I AM A NEW YORKER
I am a New Yorker
I do not live in the five boroughs or on the Island or upstate
I may live hundreds or thousands of miles away
Or I may live just over the GW Bridge
But I am a New Yorker.
I am a New Yorker.
Whatever took me out of New York:
Business, family or hating the cold
did not take New York out of me.
My accent may have faded and my pace may have slowed
But I am a New Yorker.
I am a New Yorker.
I was raised on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Rockefeller Plaza,
The Yankees or the Mets
Jones Beach or Rye Beach or one of the beaches on the Sound
I know that THE END means Montauk,
Because I am a New Yorker.
I am a New Yorker.
When I go on vacation, I never look up
Skyscrapers are something I take for granted
The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are part of me
Taxis and noise and subways and "get outta heah" don't rattle me
Because I am a New Yorker.
I am a New Yorker.
I was raised on cultural diversity before it was politically correct.
I eat Greek food and Italian food, Jewish and Middle Eastern food and Chinese food
Because they are all American food to me.
I don't get mad when people speak other languages in my presence
Because my relatives got to this country via Ellis Island and chose to stay.
They were New Yorkers.
I am a New Yorker.
People who have never been to New York have misunderstood me.
My friends and family work in the industries, professions and businesses that benefit all Americans!
My firefighters died trying to save New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers
They died trying to save Americans and non-Americans
Because they were New Yorkers.
I am a New Yorker.
I feel the pain of my fellow New Yorkers.
I mourn the loss of my beautiful city.
I feel and dread that New York will never be the same,
But then I remember:
I am a New Yorker.
And New Yorkers have:
Tenacity, strength and courage way above the norm
Compassion and caring for our fellow citizens
Love and pride in our city, in our state, in our country
Intelligence, experience and education par excellence
Ability, dedication and energy above and beyond
Faith--no matter what religion we practice.
Terrorists hit America in its heart
But America's heart still beats strong
Demolish the steel in our buildings, but it doesn't touch the steel
in our souls.
Hit us in the pocketbook; but we'll parlay what we have left into a fortune
End innocent lives leaving widows and orphans, but we'll take care of them
Because they are New Yorkers.
Wherever we live, whatever we do, whoever we are
There are New Yorkers in every state and every city of this nation.
We will not abandon our city.
We will not abandon our brothers and sisters.
We will not abandon the beauty, creativity and diversity that New York represents
Because we are New Yorkers
And we are proud to be New Yorkers.
author unknown
Empire State Building, 1930s
New York City
New York City is the largest US city and one of the largest cities in
the world. It has more than twice the number of people as any other city
in the United States. It is also one of the world's leading ports, as well as the
number one destination of immigrants and travellers alike.
To fully
grasp the sheer numbers of the city's populace, one need only look at a
few census figures:
1790: 33,000
1800: 60,515
1900: 3.4 million
1930: 7 million
2000: 7.5 million
The New York region was first explored by Giovanni de Verrazano. In 1609,
Henry Hudson established a Dutch claim to the area. It is alledged that
Peter Minuit paid twenty-four dollars worth of merchandise for the area.
From 1624-1626, the Dutch West India Company established the colony of
New Netherland, with its main settlement of New Amsterdam located at the
lower tip of Manhattan Island. Indigenous tribes were forced out of the
area in a series of bloody battles. Peter Stuyvesant was then appointed
the colony's first governor.
In 1664 the British, at war with the Netherlands, seized control of the
colony. Under British control, it was split into two separate colonies -
New York and New Jersey, after the Dukes of York and Jersey, respectively.
Governor Stuyvesant was replaced by Richard Nicholls. The Dutch briefly won
back control of the colonies in 1673. In 1683, the original twelve counties
of New York State were formed, including Kings, New York and Richmond.
During the British colonial period, many New Yorkers were loyalists. However,
New York's own Sons of Liberty forced the British from the city in 1775.
The following year, New York declared its independence from Great Britain.
General George Washington tried to defend the city, but after a series of losses
at Harlem Heights and White Plains, the colonial army gave up New York City. The
British would occupy the area until the end of the war.
Manhattan Island, 1700s
In 1785, New York City became the first capitol of the United States. George
Washington was inaugurated as the new country's first president at Manhattan's
Federal Hall on April 30, 1789. New York City would remain the nation's capitol
until 1790. It also remained the state capitol until 1797.
Alexander Hamilton founded the Bank of New York in 1784 and the beginning of the
stock exchange in 1790. The Erie Canal was completed in 1825, opening the the
Great Lakes region to expansion. An 1835 fire destroyed most of lower Manhattan.
However, rebuilding the area not only brought new buildings, but the Croton water
system.
New York City adopted a new charter in 1898, making it a city of 5 boroughs. New York City
was split into Manhattan and the Bronx, while the independent city of Brooklyn was
annexed, along with Queens and Staten Island.
Statue of Liberty, early 1900s
The Statue of Liberty
This universal symbol of freedom was a gift from France to express the friendship our two countries had
formed during the American Revolution. It is situated on Liberty Island (once known as Bedloe's Island)
in New York Harbor, where it has been a beacon for millions of immigrants.
The statue was sculpted by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, while famed engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (who
designed the Eiffel Tower) designed the framework. The intent was to have it finished by 1876, just in time
for the American Centennial. It wouldn't be completed until July 1884. In the meantime, the pedestal was
designed in the US by architect Richard M. Hunt.
The statue was disassembled into 350 pieces and shipped to the US in June 1885 on the French frigate, Isere.
It would take 4 months to completely reassemble the statue and place it upon its pedestal. The statue was officially
accepted and dedicated by President Grover Cleveland on October 28, 1886. It was declared a National Monument on
Monday, October 15, 1924. In 1999, over 5 million people visited Liberty Island.
Facts on the Statue of Liberty
It is 305 feet, 1 inch in height from the ground to the tip of the torch
It is a 22 story climb to the crown
The total weight is 225 tons
Winds in excess of 50 mph cause the statue to sway 3 inches and the torch 5 inches
The tablet reads July 4, 1776 in Roman numerals and is held in the left hand
The proper name of the statue is Liberty Enlightening the World
Symbolism in the Statue of Liberty
The toga symbolizes the Republic of Rome
The torch symbolizes enlightenment
The 25 windows in the crown symbolize gemstones and Heaven's rays shining over the world
The 7 rays of the crown symbolize the both the 7 seas and 7 continents
The chains under her foot symbolize Liberty crushing the chains of slavery
Inscription
The New Colussus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
with conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
a mighty woman with a torch
whose flame is imprisoned lightning,
and her name Mother of Exiles.
From her beacon-hand glows
world-wide welcome;
her mild eyes command the air-bridged harbor
that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands your storied pomp!"
cries she with silent lips.
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus 1849-1887
Blackwell's Island
The Irish are of a low order of intelligence and very many of them have imperfectly developed brains.
Superintendant of insane asylum - 1850
Purchased by New York City on July 19, 1828 to be the site of the city's new correctional institution, Blackwell's Island was the 19th century home to
approximately 9500 residents - mostly Irish and German.
The penitentary, built in 1832, was comprised of 221 cells to house petty criminals. It was
followed by an insane asylum, almshouse, workhouse and smallpox hospital. By 1878, this 1.75 mile long, 750 foot wide strip housed the largest percentage
of New York City's criminals and insane. The city's fashionable elite would take tours of the facilities and its inmates, boarding ferries from East 26th
Street twice daily. Charles Dickens visited the Island in 1842 and recorded his
impressions.
One of Blackwell's most famous stories is that of insane asylum inmate John McCarthy.
McCarthy built a clay fort on the northern tip of the island to protect from what he believed to be, a forthcoming British invasion. In 1872, the city decided
to build a lighthouse in that location. McCarthy refused
to move or dismantle the fort, even after much cajoling. City officials then bribed him with false money and he relinquished the fort. Once the lighthouse
was erected however, McCarthy decided to take credit for the structure. He carved a plaque bearing his name as the architect and placed it near the lighthouse.
The plaque stayed in its original position until the 1960s.
St Patrick's Cathedral
At is portals, the world seems left behind and every advancing step brings heaven nearer and deepens the soul's union within Divinity.
Cardinal Spellman - 1942
John Joseph Hughes was an Irish immigrant who worked as a gardener and stone mason. He would later become New York's first Catholic Archbishop. St Patrick's Cathedral is his
monument to the Irish Catholics of 19th century New York.
In the 1850s, Archbishop Hughes desired a cathedral to reflect the growing numbers of Irish in New York City and their
expanding wealth. He envisioned the largest
Gothic cathedral in the Western Hemisphere to replace the original St Patrick's Cathedral on Mott Street. In pursuit of his dream, he hired architect James Renwick and picked his
location at 5th Avenue and 50th Street. Hughes' fund-raising plan was to elicit one thousand dollars from one hundred of the wealthiest Catholics in the city, to meet his goal of a
one-hundred thousand dollar start-up fund. Armed with only seventy-three thousand dollars, the cornerstone was laid on August 15, 1858 in front of a crowd of 100,000.
During the 1870s, Irish Catholics comprised half the city's population. They laid claim to 40 churches and held property valued (total) at approximately two million dollars.
Archbishop Hughes died January 3, 1864 - 15 years prior to the completion of his Cathedral. John Cardinal McCloskey presided over its dedication. At the time of its completion in May 1879,
it was the tallest church in the United States. Total construction cost was four million dollars - an exorbitant amount for the time. Archbishop Michael Corrigan had the towers added in 1888
and began work on the Lady Chapel in 1901. The interior was extensively renovated from 1927-1931, which included installation of the great organ.
Facts on St Patrick's Cathedral
It is 405 feet in length and 274 feet wide (exterior)
The spheres rise 330 feet.
The Cathedral seats approximately 2200 people.
There are three organs.
The stained-glass windows were designed by artists in France, England and Boston.
The St Michael and St Louis altar was designed by Tiffany & Co.
The St Elizabeth altar was designed by Paolo Medici of Rome.
The Pieta at St Patrick's is three times larger than the Pieta at St Peter's in Rome.
Archbishops are buried in the crypt under the great altar. Their galeros (hats) are suspended from the ceiling directly overhead.
