New+York

 The colony of New York was located just south of New England, bordering Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut to the east. New Jersey and Pennsylvania bordered it to the south. The colony of New York was shaped very much like modern day New York. A big difference was Northwestern New York wasn’t part of the colony. This means that Buffalo and the Finger Lakes were not part of the royal charter. Pennsylvania also extended much further north so most of Southwestern New York was part of Pennsylvania. New York also extended further in to New England than it does modern day. The Northern border was much further south than it is today. The Hudson River, named after Englishman Henry Hudson, was a gateway to northern New York for explorers. The river went from the base of New York at New York harbor all the way to the colonial northern border. At present day Albany, the river forked. The Hudson went north, while the Mohawk went west. This allowed for explorers to go west until the Appalachian Mountains. The Hudson River could easily be accessed by the New York harbor, located in present-day New York City. The Appalachian Mountains were in Western New York. They created a natural barrier that impeded westward expansion. There were also the Adirondack Mountains in the North. The colony expanded about as far north as the Adirondack Mountains. Like most other middle colonies, New York had favorable soil for farming. New York, along with the other middle colonies, became the “bread basket” of the thirteen colonies. Mostly grain was grown in New York.
 * __Geography-__ **

New York was first explored by John Cabot in 1497 and 1498. Due to the fact that he sailed for the British crown, England was the first country to claim New York. The French had two expeditions led by Giovanni da Verrazano, in which they explored New York Harbor in 1524. Samuel de Champlain also came to New York in 1609 from Canada to establish Canada’s presence in New York. Henry Hudson claimed, what is known today as the Hudson River Valley for the Dutch in 1609, where they made the first settlements in New York. The Dutch West India Company founded the new colony of New Netherland in 1624 and towns soon developed along the Hudson River and Manhattan Island, where New Amsterdam became the main city of the colony. The Dutch set up a system of landholding in 1629, which established the powerful landowning aristocracy that continued after the English took control of the area from the Dutch in 1664. The British gained control of New York when during a series of naval battles with the Dutch, the British sailed into New Amsterdam and forced the Dutch out. In the peace treaty that ensued, the Dutch gave the entire New Netherlands colony to the British. The early settlers came for economic and religious tolerance, and made good relationships with the Iroquois.
 * __History__ **-

New York was involved in the triangular trade, sending goods to Britain, and then receiving slaves from Africa. The economy of New York depended on black slave laborers. These slaves made up 20% of city residents in the 18th century. Thousands of men and women found jobs as artisans, road builders, and farm hands. New York was also involved in the fur trade with England. Farmers also grew wheat and rye on land near Manhattan and other crops along the Hudson and Delaware Rivers.
 * __Economy-__ **

New York started out as a Dutch colony, with the people settling mostly in the Hudson River Valley. During that time it was called New Netherlands. The Dutch owned New York from 1609- 1664. After the British gained control of New Netherlands, renamed New York, English became the official language although there was Dutch influence in the Hudson River valley area.  New York was a mix of many different nationalities because of its policy of religious freedom and tolerance. There was at first predominately Dutch Reformed Church followers. During this time there were also Anglicans, German Reformists, and Lutherans among others. The City of New Rochelle was founded by French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution in the France after the Edict of Nantes in 1685. In more urban areas, women would generally take care of the house. In areas where there was farming, in addition to regular duties, women would help in the fields.
 * __Social-__ **

New York became a proprietary colony, under the administration of James, Duke of York in 1664. He granted freedom of conscience to its inhabitants, which entailed a limited form of self-government. James was not directly responsible for running New York, but instead delegated his powers onto a governor. Richard Nicolls was the first acting governor of the New York colony, and it is under him that New Amsterdam became New York. The proprietary form of government ended in 1685 under Edmund Andros, when New York became a Royal colony.
 * __Politics__ **-

1. Triangle trade- New York traded raw goods to England and got slaves from Africa. 2. Salutary Neglect- When New York first came into British control, James, Duke of York, granted freedom of conscience to its citizens. This gave New York a limited form of self-government. James would appoint a governor who would govern for him. The governor had a council and before long this council became filled with colonists who held local power. 3. Mercantilism- New York harbor was one of the biggest harbors in the colonies and a lot of raw goods were exported from there and finished goods imported. New York harbor also, of course, became a place where many goods were smuggled. 4. Great Awakening- New York religious freedom allowed it to become a place where the Great Awakening was embraced. There were many reformist churches in New York. 5. Cash Crops- New York was not a place where cash crops were grown. Most of the crops grown in New York were grains. 6. Indentured Servitude- Over 11% of the people who came to New York from England were indentured servants.
 * __Terms-__ **

Above, the Lake George and Champlain Area is boxed.

Most of the fighting in the French and Indian War took place in New York. This is due to New Yorks vicinity to Canada, which was French controlled. This fighting occurred near Lakes George and Champlain because these provided a way for both sides to move soldier and supplies. Due to this, the British and French both fought over these lakes and the waterways connected to them.
 * __French and Indian War-__ **

After the war, New York extended further westward because it gained lands in the Ohio River Valley.

Above is a painting of the Battle of Saratoga

Above is a strategic map of the Battle of Ticonderoga

There were more loyalists in New York than there were revolutionaries, due to the fact that it was a royal colony. Because of this New York was against the Revolution. Horatio Gates was born in England, but he came to New York while serving in the French and Indian War. He served as a Major General in the Revolution and was one of the first commanders to respond to the British invasion in New York by defending Mount Vernon. The Battle of Ticonderoga took place in the Lake George area. This was when the colonists, led by Benedict Arnold, took Fort Ticonderoga. The fort was taken bloodlessly without a single shot being fired. This was one of the first offensive moves by the colonists.
 * __Revolutionary War-__ **

The Battle of New York took place when at the beginning of the war the British invaded New York through New York City. Washington was the commanding officer in the area and lost battles at Long Island and lower Harlem. After these loses he retreated to White Plains where he held out for a short time but was eventually forced into New Jersey.

The battle of Valcour Bay took place in 1776 when the British tried to take back Fort Ticonderoga. Arnold held off the British long enough so that the British withdrew during the winter.

During 1777, the British forces attempted to attack Fort Saratoga. They never reached Saratoga as General George Washington set up defenses ten miles south of Saratoga. Washington held off the much larger British army twice which lead to the surrender of the British forces. This is generally regarded as a turning point in the war as after this the French decided to aid the colonies.

The Battle of Stony Brook was the first northward movement of the British after Saratoga. They regained Fort Stony Brook for a short period of time but Washington regained control of it in 1779.

After the Revolution, New York along with all of the other colonies experienced inflation. The economy was boosted however, because there were no longer restrictions on trade.

Two-thirds of the delegates were at first opposed to the Constitution. But Alexander Hamilton led the Federalist Party in New York and he convinced the delegates to vote for ratification. The vote was close 30 yeas, to 27 nays.

New York was largely opposed to the Revolution. Two-thirds of the people in New York were opposed to the Revolutionary War. New York was forced into the war. The British army invaded through New York City and Washington met them there. New York City and the surrounding areas were evacuated.