From time to time I will post parts of the documentary New York by Ken Burns so that you can see teh correlatiosn between what we are studying in class and teh great city you live in. Below is the first part (1/8) of Episode 1. I ask that you watch the first three parts of Episode 1 by Monday. I think it will give you some real insight into colonial life in your city. After watching the episodes please post your reactions to teh film in the comments section of the blog.
This documentary by Ken Burns is very good history. Throughout this documentary he gives many details and backs it up with with significant dates and important people. I never knew how much impact the Dutch and the English had on New York and Burns makes it clear that they basically founded the it and named all the islands within it.
ReplyDelete-Peter Pellegrini
The documentary gave me a wealth of information and interesting facts! I never realized how harsh the iron-fist that Peter Stuyvesant ruled with was until now! Something that horrified me was the mass murders of African-American slaves and four whites; it's disgusting that something like that happened in my city. Yet, New York truly is the greatest natural harbor in the world, and its history is too amazing for words! The transition from Dutch to English is done extremely well.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting how they say that New Amsterdam was the birth place of modern capitalism. Its crazy how economically powerful the Dutch were in such a brief period of time. I also found it odd that it was going to be a slave stop before the Caribbean.
ReplyDelete-Isidro Camacho
The documentary sheds light on the cultural impact of New York City and how it affects the entire country. Also, they brought up many points that i didn't know before and provided facts to back it up.
ReplyDeleteGreg Clerie
The historical account of how a meager, seemingly-ignored Dutch settlement, initially established as a port for members of the Dutch West Indies company to earn a profit off of fur, became a sprawling metropolis, the greatest city and cultural center in the world, a city we each call our home, is fascinating. Much of path eventually came to influence us today. The original settlers were unruly, focused only on making a profit. This attitude was the reason why our city became as diverse as it is today; concentrated on profits, people in the past did not the least care for who was coming to their settlement or which Mother Country ruled them—they needlessly surrendered to the English. I feel that New Yorkers today are the same way on the streets. We walk by thousands of people each day, each with a fascinating story on how they are trying to realize the American dream, never stopping to talk. From the documentary, I did not realize how much of an impact slavery had on the development as a “public work infrastructure workforce” and politics of Manhattan. Also, it is interesting how the leaders, who masterfully kept the young establishing town in check and prevented it from submitting to disorder and tumult, had many quirks (Peter Stuyvesant’s tenacity never to surrender and Lord Cornberry’s cross dressing). -Braham Berg
ReplyDeleteKen Burns provides us with a visual, interesting, and different way to learn about the Colonial Era. One detail explained in the documentary that still shocks me is how the Dutch bought Manhattan from the Indian tribes for such a tiny amount of money. They purchased all 14,000 acres of probably the most valuable real estate in our world today. Burns does a good job explaining how the city in which we live today came to be. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem much different now than it was then: a center of profit and diverse culture that attracted plenty of immigrants to its borders.
ReplyDelete-Adrian Drobenko
I thought the video was very interesting because it explained how the history of New York had a major impact on the world we live in today. I remembered one historian said that New York was the start of immigration and industrialization. It was also suprising to hear that New York had more history than Boston. What suprised me the most was that when the Dutch came over, they came over to make money instead of practicing their religious beliefs. The capitalism idea the Dutch brought over has helped shape New York to what it is today.
ReplyDelete-Jack Profaci
The videos were very interesting and provided much insight as to where we received much of our modern culture today. The Dutch and English had such an impact on our culture that I had no idea about. After watching these videos i learned that we retained some of the laws originally formed in the colonial era as well as some architectural designs.
ReplyDelete- Christopher D'Anna
I found the Dutch came here solely to make money, and that this leads to the capitalistic city we have today. People come to the city to go to school and work in the city today, so that they can make money just like the Dutch did in the 1600's. I also was interested when I heard that New York is actually the most historic city in the United States. This was surprising because people come to New York to see the Empire State Building and go to Broadway, all modern attractions. However people go to places like Boston and Philadelphia to see Paul Revere's House and The Liberty Bell, things we think of as historic. It was also interesting to see how the geography and the shape of the island and harbor affects the city today. New York became a great economic city because of the advantages the harbor gave it.
ReplyDelete--- Ryan Muccigrosso
Ric Burns' documentary film provides us a clear insight of the history of our city. It illustrates Peter Stuyvesant's ability to move New Amsterdam forward by his high-handed style of ruling. It also gives us the information of the start of the diversity of New Amsterdam and the lasting affects up until modern day. It then finishes with the variety of English and Dutch influences left for the building of New York.
ReplyDelete- Eric Kong
In the beginning of the film, an excellent point is made; when someone thinks about American history, cities such as Philadelphia or Washington come to mind; yet, New York has played an equally great (if not larger) role in the history of the United States. Providing a complete history, this film describes the history of New York and what made it the cultural and capitalist metropolis it is today. So many things can be said about this fascinating city, and by looking at its vast history, one can learn about what makes New York stand out sharply from any other city in the World.
ReplyDelete- Nikolas Balkovic
I found this documentary to be both highly educational and interesting. I had up to this point, never realized how vital a role Peter Stuyvesant played in the success of New York. Further, I was also captivated by the idea that New York was just as diverse back then as it is now, with many rich cultures.
ReplyDeleteIts crazy how New york back then is so similar to its self now, not in a techonological sense but how the trading is like the stock market and the diverse inner cities we have. In the beginning of the first episode it says New York was founded solely to make money, i feel like this stays true to todays day and age. Sorry for mistakes im on an ipad - john marchisello
ReplyDeleteSimply put, this video was very informative on how New York changed from its colonial origins into what it is today. In addition to this, I was equally impressed on how it stayed the same in terms of economy and finance, since both the Dutch and the current inhabitants of the land had an insatiable desire to gain as much money in the land of opportunity as possible. It is quite ironic that the landscape changed greatly as well as the ethnicity of the people who lived there, yet the greed for more and more never left, not even after over 300 years. To conclude, this video is very profound, and reveals a part of another side of our great city that many have possibly never seen before.
ReplyDelete-Tom Harkins Jr.
I enjoyed watching this video. Besides the fact that it was factual, it covered all of the major points of early New York History. What also got my attantion is that these videos are not one sided; historians and researchers pop up everywhere in the video to contribute input. One of the concepts, how it remains today, directly relates to class. I would agree in saying that New York is still a great gateway into America and a growing democracy. The Dutch left many legacies and these movies explore them. I agree with John when he says that NY was founded to make money and it still is running to make money.
ReplyDelete- Tim Kelly
I found it interesting to know that NEw York was in facvt a slavery city and was in fact a big part of the slave trade. The videos were very well informed and came from both angles of the history, and didnt just depict the settlers as savages when it came to slaves, even though in many respectsd they were. The dutch left much culture behind, andf Ney York remains, as it was in the early days, an economic powerhouse. -Peter Abrahamsen
ReplyDeleteIssa-sylla: It's pretty ironic how it is said that N Ew York was originally found on business and still holds true to that or in the second video when Quinn talks about real estate which is an aspect of New York that is very popular from the Europeans buying Manhattan for very little tomplaces to live in in the city.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was fascinating to learn about New York's struggles and rise to fame. New York City played such an important role on United States economy, culture, power and pride on a global stage. I was surprised that New York City was so influenced by slavery. This video goes in to detail about how New York had been a place where the whole world would come together in a large community. It was interesting to understand your past with so many different historical perspectives. I am always intrigued by my home, the greatest city in the world.
ReplyDelete-Jake DeFonzo