Introducing New York
New York was first settled by Europeans at the start of the 17th century, when a Dutch colony named New Amsterdam was set up to process beaver furs. In 1664 the English conquered the colony and renamed it New York. Under the control of the British New York expanded rapidly as a key trading center.
Friction between the colonies and the British government led to the Revolutionary War of 1775-1783. For much of the war New York was held by the British, who used the city as a military base. In 1783 George Washington victoriously marched into the city when the British left.
The city expanded in population and as an economic hub all throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A highlight of the twentieth century was the construction program which heralded the materialization of Manhattan Island’s amazing skyscraper skyline.
Right through the history of New York its shipping docks located on the Upper Hudson Bay have been key in the city’s rise. A big part of the docks’ significance has been due to the large numbers of immigrants that have come to New York by boat. The first immigration center was Castle Garden, followed in 1892 by Ellis Island. In the early 1900s, many immigrants would arrive at Chelsea Piers, on Manhattan Island’s west bank, and were then transported to Ellis Island for processing.