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Post
Revolution New York
The American
Revolution took a severe toll on New York, but the
new state recovered quickly. Many loyalists left
New York for England or Canada. Boundary disputes
in western New York continued to cause problems
until Vermont broke off and became a state in 1791.
Industry and commerce increased in the 1780s and
continued to grow as the century closed. The state
began to wean itself away from the traditional agricultural
economy and focused more on industrial production,
such as textiles.
New York was also
very involved in the War of 1812, America's second
victorious war with Great Britain. New York's border
with Canada was a major theatre of the war. Battles
took place near Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain,
and in the upper Saint Lawrence Valley. Also, the
towns of Lewiston, Black Rock, and Buffalo were
all burned. New York farmers and merchants received
a boost when the war increased the demands for goods.
Battles near the border of Canada highlighted the
state and country's need for a better transportation
system. It became increasingly difficult and expensive
to transport troops and goods overland. Also, the
lack of a cheap and reliable transportation hurt
the farmers in western New York because they couldn't
reach the larger markets. It was soon realized that
it was much easier and cheaper to haul soldiers
and goods over water. The War of 1812 was paramount
in stressing the importance of increased transportation
and helped lead to the funding that was needed to
build the Erie Canal.
Ideas for the Erie
Canal began as early as 1810, but funding was not
available until 1817. Construction began on the
canal in 1817 and was completed by 1825. It was
regarded as a huge engineering feat and changed
the dynamics of transportation in New York and all
of the surrounding areas. The canals enabled rural
farmers to market their goods, which increased overall
commerce in the state. Before the completion of
the canal, the cost of hauling one ton of freight
from Buffalo to New York City was $120; on the canal
it only cost $14. The canal created an economic
relationship between the east and western New York,
and furthered the development of the Great Lakes
regions, especially Ohio. Internal migration became
much easier, and with increased commerce, turned
small towns into fully functioning cities.
Soon after the
completion of the Erie Canal, the railroad industry
began to emerge. At first, railroads were proposed
only as supplements to the canals, and until 1851,
were prohibited from carrying freight. The first
track in New York connected Albany and Schenectady
in 1831. Soon, railroad tracks were constructed
throughout the state. By mid-century, over thirty
railroad companies were active in the state, over
1,600 miles of track had been laid, and over 1,000
more were under construction.(7)
Like the canals, the railroads increased commerce
dramatically, especially for farmers. It also changed
the dynamics of farming. Agriculture, which was
traditionally done for subsistence and minor profits,
became a way to make a great deal of money. This
transportation revolution was a direct factor in
making New York a rich commercial state.
After the revolution,
the population of New York continued to grow. The
growth was due in part by natural increase as well
as internal migration. European immigration was
not yet a major factor in the growth of the state.
The domestic migration included families from Pennsylvania
and New Jersey who settled in the Susquehanna Valley.
Another aspect of the internal migration included
many New Englanders who poured into the state after
the Phelps-Gorham Purchase of 1787. This purchase
of land from the Iroquois opened the northwestern
part of the state for settlement by the New Englanders.
The ethnicity of the New Yorkers was still heavily
northern European after the revolution. Albany remained
mostly Dutch. People of Dutch heritage could also
be found in Kings, Queens, and Richmond Counties.
Long Island's inhabitants were mainly New England
in origin. Scots-Irish, German, and Swiss immigrants
could be found in Orange and Ulster. New York City
was very cosmopolitan for its time, but the majority
of the citizens had either English or Dutch roots.
Antebellum New York
In the decades leading
to the Civil War, New Yorkers were influenced by
a number of social and political movements including
the Great Awakening, the temperance movement, and
abolition. The strength of the temperance and abolition
movements was directly related to the ideals generated
by the Great Awakening. The Great Awakening was
a religious revival of evangelical Christians that
swept through the new nation during the first thirty
to forty years of the 19th century. Starting on
the Tennessee and Kentucky frontiers, this emotional,
optimistic revival offered converts the reassurance
that all sinners could be saved by simply accepting
God. This evangelicalism was most influential in
New York between 1825 and 1835 when Charles Grandison
Finney led revivals throughout the state. He preached
in Rome, Utica, Auburn and Troy, but the height
of his New York tour was the six month revival held
in Rochester over the winter of 1830-1831. This
revivalism was popular in manufacturing towns, among
the middle class, and most importantly, among women.
The Great Awakening brought increased religion into
the lives of many women, who in turn used their
newfound morals to call for reform. Benevolent societies
became common, more people were sent around the
world on religious missions, and the temperance
movement begun. During the 19th century, men consumed
massive amounts of alcohol. By 1830, the average
American man fourteen years of age and older consumed
the equivalent of 7.1 gallons of absolute alcohol
each year.(8) The
first temperance society in New York was organized
in Saratoga County in 1808 and by 1829, there were
78 branches.
The Formation and Politics of
New Netherland
The Dutch interest in an American colony focused
entirely on the fur trade. Dutch merchants financed
several voyages to the Hudson River area between
1611 and 1614 to trade for furs with the Indians.
The market for furs in Europe was so strong that
competition forced the creation of a council that
gave charters to traders that allowed them four
voyages to the Hudson. A trading post was constructed
by the New Netherland Company near Albany shortly
after. This company was the first to refer to the
area as New Netherland. The Dutch West India Company
was formed in 1621, and created a trading colony
in 1624. Their main forts were in Albany and New
Amsterdam (present-day Manhattan). The first colonists
arrived in the spring of 1624. The colony grew slowly
because the majority of money and effort was invested
in trade, not development. Farmers struggled as
they saw the funding for the colony go to trading,
instead of agriculture. Also, wars at Fort Orange
(Albany) forced colonists to congregate near New
Amsterdam, which lessened their influence on the
frontier. To help stimulate colonization in New
Netherland, the patroon system was introduced. The
patroons were private agricultural fiefdoms managed
by the owners and farmed by tenants. The patroons
helped build a landholding aristocracy and increased
colonization of non-fur traders.
The temperance movement
and other evangelical missions set the tone and
created the organization necessary for the abolition
movement to grow. Many of the people affected by
the Great Awakening and involved in temperance embraced
the abolition movement. The first state abolition
society was organized in New York City in 1785.
The American Colonization Society, which advocated
the transport of African-Americans to Africa, gained
some support in New York, but that movement deteriorated
as the abolition movement accelerated during the
1830s. In 1831, an abolitionist named William Lloyd
Garrison started an anti-slavery newspaper that
became immensely popular and crucial to the anti-slavery
cause. Garrison's newspaper, the Liberator,
won over many converts in New York and led to the
creation of the New York City Abolition Society
in 1833. New York also served as the headquarters
for the American Anti-Slavery Society. By 1834,
there were over 200 local chapters in New York alone.
Two schools of thought arose from the abolitionist
movement; some abolitionists believed that the strategy
of "moral suasion," the act of convincing slaveholders
that it was morally wrong to hold slaves, was the
way to end the institution. Others believed that
direct political action was the only way to bring
about abolition. Both abolitionist strategies furthered
the progress of the movement and was very influential
in the years leading up to the Civil War.
Antebellum New York
also saw the dramatic increase in European immigration
as scores of Irish and German immigrants flooded
into the county. New York was the major port of
entry for these immigrants, and many decided to
settle in New York City. The Irish potato famine
of the 1840s prompted the emigration of millions
to America, creating a large enclave in New York.
By 1850, 26% of New York City's population was Irish.
The majority of these Irish immigrants were poor
and unskilled. They were forced to live in slums
and took whatever jobs they could find. The sheer
volume of Irish immigrants made them an integral
part of the city and many became very active in
politics. The Irish immigration during the years
preceding the Civil War foreshadowed the mass European
immigration that was to take place in the late 19th
century.
The Effects of the Civil War on
New York
The Civil War affected New York in drastic ways.
Although no fighting took place in the state, it
was home to political and social divisions that
ultimately led to the Draft Riots of 1863. There
was a strong abolitionist movement in the state;
however, there was an equally strong pro-slavery
movement as well. Many of the pro-slavery advocates
in New York feared what the end of slavery would
do to them economically. Merchants who had strong
ties to the south worried that war would ruin their
business. Many poor working-class New Yorkers, mainly
the Irish, feared that the end of slavery would
flood the job market with former slaves and increase
labor competition. Although there was some internal
dissention, such as Major Fernando Wood who wanted
the state to secede, the majority of New Yorkers
sided with Lincoln when the southern states began
to secede in 1861, believing that secession was
illegal and the preservation of the Union was most
important. New York was among the first to send
militia when the war started. Over the course of
the war, 465,000 New Yorkers fought for the Union
Army, which was the most of any state. Also, three
African American regiments were raised. Over 4,000
black New Yorkers fought for the Union; 14% of them
died.
As the war progressed,
support for Lincoln fell. Voluntary enlistments
failed to supply enough soldiers for the war, so
a draft was called by the federal government in
1863. The draft was supported by New York Republicans
who saw it as necessary, but New York Democrats
fought it, believing that it was unnecessary, unconstitutional,
and unfair. Democrats were also outraged by the
loopholes that allowed men in certain jobs to be
exempt and allowed any draftee to buy a substitute
for $300. The draft went ahead in New York City
without incident on July 11, 1863, but protest arose
on the following Monday when factory, shop, and
construction workers marched to the 9th District
Provost Marshal's Office. Along the way the protestors
gained more supporters, cut telegraph lines, uprooted
railroad tracks, and fought policemen. Firefighters,
angry that they were not exempt from the draft,
set fire to the Marshal's office. The government
suspended the draft in New York, but the rioting
continued for a week. What started as a protest
by laborers, quickly turned into a riot of unskilled
workers and Irish immigrants. Targets of destruction
became less associated with the war, such as brothels
and German, Chinese, and Jewish property. African
Americans were attacked and murdered. There were
also instances of drowning, lynches, and beatings.
In addition, there was over $1.5 million in property
damage and 119 deaths. Nearly 450 people were arrested,
81 were tried, and 67 were convicted. The events
of the Civil War intensified the hostilities of
the working class and revealed the differing political
opinions between New Yorkers.
Population and Immigration during New York's Gilded
Age
Between
the years of 1870 and 1900, the population of New
York grew forty percent. During this time, European
immigration increased, especially from southern
and eastern European countries. Italians, Russians,
Poles, and those from the Austro-Hungarian Empire
formed the bulk of the eastern European immigration
to New York. Increased immigration and advanced
industrialization transformed New York into a predominantly
urban state. By 1900, 56% of New York's population
lived in a city of at least 100,000 people. Only
27% of the population lived in rural areas.(9)
The increase in eastern
European immigration to New York was met with disdain
from many native New Yorkers. These immigrants were
largely Catholic or Jewish and did not speak English.
Their religion and language made them seem more
foreign than Protestant immigrants from northern
Europe. Most of the new immigrants lived in poor
enclaves and worked low-paying and labor intensive
jobs. For example, most of the early Italian immigrants
lived in the West Side of the city, but as immigration
increased, Italians began to move into the old Irish
enclave of Five Points and in the Eighth Ward.(10)
Many Italians, who planned on returning to their
mother country, found work as laborers, often times
in the construction business. Many Polish immigrants
had some industrial experience so they often found
work in factories. In Buffalo, many Poles could
be found working in the steel industry. In New York
City, Italian and Jewish immigrants dominated the
labor jobs in the clothing industry.
The reasons eastern
European immigration increased in the late 19th
century varied, but in general, the immigrants had
been struggling economically in Europe and wanted
to take advantage of the large job market in America.
For example, southern Italian immigrants fled after
the unification of Italy brought higher taxes and
tenant farming failed to support their families.
Crop failures and competition from the United States
worked against the southern Italian farmers and
drove them to look for work in the cities or in
America. In Russia, Jewish residents immigrated
to America to flee persecution. Pogroms in 1880
through 1881 and the restriction of land ownership
to Christians drove large numbers of Jews to America.
This vehement anti-Semitism prompted one-third of
all the Jews in the Russian Empire to emigrate between
the years of 1881-1914. The mass immigration of
immigrants to America created a large foreign population
in New York and helped increase the state's cosmopolitan
image.
The Legacy of Ellis Island
It is difficult to
imagine New York and mass immigration without the
image of Ellis Island. Between the peak immigration
years of 1901 and 1914, three-quarters of all immigrants
to America passed through Ellis Island. Over 40%
of the American population can trace an ancestor
who came through Ellis Island. The immigration station
is so closely associated with late 19th century
and early 20th century immigration that it important
to examine its history in order to understand its
legacy.
Generally, Ellis Island
was known for processing, detaining, and inspecting
immigrants. Reports of brutality and uncomfortable
medical examinations on Ellis Island were not uncommon.
The immigrants were generally asked 32 questions
regarding their name, place of origin, occupation,
literacy skills, and amount of money they carried.
Immigrants recounted their experience on the island
differently, some positive, some negative. One immigrant
reported his experience at Ellis Island as follows:
| Immigration
officials slammed a tag on you with your name,
address, country of origin, etc. Everybody
was tagged. They didn't Ask you whether you
spoke English or not. They took your papers,
and they tagged you. They checked your bag.
Then they pushed you and they'd point, because
they didn't know whether you spoke English
or not. Understaffed. Overcrowded. Jammed.
And the place was the noisiest, the languages,
and the smell. Foul, you know what I mean?
But I was nineteen. You can stand a lot at
nineteen. Then we had to go through the physical.
I think, frankly, the worst memory I have
of Ellis Island was the physical because the
doctors were seated at a long table with a
basin full of potassium chloride, and you
had to stand in front of them, and they'd
ask you to reveal yourself…Right there in
front of everyone.(11)
|
Another immigrant recounted her experience in a
more positive way:
| When
we reach New York, I thank the good Lord.
It was early morning, the Fourth of July…Everybody
had a suitcase, dragging their suitcase, and
I remember the first meal they gave to us
at Ellis Island. They give us a sandwich,
white bread with a piece of ham and it tasted
so good. It tasted like a nice piece of cake.
That was something new for me. I never seen
sandwiches in Sicily. They examined if you
had lice on your head. If they did they shaved
your hair. I remember that. There was a lot
of bald people.(12)
|
Ellis Island was the
first federal immigration station. It was built
to replace the state-operated Castle Garden. A new
facility was needed to enforce the growing amount
of immigration laws. Between 1875 and 1885, laws
were passed that excluded the immigration of criminals,
prostitutes, Chinese people, and contract laborers.
Later, anarchists were excluded (1903), and illiterates
in 1917. Ellis Island, originally built of wood,
opened in the beginning of 1892. Immigrants were
processed on the island until the facility burned
down in 1897. While the new fireproof structure
was under construction, immigrants were processed
at the Barge Office. The brutality and corruption
that was common at the Barge Office was carried
over to the new Ellis Island facility that was opened
in 1900. The designers of the station did not anticipate
the massive amount of immigration America received
at the turn of the century, so Ellis Island was
often overcrowded. Some immigrants were detained
there and some were turned away. These actions,
combined with the reports of maltreatment of the
immigrants, brought the attention of muckrakers
and reformers. Numerous investigations of Ellis
Island took place and prompted President Theodore
Roosevelt to enact reforms protecting the immigrants
in 1902.
World War I brought
a dramatic decrease in immigration to America, slowing
down the processing rate at Ellis Island. As hysteria
swept the county, suspicious immigrants were sent
to Ellis Island to be detained or deported. Also,
the military used some of the facility's buildings
as barracks and hospitals, which caused the deterioration
of many buildings. The end of World War I brought
the increase in refugee immigration to Ellis Island,
but restrictive immigration laws soon decreased
the flow again. In 1921 and 1924, laws placed quotas
on the amount of immigrants allowed from each country.
These quotas lessened immigration so dramatically
that Ellis Island nearly became unnecessary. During
the peak of immigration in 1907, the station received
1.2 million immigrants, but by 1932, that number
had been reduced to 25,000. The island became primarily
a center for deportees, immigrants with problems
with their documents, or immigrants in need of medical
attention. Ellis Island remained the federal Immigration
and Naturalization (INS) headquarters until it moved
to Manhattan in 1943. Ellis Island soon became too
expensive to maintain and was closed in 1954. In
1965, the immigration station became part of the
Statue of Liberty National Monument run by the National
Park Service.
Continue
>>
(7) Klein, 312.
(8) Klein, 333.
(9) Klein, 461.
(10)
Robert Ernst, Immigrant Life in New York City, 1825-1863,
(Port Washington, New York: Ira J. Friedman, Inc.,
1965) 45.
(11) Peter Morton Coan, Ellis Island Interviews:
In Their Own Words, (New York: Facts on File, Inc.,
1997), 124.
(12) Coan, 45.
By
Rickie Lazzerini
Historian
BA History
University of California, Santa Barbara
Index
of Historical Reviews
© 2006 Rickie Lazzerini,
All Rights Reserved
This page may be freely linked to but may not
be reproduced
in any form without prior written consent from
the author.
|
