There were many important accomplishments of individuals and groups living in our community and region before and during the Revolutionary War Period. The famous New Yorkers ( most were not born here, just lived here!) of that time period included Peter Stuyvesant, John Peter Zenger, John Jay, George Clinton, Alexander Hamilton, and Sybil Ludington.
While our colony was ruled by the Dutch, there were several governors. One was Peter Minuit, who "bought" Manhattan from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans with tools, beads, and clothing worth about $24. In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam to be the governor of the colony. He is known, for among other things, making life here safer. He realized that fire was a great danger. He made laws to make sure the chimneys were built better and kept clean. He also started the "rattle watch". This name came from the wooden rattle that the watchmen shook to warn of any trouble, be it crime or fire. Also during his rule, cobblestone streets replaced dirt roads, and the first hospital opened. The city also built a protective wall where Wall Street now runs, and settlers began moving into outlying areas that eventually became part of New York City.
After the English took over the colony, the population grew. The first mail service was set up in 1673 between New York City and Boston. New York's first newspaper started in 1725. John Peter Zenger started publishing his newspaper, called the Weekly Journal, in 1733. He published cartoons making fun of the governor at the time, Gov. William Cosby. Cosby was not happy and threw Zenger in jail. At the trial, Zenger's lawyers fought that he had a right to publish the cartoons because they were the truth. People at the time thought the British government would side with Cosby, as British law said that people could not print things that found fault with the government. But the jury sided with Zenger, the people in the courtroom cheered, and the right of people to print or tell the news, called the freedom of the press, was first established in the New York colony.
As tensions with Great Britain were rising, the colonies required some very strong political leaders. In 1775 representatives met in Philadelphia to talk about how the colonies should deal with Great Britain. Three of New York's delegates to that convention, called the Continental Congress, were George Clinton, Robert Livingston, and John Jay. Jay was especially important as he was asked to write several important letters, including one to British government asking them to stop the fighting. With this duty, he started setting up the federal government.
Jay was also important in setting up a state government. In 1776 a group of representatives met first in New York City . Their purpose was to set up a new state government. This was during the Revolutionary War, so the meetings had to be kept secret. John Jay, Robert Livingston, and George Clinton were representatives to that convention. Their first job was to write a state constitution, a plan of government. John Jay was one of 14 members chosen to write the document. It was his idea that the Declaration of Independence be part of New York's constitution.
Once New York's constitution was written, a governor was needed. George Clinton was chosen. He was a lawyer and a general for the Patriots. He also had represented New York at the Continental Congress. He was so popular that he was reelected to the governor's position for the next 18 years.
When the 13 states first met in 1776, each state wanted to keep its own identity. In other words, each wanted to be an individual state first, and then part of the larger United States. No one state wanted to give up its own powers. After all, they were fighting a war to get rid of a "larger" power (England). But this caused problems right away. The federal government did not have the power to collect taxes, for instance, and it could not pay its bills. So when the war ended, many people, Alexander Hamilton being one of them, decided to make the federal government (and thus the United States) stronger. They did this by writing a Constitution, in which they made many decisions regarding the formation of a stronger federal government. They met in Philadelphia in 1787. New York sent three representatives, but the other two representatives ended up going back to New York early as they didn't agree with the new Constitution. (They thought the federal government was too strong). Alexander Hamilton was the only New Yorker to sign the United States Constitution.
During the war, people were forced to do some very heroic jobs to protect the colonists from the British army. One person who helped the Patriot's cause was Sybil Ludington, a young 16-year-old girl. When the British were seen to be advancing north from New York City in 1777, someone needed to warn the troops and farms ahead of their path. It was decided to send Sybil on her horse to warn of the British.
Yet Sybil Ludington wasn't the only woman in New York to do heroic deeds. Women in New York did a lot during the Revolutionary War. They usually weren't in the fighting units, but they still were important. Patriot women boycotted goods from England, and therefore had to supply more of their own goods. They had to make cloth (spinning and weaving) for not only themselves and their children but for clothing for the Patriot army. In fact, each Patriot woman had to knit a certain number of pairs of socks, and for each one she did not knit, she was fined $10!
With their husbands and fathers off fighting the war, the women had to pick up many jobs that the men had done before. They also served as nurses to the armies. After a battle, women would take the uniforms off wounded or dead soldiers, mend and wash them, and return them to the army for more use. It wasn't an easy life!
DEFINITIONS
representative: a person chosen by a group to speak or vote or act for them
convention: a formal meeting held for a special purpose
constitution: a plan of government; it explains how a government is set up. It also outlines the most important laws.
QUESTIONS:
1) Name two Dutch Governors of New Amsterdam.
2) What year did Peter Stuyvesant arrive in New Amsterdam? What, among other things, is he known for?
3) What year was the first mail service was set up in New York City?
4) Who was John Peter Zenger and why did he get thrown in jail?
5) For what reason did representatives of the colonies meet in Philadelphia in 1775?
6) What was that convention called?
7) Who were George Clinton, Robert Livingston, and John Jay?
Source: http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ss5/c/contributionsl.cfm
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