New York City Evolution: Transformation and Diversity

Introduction

“What shall we do with our great cities? What will our great cities do with us?” (nvcc.kanopy.com.sunshine-and-shadow). These questions stated early in the film are questions and thoughts of that time. It is a time of sacrifice, struggles, enthusiasm, opportunity, and change. The development of New York City, Brooklyn, and Central Park depicts the changes taking place in America during this time.

Transformation and Struggles

Central Park became the democratic meeting ground, a place where the life of the city, the people of the city, all classes, and all races could unite together with the purpose of relaxing and enjoying and bonding as “the people of the city” as well as enjoyed by anyone who came to visit.

With 843 acres of parkland, it was surrounded by city life and skyscrapers. And it became the center of controversy over the future of the development of New York City. Was it the finance bankers, middle-class reformers, the investors, the wealthy, or the less wealthy people? And there was a time when Central Park, which was intended to be for all races, classes, and all people, was actually more popular with the wealthy. There were rules that needed to be followed, such as not playing on the grass, and others interfered with the enjoyment of all people. And it was difficult for the less wealthy and more common person to get to, if not impossible for many. New York City was still a city divided by race and class.

The development of The Brooklyn Bridge was not built as a way to get to Brooklyn. It was actually built as a way into the city FROM Brooklyn, with Brooklyn being the city and New York being the outskirts or suburbs. With a city being so crowded, the thought of building upward had not been thought of at the beginning of all of this development. This suspension bridge over a river took 14 years to be completed.

New York was built with American enthusiasm, the will, hard work, and sacrifices of the immigrants, the corruption of the businessmen, and the innovation of technology. To be a citizen of New York was disgraceful. This was a time when the Great Depression hit, which was a time of no jobs and no money spent, so supply went down. Immigrant neighborhoods were impacted greatly because these immigrants were just beginning to get onto their feet and then had no means to do so. In 1873, the New York Stock Exchange And yet this also led to a rebirth and rebuilding era in the economy of America and the hopes of the immigrants who had come to New York.

Key people during this time include William Tweed, who is known to be one of the most corrupt politicians of all time and referred to as “Boss” Tweed. He is known for Tammany Hall, which was created to offer assistance and services for the poor and immigrants, orphanages, and shelters. Tammany Hall is also known for dominating New York Politics, and Tweed was known for feeding his own wealth and offering very lucrative contracts to builders and developers. A mixture of good and bad, helping those that need assistance but doing it in a way that was financially benefiting himself, possibly making the wealthy even wealthier, while the assistance given to the less fortunate could possibly be seen as forcing them to stay in the unfortunate circumstances they were in. And Abraham Lincoln, who came to New York for three days, contributed his winning as President of the United States to his time in this great mixing bowl of people, opportunity, and enthusiasm. The Brooklyn Bridge, New York, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, and the immigrants and people that make up this area of America have withstood time and represent so much of what America stands for. A land of opportunity, struggles, sacrifices, people of all races, people of all classes, the wealthy and business side, and the low-income housing assistance side.

Conclusion

All make up New York. And this is the true representation of the American people. We are made up of all of this. This is still New York, with New York City having a population of over 8.5 million people.

Works Cited

1. Retrieved from https://nvcc.kanopy.com/video/episode-3-sunshine-and-shadow-1865-1898-0
2. Retrieved from https://nvcc.kanopy.com/video/episode-4-power-and-people-1898-1918
3. Retrieved from http://www.americanyawp.com/text/18-industrial-america/
4. Barron, J. (2018, March 22). New York City’s Population Hits a Record 8.6 Million. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/nyregion/new-york-city-population.html

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