as governor, and New York City became the capital of the new British province of New York. The Dutch returned to power briefly (1673–74) before the reestablishment of English rule. A liberal charter, which established the Common Council as the main governing body of the city, was granted under Thomas DonganDongan, Thomas
, 1634–1715, colonial governor of New York, b. Co. Kildare, Ireland. He was appointed governor in 1682, and on the instructions of the duke of York (later James II), he called (1683) a legislative assembly; measures, known as the Charter of Liberties and
..... Click the link for more information. in 1686 and remained in effect for many years. English rule was not, however, without dissension, and the autocratic rule of British governors was one of the causes of an insurrection that broke out in 1689 under the leadership of Jacob LeislerLeisler, Jacob
, 1640–91, leader of an insurrection (1689–91) in colonial New York, b. Frankfurt, Germany. He immigrated to America in 1660 as a penniless soldier, married a wealthy widow, and became a trader in New York.
..... Click the link for more information. . The insurrection ended in the execution of Leisler by his enemies in 1691. In 1741 there was further violence when an alleged plot by African-American slaves to burn New York was ruthlessly suppressed. Throughout the 18th cent. New York was an expanding commercial and cultural center. The city's first newspaper, the New York Gazette, appeared in 1725. The trial in 1735 of John Peter ZengerZenger, John Peter
, 1697–1746, American journalist, b. Germany. He emigrated to America in 1710 and was trained in the printing trade by the pioneer printer William Bradford.
..... Click the link for more information. , editor of a rival paper, was an important precedent for the principle of a free press. The city's first institution of higher learning, Kings College (now Columbia Univ.), was founded in 1754. The Revolution through the Nineteenth Century New York was active in the colonial opposition to British measures after trouble in 1765 over the Stamp ActStamp Act,
1765, revenue law passed by the British Parliament during the ministry of George Grenville. The first direct tax to be levied on the American colonies, it required that all newspapers, pamphlets, legal documents, commercial bills, advertisements, and other papers
..... Click the link for more information. . As revolutionary sentiments increased, the New York Sons of LibertySons of Liberty,
secret organizations formed in the American colonies in protest against the Stamp Act (1765). They took their name from a phrase used by Isaac Barré in a speech against the Stamp Act in Parliament, and were organized by merchants, businessmen, lawyers,
..... Click the link for more information. forced (1775) Gov. William Tryon and the British colonial government from the city. Although many New Yorkers were Loyalists, Continental forces commanded by George Washington tried to defend the city. After the patriot defeat in the battle of Long Island (see Long Island, battle ofLong Island, battle of,
Aug. 27, 1776, American defeat in the American Revolution. To protect New York City and the lower Hudson valley from the British forces massed on Staten Island, George Washington sent part of his small army to defend Brooklyn Heights, on Long Island.
..... Click the link for more information. ) and the succeeding actions at Harlem Heights and White Plains, Washington gave up New York, and the British occupied the city until the end of the war for independence. Under the British occupation two mysterious fires (1776 and 1778) destroyed a large part of the city. After the Revolution New York was briefly (1785–90) the first capital of the United States and was the state capital until 1797. President Washington was inaugurated (Apr. 30, 1789) at Federal Hall. New development was marked by such events as the founding (1784) of the Bank of New York under Alexander Hamilton and the beginning of the stock exchange around 1790. By 1790 New York was the largest city in the United States, with over 33,000 inhabitants; by 1800 the number had risen to 60,515. In 1811 plans were adopted for the laying out of most of Manhattan on a grid pattern. The opening of the Erie CanalErie Canal,
artificial waterway, c.360 mi (580 km) long; connecting New York City with the Great Lakes via the Hudson River. Locks were built to overcome the 571-ft (174-m) difference between the level of the river and that of Lake Erie.
..... Click the link for more information. (1825), ardently supported by former Mayor De Witt ClintonClinton, De Witt
, 1769–1828, American statesman, b. New Windsor, N.Y.; son of James Clinton. He was admitted (1790) to the New York bar but soon became secretary to his uncle, George Clinton, first governor of the state, and in that position (1790–95) gained
..... Click the link for more information. , made New York City the seaboard gateway for the Great Lakes region, ushering in another era of commercial expansion. The New York and Harlem RR was built in 1832. In 1834 the mayor of New York became an elective office. In the next year a massive fire destroyed much of Lower Manhattan, but it brought about new building laws and the construction of the Croton water system. By 1840 New York had become the leading port of the nation. A substantial Irish and German immigration after 1840 dramatically changed the character of urban life and politics in the city. The coming of the Civil War found New Yorkers unusually divided; many shared Mayor Fernando WoodWood, Fernando,
1812–81, American politician, b. Philadelphia. He became a successful shipping merchant in New York City and a leader of Tammany Hall. Wood was elected mayor in 1854 and was reelected in 1856, but he displeased the other Tammany leaders in dispensing
..... Click the link for more information. 's Southern sympathies, but under the leadership of Gov. Horatio Seymour most supported the Union. However, in 1863 the draft riotsdraft riots,
in the American Civil War, mob action to protest unfair Union conscription. The Union Conscription Act of Mar. 3, 1863, provided that all able-bodied males between the ages of 20 and 45 were liable to military service, but a drafted man who furnished an acceptable
..... Click the link for more information. broke out in protest against the federal Conscription Act. The rioters—many of whom were Irish and other recent immigrants—directed most of their anger against African Americans. Extensive immigration had begun before the Civil War, and after 1865, with the acceleration of industrial development, another wave of immigration began and reached its height in the late 19th and early 20th cent. As a result of this immigration, which was predominantly from E and S Europe, the city's population reached 3,437,000 by 1900 and 7 million by 1930. New York's many distinct neighborhoods, divided along ethnic and class lines, included such notorious slums as Five Points, Hell's Kitchen, and the Lower East Side. They were often side by side with such exclusive neighborhoods as Gramercy Park or Brooklyn Heights. Municipal politics were dominated by the Democratic party, which was dominated by Tammany Hall (see TammanyTammany
or Tammany Hall,
popular name for the Democratic political machine in Manhattan. Origins
After the American Revolution several patriotic societies sprang up to promote various political causes and economic interests.
..... Click the link for more information. ) and the Tweed Ring, led by William M. TweedTweed, William Marcy,
1823–78, American politician and Tammany leader, b. New York City. A bookkeeper, he became (1848) a volunteer fireman and as a result acquired influence in his ward. He was an alderman (1852–53) and sat (1853–55) in Congress.
..... Click the link for more information. . The first of many scandalous disclosures about the city's political life came in 1871, leading to Tweed's downfall. Although not always victorious, Tammany was the center of New York City politics until 1945. Until 1874, when portions of Westchester were annexed, the city's boundaries were those of present-day Manhattan. With the adoption of a new charter in 1898, New York became a city of five boroughs—New York City was split into the present Manhattan and Bronx boroughs, and the independent city of Brooklyn was annexed, as were the western portions of Queens co. and Staten Island. The opening of the first subway line (1903) and other means of mass transportation spurred the growth of the outer boroughs, and this trend has continued into the 1990s. The Flatiron Building (1902) foreshadowed the skyscrapers that today give Manhattan its famed skyline. Later History In the 20th cent., New York City was served by such mayors as Seth LowLow, Seth,
1850–1916, American political reformer and college president, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., grad. Columbia, 1870. He entered his father's tea and silk importing firm, but became interested in politics and was reform mayor of the city of Brooklyn for two terms
..... Click the link for more information. , William J. GaynorGaynor, William Jay,
1849–1913, U.S. political leader, mayor of New York City, b. Oneida co., N.Y. He rose to prominence as a civic reformer in Brooklyn and, as justice of the New York supreme court (1893–1909), continued to oppose municipal graft.
..... Click the link for more information. , James J. WalkerWalker, James John,
1881–1946, American politician, b. New York City. Dapper and debonair, Jimmy Walker, having tried his hand at song writing, engaged in Democratic politics and in 1909 became a member of the state assembly. After studying law at St.
..... Click the link for more information. (whose resignation was brought about by the Seabury investigation), Fiorello H. LaGuardiaLaGuardia, Fiorello Henry
, 1882–1947, U.S. public official, congressman, and mayor of New York City (1934–45), b. New York City. He spent his early years in Arizona with his father, an army bandmaster who had come from Italy to the United States.
..... Click the link for more information. , Robert F. Wagner, Jr. (see under Robert Ferdinand WagnerWagner, Robert Ferdinand
, 1877–1953, American legislator, b. Germany. He arrived with his family in the United States in 1885 and grew up in poor surroundings in New York City.
..... Click the link for more information. ), Abraham BeameBeame, Abraham David,
1906–2001, American politician, mayor of New York City (1974–77), b. London. Beame, who grew up on New York's Lower East Side, was city budget director (1952–61). A Democrat, he was elected to two terms as city comptroller (1961, 1969).
..... Click the link for more information. , John V. LindsayLindsay, John Vliet
, 1921–2000, American politician, mayor of New York City (1966–73), b. New York City. He practiced law and then served (1955–57) as executive assistant to Attorney General Herbert Brownell. A liberal Republican, he was elected to the U.S.
..... Click the link for more information. , Edward I. KochKoch, Edward Irving
, 1924–2013, U.S. politician, mayor of New York City (1977–89), b. New York City. After receiving his law degree (New York Univ., 1948), he practiced as a lawyer, became active in reform Democratic politics, and later served on the New York city
..... Click the link for more information. , David DinkinsDinkins, David Norman,
1927–, African-American political leader, b. Trenton, N.J. After graduating (1956) from Brooklyn Law School, he went into private law practice.
..... Click the link for more information. (New York City's first African-American mayor), and Rudolph GiulianiGiuliani, Rudolph William
, 1944–, American government official, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. He attended Manhattan College and studied law at New York Univ. In the Justice Dept. as associate deputy attorney general (1975–77), associate attorney general (1981–83), and U.S.
..... Click the link for more information. . The need for regional planning resulted in the nation's first zoning legislation (1916) and the formation of such bodies as the Port of New York Authority (1921; now the Port Authority of New York and New JerseyPort Authority of New York and New Jersey,
self-sustaining public corporation established in 1921 by the states of New York and New Jersey to administer the activities of the New York–New Jersey port area, which has a waterfront of c.900 mi (1,450 km) lying in both states.
..... Click the link for more information. ), the Regional Plan Association (1929), the Municipal Housing Authority (1934), and the City Planning Commission (1938). After World War II, New York began to experience the problems that became common to most large U.S. cities, including increased crime, racial and ethnic tensions, homelessness, a movement of residents and companies to the suburbs and the resulting diminished tax base, and a deteriorating infrastructure that hurt city services. These problems were highlighted in the city's near-bankruptcy in 1975. A brief but spectacular boom in the stock and real estate markets in the 1980s brought considerable wealth to some sectors. By the early 1990s, however, corporate downsizing, the outward movement of corporate and back office centers, a still shrinking industrial sector, and the transition to a service-oriented economy meant the city was hard hit by the national recession. In the late 1990s the city capitalized on its strengths to face a changing economic environment. While the manufacturing base continued to dwindle, the survivors were flexible and, increasingly, specialized companies that custom-tailored products or focused on local customers. Foreign markets were targeted by the city's financial, legal, communications, and other service industries. The city also saw the birth of a strong high-technology sector. Budget cuts in the mid-1990s reduced basic services, but a strong national economy and, especially, a rising stock market had restored vigor and prosperity by the end of the 20th cent. The destruction of the World Trade CenterWorld Trade Center,
former building complex in lower Manhattan, New York City, consisting of seven buildings and a shopping concourse on a 16-acre (6.5-hectare) site; it was destroyed by a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.
..... Click the link for more information. , formerly the city's tallest building, as a result of a terrorist attack (Sept., 2001) was the worst disaster in the city's history, killing more than 2,700 people. In addition to the wrenching horror of the attack and the blow to the city's pride, New York lost some 10% of its commercial office space and faced months of cleanup and years of reconstruction. The crisis brought national prominence and international renown to Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who provided the city with a forceful and calming focus in the weeks after the attack. Michael R. BloombergBloomberg, Michael Rubens,
1942–, American businessman and politician, mayor of New York City (2002–2013), b. Boston, Mass., B.S. Johns Hopkins, 1964, M.B.A. Harvard, 1966.
..... Click the link for more information. , a moderate Republican, succeeded Giuliani as mayor in 2002. In 2012 low-lying areas of the city's boroughs suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Sandy's storm surge. In 2014, Bill de Blasiode Blasio, Bill,
1961–, American politician, b. New York City as Warren Wilhelm, Jr., B.A New York Univ., 1984, M.A. Columbia, 1987. A liberal Democrat, de Blasio worked in the New York City government and in election campaigns, including serving as Hillary Clinton's
..... Click the link for more information. , a populist and liberal Democrat, became mayor. Bibliography See I. N. P. Stokes, The Iconography of Manhattan Island (6 vol., 1915–28, repr. 1967); R. G. Albion, The Rise of New York Port, 1815–1860 (1939); J. A. Kouwenhoven, Columbia Historical Portrait of New York (1953, repr. 1972); N. Glazer and D. P. Moynihan, Beyond the Melting Pot (1963); E. R. Ellis, The Epic of New York City (1966); R. A. Caro, The Power Broker (1975); D. Hammack, Power and Society (1982); J. Kieran, A Natural History of New York (1982); J. Charyn, Metropolis (1987); R. A. M. Stern et al., New York 1960 (1995); E. G. Burrows and M. Wallace, Gotham (1998); H. Adam, New York: Architecture & Design (2003); R. Shorto, The Island at the Center of the World (2004); J. Brash, Bloomberg's New York (2011); S. H. Jaffe, New York at War (2012); M. B. Williams, City of Ambition (2013); G. Koeppel, City on a Grid: How New York Became New York (2015); M. Wallace, Greater Gotham (2017); guides by the Federal Writers' Project (1939, repr. 1982) and A. S. Dolkart and M. A. Postal (3d ed. 2003); encyclopedia by K. T. Jackson, ed. (2d ed. 2010). New York (State) State Information Phone: (518) 474-2121
www.state.ny.us
Area (sq mi):: 54556.00 (land 47213.79; water 7342.22) Population per square mile: 407.80
Population 2005: 19,254,630 State rank: 0 Population change: 2000-20005 1.50%; 1990-2000 5.50% Population 2000: 18,976,457 (White 62.00%; Black or African American 15.90%; Hispanic or Latino 15.10%; Asian 5.50%; Other 10.60%). Foreign born: 20.40%. Median age: 35.90
Income 2000: per capita $23,389; median household $43,393; Population below poverty level: 14.60% Personal per capita income (2000-2003): $34,897-$36,112
Unemployment (2004): 5.80% Unemployment change (from 2000): 1.30% Median travel time to work: 31.70 minutes Working outside county of residence: 35.40%
List of New York counties:| Albany CountyAllegany CountyBronx CountyBroome CountyCattaraugus CountyCayuga CountyChautauqua CountyChemung CountyChenango CountyClinton CountyColumbia CountyCortland CountyDelaware CountyDutchess CountyErie CountyEssex CountyFranklin CountyFulton CountyGenesee CountyGreene CountyHamilton County | Herkimer CountyJefferson CountyKings CountyLewis CountyLivingston CountyMadison CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyNassau CountyNew York CountyNiagara CountyOneida CountyOnondaga CountyOntario CountyOrange CountyOrleans CountyOswego CountyOtsego CountyPutnam CountyQueens CountyRensselaer County | Richmond CountyRockland CountySaint Lawrence CountySaratoga CountySchenectady CountySchoharie CountySchuyler CountySeneca CountySteuben CountySuffolk CountySullivan CountyTioga CountyTompkins CountyUlster CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWestchester CountyWyoming CountyYates County |
New York Parks- US National Parks
African Burial Ground National Monument
Castle Clinton National Monument
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
Federal Hall National Memorial
Fire Island National Seashore
Fort Stanwix National Monument
Gateway National Recreation Area
General Grant National Memorial
| Governors Island National Monument
Hamilton Grange National Memorial
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
Kate Mullany National Historic Site
Lower East Side Tenement Museum National Historic Site
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site
| Saratoga National Historical Park
Statue of Liberty National Monument & Ellis Island
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
Thomas Cole National Historic Site
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
Women's Rights National Historical Park
|
- Urban Parks
Cazenovia Park
Central Park
Delaware Park
| Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Pelham Bay Park
Prospect Park
| Riverside Park
The Greenbelt
Van Cortlandt Park
| |
- State Parks
Allan H. Treman State Marine Park
Allegany State Park
Battle Island State Park
Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park
Bayswater Point State Park
Bear Mountain State Park
Beaver Island State Park
Belmont Lake State Park
Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site
Bethpage State Park
Betty & Wilbur Davis State Park
Big Six Mile Creek Marina State Park
Blauvelt State Park
Bonavista State Park Golf Course
Bowman Lake State Park
Buckhorn Island State Park
Burnham Point State Park
Buttermilk Falls State Park
Caleb Smith State Park Preserve
Camp Hero State Park
Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park
Canoe-Picnic Point State Park
Captree State Park
Caumsett State Historic Park
Cayuga Lake State Park
Cedar Island State Park
Cedar Point State Park
Chenango Valley State Park
Cherry Plain State Park
Chimney Bluffs State Park
Chittenango Falls State Park
Clarence Fahnestock State Park
Clark Reservation State Park
Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve
Clermont State Historic Site
Clinton House State Historic Site
Cold Spring Harbor State Park
Coles Creek State Park
Connetquot River State Park Preserve
Crailo State Historic Site
Crown Point State Historic Site
Cumberland Bay State Park
Darien Lakes State Park
Darwin Martin House State Historic Site
De Veaux Woods State Park
Delta Lake State Park
Devil's Hole State Park
Dewolf Point State Park
Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park
Eel Weir State Park
Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park
Evangola State Park
Fair Haven Beach State Park
Fillmore Glen State Park
Fort Montgomery State Historic Site
Fort Niagara State Park
Fort Ontario State Historic Site
Four Mile Creek State Park
Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park
Ganondagan State Historic Site
Gantry Plaza State Park
Gilbert Lake State Park
Glimmerglass State Park
Golden Hill State Park
| Goosepond Mountain State Park
Governor Alfred E. Smith/Sunken Meadow State Park
Grafton Lakes State Park
Grant Cottage State Historic Site
Grass Point State Park
Green Lakes State Park
Hamlin Beach State Park
Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area
Harriman State Park
Heckscher State Park
Hempstead Lake State Park
Herkimer Home State Historic Site
High Tor State Park
Highland Lakes State Park
Higley Flow State Park
Hither Hills State Park
Honeoye Lake Marine Park
Hudson Highlands State Park
Hudson River Islands State Park
Hunt's Pond State Park
Hyde Hall State Historic Site
Irondequoit Bay State Marine Park
Jacques Cartier State Park
James Baird State Park
John Boyd Thacher State Park
John Brown Farm State Historic Site
John Burroughs Memorial State Historic Site
John Jay Homestead State Historic Site
Johnson Hall State Historic Site
Jones Beach State Park
Joseph Davis State Park
Keewaydin State Park
Keuka Lake State Park
Knox Farm State Park
Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site
Kring Point State Park
Lake Erie State Park
Lake Superior State Park
Lake Taghkanic State Park
Lakeside Beach State Park
Letchworth State Park
Lodi Point State Marine Park
Long Point State Park - Finger Lakes
Long Point State Park - Thousand Islands
Long Point State Park on Lake Chautauqua
Lorenzo State Historic Site
Macomb Reservation State Park
Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park
Mark Twain State Park & Soaring Eagles Golf Course
Mary Island State Park
Max V. Shaul State Park
Mine Kill State Park
Minnewaska State Park Preserve
Montauk Downs State Park
Montauk Point State Park
Moreau Lake State Park
New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site
Newtown Battlefield State Park
Niagara Falls State Park
Nissequogue River State Park
Nyack Beach State Park
Oak Orchard State Marine Park
Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills State Park
Olana State Historic Site
| Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park
Old Erie Canal State Historic Park
Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site
Oquaga Creek State Park
Orient Beach State Park
Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site
Peebles Island State Park
Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site
Pinnacle State Park & Golf Course
Pixley Falls State Park
Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park/Coe Hall Historic House Museum
Point Au Roche State Park
Reservoir State Park
Riverbank State Park
Robert G Wehle State Park
Robert H. Treman State Park
Robert Moses State Park - Long Island
Robert Moses State Park - Thousand Islands
Robert V. Riddell State Park
Roberto Clemente State Park
Rockefeller State Park Preserve
Rockland Lake State Park
Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site
Saint Lawrence State Park Golf Course
Sampson State Park
Sandy Island Beach State Park
Saratoga Lake Marine Park
Saratoga Spa State Park
Schodack Island State Park
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site
Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site
Selkirk Shores State Park
Senate House State Historic Site
Seneca Lake State Park
Shadmoor State Park
Silver Lake State Park
Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park
Southwick Beach State Park
Staatsburgh State Historic Site
State Park at the Fair
Sterling Forest State Park
Steuben Memorial State Historic Site
Stony Brook State Park
Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site
Storm King State Park
Taconic State Park - Copake Falls Area
Taconic State Park - Rudd Pond Area
Tallman Mountain State Park
Taughannock Falls State Park
Thompson's Lake State Park
Trail View State Park
Valley Stream State Park
Verona Beach State Park
Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site
Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site
Waterson Point State Park
Watkins Glen State Park
Wellesley Island State Park
Westcott Beach State Park
Whetstone Gulf State Park
Whirlpool State Park
Wildwood State Park
Wilson-Tuscarora State Park
Woodlawn Beach State Park
| |
- Parks and Conservation-Related Organizations - US
Adirondack Council
Adirondack Mountain Club
American Conservation Association
Environmental Defense
Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA)
Family Campers & RVers (FCRV)
| Fund for Animals
Great Lakes United (GLU)
National Audubon Society (NAS)
National Recreation Reservation Service
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Open Space Institute (OSI)
| Outward Bound USA
Project for Public Spaces
Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
|
- National Wildlife Refuges
Amagansett National Wildlife Refuge
Conscience Point National Wildlife Refuge
Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
| Lido Beach National Wildlife Refuge
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Seatuck National Wildlife Refuge
| Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge
Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge
|
- National Scenic Byways
Lakes to Locks Passage
| Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway
| Seaway Trail Scenic Byway - New York
| |
- National Heritage Areas
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
| Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area
| |
- National Forests
Finger Lakes National Forest
| |
New York a state in the USA, on the Atlantic coast, bordering on Canada. It includes Long Island. New York has an area of 128,400 sq km and a population of 18.2 million (1970), 85.6 percent of whom are urban dwellers. The capital is Albany, and the largest cities and chief industrial centers are New York, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. Much of the state is occupied by spurs of the Appalachians, reaching a height of 1,628 m in the Adirondack Mountains in the northeast. In the southwest, the rim of the Appalachian Plateau has a maximum elevation of 656 m. New York has a moderate, humid climate. Average monthly temperatures range from -8°C to 23°C, and the annual precipitation is 800–1,000 mm. The largest rivers are the Hudson, which is linked with the Great Lakes system, the Mohawk, and the St. Lawrence. There are coniferous and mixed forests. New York is one of the most densely populated and economically developed states in the USA. Although it was supplanted by California in 1960 as the most populous state, it leads the nation in industrial production, financial transactions, bank deposits, and commerce. Of the state’s more than 7 million gainfully employed persons, approximately 25 percent are engaged in industry, 2 percent in agriculture, and almost 30 percent in commerce and finance. In 1970, 8,000 persons were employed in the mining industry, and 1.8 million, in manufacturing. Mineral resources include zinc (55,000 tons) and salt (about 5 million tons); building materials, abrasives, and titanium concentrates are also produced. Major branches of manufacturing are the garment and printing and publishing industries (chiefly in New York City), the production of electrical and electronic equipment and optical goods, shipbuilding, the aerospace industry, and the production of industrial machinery. Other important industries include ferrous (chiefly in Buffalo) and nonferrous metallurgy; the chemical, oil-refining, food, and shoe industries; and aluminium smelting. Large hydroelectric power plants have been built on the Niagara and St. Lawrence rivers. In 1972 the state’s electric power stations had a rated capacity of 24 gigawatts. Agriculture is oriented toward nearby urban markets and consists chiefly of dairy farming and the raising of vegetables, fruits, and berries. Livestock raising accounts for more than 75 percent of the agricultural output. In 1971 the state had more than 1.8 million head of cattle, including 1 million dairy cows and calves. Fodder is a major crop. Potatoes and vegetables are the chief crops on Long Island, and the area around Lake Erie and Lake Ontario is noted for its grapes and fruit, making New York the second leading producer of these crops. Tourism is an important source of revenue. V. M. GOKHMAN The original inhabitants of New York were the Iroquois Indians, who were largely exterminated during the European colonization of North America. In the early 17th century the territory was seized by the Dutch and incorporated into the Dutch colonial possessions in North America, called New Netherland. The town of New Amsterdam (now New York City), founded in 1626, became the administrative center of the Dutch colonies. In the 17th century there was a protracted Anglo-Dutch struggle for control over the area. In 1664, New Netherland became an English colony and was renamed New York (in 1673–74 it briefly reverted to the Dutch). The population took an active part in the American Revolution (1775–83), and in 1776, New York became one of the first 13 states of the USA. During the Civil War (1861–65) the state sided with the North. New York Eleventh state; adopted the U.S. Constitution on July 26, 1788 Capital: Albany Nickname: The Empire State State motto: Excelsior (Latin “Ever upward”) State animal: Beaver (Castor canadensis) State beverage: Milk State bird: Bluebird (Sialia sialis) State bush: Lilac State freshwater fish: Brook or speckled trout (Salvelinus fontinalis); saltwater: Striped bass State flower: Rose (genus Rosa) State fossil: Eurypterus remipes (distant relative of the horseshoe crab) State fruit: Apple (Malus sylvestris) State gem: Garnet State insect: Ladybug (Hippodamia convergens) State muffin: Apple muffin State reptile: Common snapping turtle State shell: Bay scallop (Agropecten irradians) State tree: Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) More about state symbols at: www.dos.state.ny.us/kids_room/index.html
www.dec.ny.gov/education/1887.html SOURCES: AmerBkDays-2000, p. 545 AnnivHol-2000, p. 123 STATE OFFICES: State web site: www.state.ny.us Office of the Governor State Capitol Executive Chamber Albany, NY 12224 518-474-8390 fax: 518-474-1513 www.state.ny.us/governor Secretary of State 41 State St Albany, NY 12231 518-474-0050 fax: 518-474-4765 www.dos.state.ny.us New York State Library Empire State Plaza Albany, NY 12230 518-474-5355 fax: 518-474-5786 www.nysl.nysed.gov Legal Holidays:| Lincoln's Birthday | Feb 12 | | Washington's Birthday | Feb 21, 2011; Feb 20, 2012; Feb 18, 2013; Feb 17, 2014; Feb 16, 2015; Feb 15, 2016; Feb 20, 2017; Feb 19, 2018; Feb 18, 2019; Feb 17, 2020; Feb 15, 2021; Feb 21, 2022; Feb 20, 2023 |
New York1. a city in SE New York State, at the mouth of the Hudson River: the largest city and chief port of the US; settled by the Dutch as New Amsterdam in 1624 and captured by the British in 1664, when it was named New York; consists of five boroughs (Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Richmond) and many islands, with its commercial and financial centre in Manhattan; the country's leading commercial and industrial city. Pop.: 8 085 742 (2003 est.) 2. a state of the northeastern US: consists chiefly of a plateau with the Finger Lakes in the centre, the Adirondack Mountains in the northeast, the Catskill Mountains in the southeast, and Niagara Falls in the west. Capital: Albany. Pop.: 19 190 115 (2003 est.). Area: 123 882 sq. km (47 831 sq. miles) New york
NEW YORK. The name of one of the original states of the United States of America. In its colonial condition this state was governed from the period of the revolution of 1688, by governors appointed by the crown assisted by a council, which received its appointments also from the parental government, and by the representatives of the people. 1 Story, Const. B. 1, ch. 10.
2. The present constitution of the state was adopted by a convention of the people, at Albany, on the ninth day of October, 1846, and went into force from and including the first day of January, 1847. The powers of the government are distributed among three classes of magistrates, the legislative, the executive, and the judicial;
3.-Sec. 1. The legislative power is vested in a senate and assembly. By the second article, section first, of the constitution, the qualifications of the electors are thus described, namely:: Every male citizen of the age of twenty-one years, who shall have been a citizen for ten days, and an inhabitant of this state one year next, preceding any election, and for the last four months a resident of the county where he may offer his vote, shall be entitled to vote at such election in the election district of which he shall at the time be a resident, and not elsewhere, for all officers that now are or hereafter may be elective by the people; but such citizen shall have been for thirty days next preceding the election, a resident of the district from which the officer is to be chosen for whom he offers his vote. But no man of color, unless he shall have been for three years a citizen of this state, and for one year next preceding any election shall have been seised and possessed of a freehold estate of the value of two hundred and fifty dollars, over and above all debts and incumbrances, charged thereon, and shall have been actually rated and paid a tax thereon, shall be entitled to vote at such election. And no person of color shall be subject to direct taxation unless he shall be seised and possessed of such real estate as aforesaid.
4. The third article provides as follows:
Sect. 6. The members of the legislature shall receive for their services, a sum not exceeding three dollars a day, from the commencement of the session; but such pay shall not exceed in the aggregate, three hundred dollars for per them allowance, except in proceedings for impeachment. The limitation as to the aggregate compensation shall not take effect until the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight. When convened in extra session by the governor, they shall receive three dollars per day. They shall also receive the sum of one dollar for every ten miles they shall travel, in going to and returning from their place of meeting on the most usual route. The speaker of the assembly shall, in virtue of his office, receive an additional compensation equal to one-third of his per them allowance as a member.
Sect. 7. No member of the legislature shall receive any civil appointment within this state, or to the senate of the United States, from the governor, the governor and senate, or from the legislature, during the term for which he shall have been elected; and all such appointments, and all votes given for any such member, for any such office or appointment, shall be void.
Sect. 8. No person being a member of congress, or holding any judicial or military office under the United States, shall hold a seat in the legislature. And if any person shall, after his election as a member of the legislature, be elected to congress, or appointed to any office, civil or military, under the government of the United States, his acceptance thereof shall vacate his seat.
Sect. 9. The elections of senators and members of assembly, pursuant to the provisions of this constitution, shall be held on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday of November, unless otherwise directed by the legislature.
Sect. 10. A majority of each house shall constitute a quorum to do business. Each house shall determine the rules of its own proceedings, and be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members, shall choose its own officers, and the senate shall choose a temporary president, when the lieutenant. governor shall not attend as president, or shall act as governor.
Sect. 11. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and publish the same, except such parts as may require secrecy. The doors of each house shall be kept open, except when the public welfare shall require secrecy. Neither house shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than two days.
Sect. 12. For any speech or debate in either house of the, legislature, the members shall not be questioned in any other place.
5.-1. The senate consists of thirty-two members, chosen by the electors. The state is divided into thirty-two districts, and each district elects one senator.
6. Senators are chosen for two years. 20
7.-2. The assembly shall consist of one hundred and twenty-eight members. Art. 3, s. 2.
8. The state shall be divided into assembly districts as provided by the fifth section of the third article of the constitution as follows:
The members of assembly shall be apportioned among the several counties of this state, by the legislature, as nearly as may be, according to the number of their respective inhabitants, excluding aliens, and persons of color not taxed, and shall be chosen by single districts.
"The several boards of supervisors in such counties of this state, as are now entitled to more than one member of assembly, shall assemble on the first Tuesday of January next, and divide their respective counties into assembly districts equal to the number of members of assembly to which such counties are now severally entitled by law, and shall cause to be filed in the offices of the secretary of state and the clerks of their respective counties, a description of such assembly districts, specifying the number of each district and the population thereof, according to the last preceding state enumeration, as near as can be ascertained. Each assembly district shall contain, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants, excluding aliens and persons of color not taxed, and shall consist of convenient. and contiguous territory; but no town shall be divided in the formation of assembly districts.
"The legislature, at its first session after the return of every enumeration, shall re-apportion the members of assembly among the several counties of this state, in manner aforesaid, and the boards of supervisors in such counties as, may be entitled, under such reapportionment, to more than one member, shall assemble at such time as the legislature making such reapportionment shall prescribe, and divide such counties into assembly districts, in the manner herein directed and the apportionment and districts so to be made, shall remain unaltered until another enumeration shall be taken under the provisions of the preceding section.
"Every county heretofore established and separately organized, except the county of Hamilton, shall always be entitled to one member of the assembly, and no new county shall be hereafter erected, unless its population shall entitle it to a member.
"The county of Hamilton shall elect with the county of Fulton, until the population of the county of Hamilton shall, according to the ratio, be entitled to a member."
9. The members of assembly are elected annually.
10.-Sec. 2. The fourth article vests the executive power as follows:"Sect. 1. The executive power shall be vested in a governor, who shall hold his office for two years; a lieutenant governor shall be chosen at the same time, and for the same term."Sect. 2. No person except a citizen of the United States, shall be eligible to the office of governor; nor shall any person be eligible to that office, who shall not have attained the age of thirty years, and who shall not have been five years next preceding his election, a resident within this state."Sect. 3. The governor and lieutenant governor shall be elected at the times and places of choosing members of the assembly. The persons respectively having the highest number of votes for governor and lieutenant governor, shall be elected; but in case two or more shall have an equal and the highest number of votes for governor, or for lieutenant governor, the two houses of the legislature at its next annual session, shall, forthwith, by joint ballot, choose one of the said persons so having an equal and the highest number of votes for governor or lieutenant governor."Sect. 4. The governor shall be commander-in-chief of the military and naval forces of the state. He shall have power to convene the legislature (or the senate only) on extraordinary occasions. He shall communicate by message to the legislature at every session, the condition of the state, and recommend such matters to them as be shall judge expedient. He shall transact all necessary business with the officers of government, civil and military. He shall expedite all such measures, as may be resolved upon by the legislature, and shall take care that the laws are faithfully executed. He shall, at stated times, receive for his services, a compensation to be established by law, which shall neither be increased nor diminished after his election and during his continuance in office."Sect. 5. The governor shall have the power to grant reprieves, commutations and pardons after conviction, for all offences except treason and cases of impeachment, upon such conditions, and with such restrictions and limitations, as he may think proper, subject to such regulation as may be provided by law relative to the manner of applying for pardons. Upon conviction for treason, he shall have power to suspend the execution of the sentence, until the Offence shall be reported to the legislature at its next meeting, when the legislature shall either pardon, or commute the sentence, direct the execution of the sentence, or grant a further reprieve. He shall annually communicate to the legislature each case of reprieve, commutation or pardon granted stating the name of the convict, the crime of which he was convicted, the sentence and its date, and the date of the commutation, pardon or reprieve."Sect. 6. In case of the impeachment of the governor, of his removal from office, death, inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, resignation or absence from the state, the powers and duties of the office shall devolve upon the lieutenant governor for the residue of the term, or until the disability shall cease. But when the governor shall, with the consent of the legislature, be out of the state in time of war, at the head of a military force thereof, he shall continue commander-in-chief of all the military force of the state."Sect. 7. The lieutenant governor shall possess the same qualifications of eligibility for office as the governor. He shall be president of the senate, but shall have only a casting vote therein. If during a vacancy of the office of governor, the lieutenant governor shall be impeached, displaced, resign, die, or become incapable of performing the duties of his office, or be absent from the state, the president of the senate shall act as governor, until the vacancy be filled, or the disability shall cease."Sect. 8. The lieutenant governor shall, while acting as such, receive a compensation which shall be fixed by law, and which shall not be increased or diminished during his continuance in office."Sect. 9. Every bill which shall have passed the senate and assembly, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the governor; if be approve, he shall Sign it; but if not, he shall return it with his objections to that house in which it shall have originated; who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such reconsideration, two-thirds of the members present shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered: and if approved by two-thirds of all the members present, it shall become a law, notwithstanding the objections of the governor. But in all such cases, the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the flames of the members voting for and against the bill, shall be entered on the journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be returned by the governor within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the legislature shall, by their adjournment, prevent its return; in which case it shall not be a law."
11.-Sec. 3. The sixth article distributes the judicial power as follows:"Sect. 1. The assembly shall have the power of impeachment, by the vote of a majority of all the members elected. The court for the trial of impeachments, shall be composed of the president of the senate, the senators, or a major part of them, and, the judges of the court of appeals, or the major part of them. On the trial of an impeachment against the governor, the lieutenant governor shall not act as a member of the court. No judicial officer shall exercise his office after he shall have been impeached, until he shall have been acquitted. Before the trial of an impeachment, the members of the court shall take, an oath or affirmation, truly and impartially to try the impeachment, according to evidence; and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present. Judgment, in cases of impeachment, shall not extend further than to removal from office, or removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under this state; but the party impeached shall be liable to indictment, and punishment according to law."Sect. 2. There shall be a court of appeals, composed of eight judges, of whom four shall be elected by the electors of the state for eight years, and four selected from the class of justices of the supreme court, having the shortest time to serve. Provision shall be made by law, for designating one of the number elected, as chief judge, and for selecting such justices of the supreme court, from time to time, and for so classifying those elected, that one shall be elected every second year."Sect. 3. There shall be a supreme court having general jurisdiction in law and equity."Sect. 4. The state shall be divided into eight judicial districts, of which the city of New York shall be one: the others to be bounded by county lines. and to be compact, and equal in population, as nearly as may be. There shall be four justices of the supreme court in each district, and as many more in the district composed of the city of New York, as may from time to time be authorized by law, but not to exceed in the whole such number in proportion to its population, as shall be in conformity with the number of such judges in the residue of the state in proportion to its population. They shall be classified so that one of the justices of each district shall go out of office at the end of every two years. After the expiration of their terms under such classification, the term of their office shall be eight years."Sect. 5. The legislature shall have the same powers to alter and regulate the jurisdiction and proceedings in law and equity, as they have heretofore possessed."Sect. 6. Provisions may be made by law for designating, from time to time, one or more of the said justices, who is not a judge of the court of appeals, to preside at the general terms of the said court to be held in the several districts. Any three or more of the said justices, of whom one of the said justices so designated shall always be one, may hold: such general terms. And any one or more of the justices may hold special terms and circuit courts, and any one of them may preside in courts of oyer and terminer in any county."Sect. 7. The judges of the court of appeals and justices of the supreme court, shall severally receive, at stated times, for their services, a compensation to be established by law, which shall not be increased or diminished during their continuance in office."Sect. 8. They shall not hold any other office or public trust. All votes for either of them, for any elective office, (except that of justice of the supreme court, or judge of the court of appeals,) given by the legislature or the people, shall be void. They shall not exercise any power of appointment to public office. Any male citizen of the age of twenty-one years, of good moral character, and who possesses the requisite qualifications of learning and ability, shall be entitled to admission to practice in all the courts of this state."Sect. 9. The classification of the justices of the supreme court; the times and place of holding the terms of the court of appeals, and of the general and special terms of the supreme court within the several districts, and the circuit courts and courts of oyer and terminer within the several counties, shall be provided for by law."Sect. 10. The testimony in equity cases shall be taken in like manner as in cases at law."Sect. 11. Justices of the supreme court and judges of the court of appeals, way be removed by concurrent resolution of both houses of the legislature, if two-thirds of all the members elected to the assembly, and a majority of all the members elected to the senate, concur therein. All judicial officers, except those mentioned in this section, and except justices of the peace, and judges and justices of inferior courts not of record, may be removed by the senate, on the recommendation of the governor: but no removal shall be made by virtue of this section, unless the cause thereof be entered on the journals, nor unless the party complained of, shall have been served with a copy of the complaint against him, and shall have had an opportunity of being heard in his defence. On the question of removal, the ayes and noes shall be entered on the journals."Sect. 12. The judges of the court of appeals shall be elected by the electors of the state, and the justices of the supreme court by the electors of the several judicial districts, at such times as may be proscribed by law."Sect. 13. In case the office of any judge of the court of appeals, or justice of the supreme court, shall become vacant before the expiration of the regular term for which he was elected, the vacancy may be filled by appointment by the governor, until it shall be supplied at the next general election of judges, when it shall be filled by election, for the residue of the unexpired term.
Sect. 14. There shall be elected in each of the counties of this state, except the city and county of New York, one county judge, who shall hold his office for four years. He shall hold the county court, and perform the duties of the office of surrogate. The county court shall have such jurisdiction in cases arising in justices' courts, and in special cases, as the legislature may prescribe, but shall have no original civil jurisdiction, except in such special cases.
"The county judge, with two justices of the peace, to be designated according to law, may hold courts of sessions, with such criminal jurisdiction as the legislature shall prescribe, and perform such other duties as may be required by law.
"The county judge shall receive an annual salary, to be fixed by the board of supervisors, which shall be neither increased nor diminished during his continuance in office. The justices of the peace for services in courts of sessions, shall be paid a per diem allowance out of the county treasury.
"In counties having a population exceeding forty thousand, the legislature may provide for the election of a separate officer to perform the duties of the office of surrogate.
"The legislature may confer equity jurisdiction in special cases upon the county judge.
"Inferior local courts, of civil and criminal jurisdiction, may be established by the legislature in cities; and such courts, except for the cities of New York and Buffalo, shall have an uniform organization and jurisdiction in such cities.
"Sect. 15. The legislature may, on application of the board of supervisors, provide for the election of local officers, not to exceed two in any county, to discharge the duties of county judge, and of surrogate in cases of their inability, or of a vacancy, and to exercise such other powers in special cases as may be provided by law.
"Sect. 16. The legislature may reorganize the judicial districts at the first session after the return of every enumeration under this constitution, in the manner provided for in the fourth section of this article, and at no other time; and they may, at such session, increase or diminish the number of districts, but such increase or diminution shall not, be more than one district at any one time. Each district shall have four justices of the supreme court; but no diminution of the districts shall have the effect to remove a judge from office.
"Sect. 17. The electors of the several towns shall, at their annual town meeting, and in such manner as the legislature may direct, elect justices of the peace, whose term of office shall be four years. In case of an election to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of a full term, they shall hold for the residue of the unexpired term. Their number and classification may be regulated by law. Justices of the peace and judges or justices of inferior courts, not of record, and their clerks, may be removed, (after due notice and an opportunity of being beard in their defence) by such county, city or state courts as may be prescribed by law, for causes to be assigned in the order of removal.
"Sect. 18. All judicial officers of cities and villages, and all such judicial officers is may be created therein by law, shall be elected at such times and in such manner as the legislature may direct.
"Sect. 19. The clerks of the several counties of this state shall be clerks of the supreme court, with such powers and duties as shall be prescribed by law. A clerk for the court of appeals, to be ex officio clerk of the supreme court, and to keep his office at the seat of government, shall be chosen by the electors of the state; he shall hold his office for three years, and his compensation shall be fixed by law and paid out of the public treasury.
"Sec. 20. No judicial officer, except justices of the peace, shall receive to his own use any fees or perquisites of office.
"Sect. 21. The legislature may authorize the judgments, decrees and decisions of any local inferior court of record of original civil jurisdiction, established removed for review directly into the court of appeals.
"Sect. 22. The legislature shall provide for the speedy publication of all statute laws, and of such judicial decisions as it may deem expedient. And all laws and judicial decisions shall be free for publication by any person.
"Sect. 23. Tribunals of conciliation may be established, with such powers and duties as may be prescribed by law; but such tribunals shall have no power to render judgment to be obligatory on the parties, except they voluntarily submit their matters in difference and agree to abide the judgment, or assent thereto, in the presence of such tribunal, in such cases as shall be prescribed by law."
"Sect. 25. The legislature, at its first session after the adoption of this constitution, shall provide for the organization of the court of appeals, and for transferring to it the business pending in the court for the correction of errors, and for the allowance of writs of error and appeals to the court of appeals, from the judgments and decrees of the present court of chancery and supreme court, and of the courts that may be organized under this constitution."
12. The sixth article, section 24, provides that the legislature, at its first session after the adoption of this constitution, shall provide for the appointment of three commissioners, whose duty it shall be to revise, reform, simplify and abridge the rules and practice, pleadings, forms and proceedings of the courts of record of this state, and to report thereon to the legislature, subject to their adoption and modification from time to time.
13. In pursuance of the provisions of this section, commissioners were appointed to revise the laws on the subject of the practice, pleadings and proceedings of the courts of this state, who made a report to the legislature. This report, with some alterations, was enacted into a law on the 12th of April, 1848, ch. 379, by which the forms of action are abolished, and the whole subject is extremely simplified. How it will work in practice, time will make manifest. AcronymsSeeNYNew York
Synonyms for New Yorknoun the largest city in New York State and in the United StatesSynonyms- Greater New York
- New York City
Related Words- Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Columbia University
- Columbia
- Cooper Union
- Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
- Empire State Building
- George Washington Bridge
- Queensboro Bridge
- Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
- twin towers
- World Trade Center
- WTC
- ground zero
- Manhattan Island
- New Amsterdam
- Empire State
- New York State
- NY
- New York
- Bronx
- Brooklyn
- Manhattan
- Greenwich Village
- Village
- Queens
- Staten Island
- East River
- Harlem River
- Verrazano Narrows
- New York Bay
noun a Mid-Atlantic stateSynonyms- Empire State
- New York State
- NY
Related Words- battle of Saratoga
- Saratoga
- Cornell University
- Tappan Zee Bridge
- U.S.A.
- United States
- United States of America
- US
- USA
- America
- the States
- U.S.
- Mid-Atlantic states
- Bedloe's Island
- Liberty Island
- New Netherland
- Albany
- capital of New York
- Buffalo
- Cooperstown
- Erie Canal
- Greater New York
- New York
- New York City
- Ithaca
- West Point
- Long Island
- Binghamton
- Kingston
- Newburgh
- Niagara Falls
- Rochester
- Schenectady
- Syracuse
- Utica
- Saratoga Springs
- Watertown
- Adirondack Mountains
- Adirondacks
- Allegheny
- Allegheny River
- American Falls
- Catskill Mountains
- Catskills
- Delaware
- Delaware River
- Hudson
- Hudson River
- Lake Champlain
- Champlain
- Mohawk River
- Niagara
- Susquehanna
- Susquehanna River
- Taconic Mountains
noun one of the British colonies that formed the United StatesRelated Words- Fort Ticonderoga
- Ticonderoga
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