GROWING PAINS 1800-1865

1807 Fulton launches his steamboat. Washington Irving is publishing. |
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1811 City grid is laid |
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1812 The War of 1812. City Hall is built |
The War of 1812:
City Hall:
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1822 Yellow fever epidemic. |
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1825 The Erie Canal opens. |
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1848 John Jacob Astor dies. |
John Jacob Astor died the richest man in the nation, having amassed a fortune of $20 million.Astor arrived from Germany at the end of 18th century and started out as a humble fur trader. In 1807, the US government lead by Thomas Jefferson implemented the Embargo Act according to which American ports were closed to foreign trade. No ships could go either in or out. Astor found a way around the embargo and made a small fortune trading with China; he was also lending money to the government at huge rates. He went on to invest in real estate which made him enormously wealthy. Being nicknamed the "landlord of New York", he owned most of the property where new immigrants settled. Admittedly his only regret was that as much real estate as he had owned, he didn't buy even more! |
1849 Astor Place Riots. |
The mid-19th century featured two major acts of civil disobedience. One of them took place at the Astor Place Opera House. The bloody riot appeared to have been sparked by the theater performance. The rivalry between the British Shakespearean actor Macready and his American counterpart Forrest had started years earlier. Macready had toured America, and Forrest essentially followed him, performing the same roles in different theaters and each man was revered by a contingent of energetic supporters. The venue for Macready’s performance, the Astor Opera House, had been designated as a theater for the upper class. The controversy between the two actors became symbolic of a divide in American society between the upper class New Yorkers, who identified with the British gentleman Macready, and the lower class New Yorkers, who supported the American Forrest. When the rioting crowd was throwing stones at members of the Seventh Regiment and receiving bullets in return, there was more happening below the surface than just a disagreement over who best could perform the role of Macbeth.On the day of the riot, preparations were made on both sides. The opera house where Macready was to perform was fortified, its windows barricaded. Scores of policemen were stationed inside, and the audience was screened when entering the building.As Macready took the stage inside, trouble began in the street. A crowd of about 20,000 attacked the opera house, and police retaliated with clubs. The riot was the worst theater riot in history. When it was all over, 30 people were left dead and 150 wounded. |
1850 Boss Tweed elected alderman. Mid-19th century New York. |
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1853 World fair. |
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1854 Academy of Music opens. |
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1858 St Patrick's Cathedral started. Macy’s opens. First Chinese immigrants settle in NY. |
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1859 Cooper Union opens. |
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1860 Central Park is created. |
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1861 Civil War starts. |
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1863 Draft Riots. |
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1865 Civil War ends, Lincoln assassinated. |
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