NEW YORK

New York was explored by Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524. He sailed into New York Bay, but did not remain.  In 1609, Henry Hudson traveled up the Hudson River in 1906.  Hudson believed that he had finally found the Northwest Passage to the Orient and he sailed his ship, the Half Moon, 150 miles inland before the river was discovered to be too shallow to navigate.  Hudson considered his voyage a failure, but his employers, the Dutch East India company considered this voyage significant.   Samuel de Champlain explored the area which he later named for himself--Lake Champlain.   New York was colonized by the Dutch in 1624 when the New Netherlands colony was established at Albany.  The Dutch increased the number of settlers in its colony by encouraging people to come from Scandinavia, Great Britain and Germany.  The town of New Amsterdam was founded in 1625.  In 1626, the Dutch bought the rights to Manhattan from the Manhattan Indians and held this area until it was captured from them by the British in 1664 and renamed New York City.   

Puritan families from Massachusetts and Connecticut began moving into the area around 1640.  By 1700, German families began moving into the Mohawk Valley.  The French moved southward from Canada and other French families along with Spaniards and Portuguese came to the area from the West Indies following uprisings in that area.  

In 1735, the first major victory for freedom of the press occurred when John P. Zenger, publisher, was cleared of libel charges.  This issue became a consideration in the American Constitution and continues to raise political issues even today.

Around 1740, settlers began arriving from Connecticut, migrating across the sound and settling in Long island.  Dutchess, Westchester and Orange counties began seeing an influx of people.  By the Revolutionary War, settlers were living on Long Island, the banks of the Hudson River, there were Palatine German settlements along the Mohawk River and some New Englanders had moved into the extreme south-eastern part of the state.

New York hosted a congress in 1765 over the issue of the Stamp Act.  This unfair taxation became a major issue in the ultimate war for independence.  

New York broke ties with England in 1776 and joined the fight for freedom and independence..  The Hudson River played a role in the history of America that goes unparalleled.  It was used by the Algonquin and Iroquois Indians to travel around the state.  Settlers closely followed the river's northward course, spreading out along its fertile valleys.  During the Revolutionary War, the Hudson served as a natural barrier, separating the free colonies of New England from British-held New York City.  With control of the Hudson River and the military installation situated on this river at West Point, the American armies were able to throttle the British supply lines while keeping their own moving.

New York ratified the United States Constitution in 1788 and on 26 July 1788, became the 11th state of the Union.  In 1789, General George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States.  New York continued host significant events throughout its history.  In 1825, the Erie Canal opened linking the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes, and then the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, with the Hudson-Mohawk-Erie waterway serving as the gateway to the west for thousands of pioneer families.  In 1830, New York was the founding state of the Church of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) which was founded at Fayette.  In 1848, New York hosted the first Women's Rights convention at Seneca Falls.  In 1863, during the Civil War, anti-draft riots caused 1,000 casualties.  In 1886, the Statue of Liberty, one of the foremost symbols of American Freedom, was dedicated in New York Harbor.  In 1901 President William McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo.  In 1911, a major fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York city killed 145 poor souls and led to the enactment of major labor reforms.  In 1929, the New York stock market crashed leading to one of the worst depressions in our economic history.  The worlds fair was hosted by New York in 1939 and in 1946, New York City was chosen as the host site for United Nations headquarters.  One cannot consider New York City without mention of the tragic event of September 11 and the bombing of the World Trade Center.  New York continues to be a herald for freedom and the American way of life and the courage of its people gives the new generations a path upon which to set their feet.

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