Macaulay Seminar 2 with Professor Drabik, ITF Dana Milstein, and tour guide Elizabeth
“New York is made up of millions of different people, and they all come here looking for something.”
– Lindsey Kelk, I ♥ New York
This semester’s seminar, “The Peopling of New York,” taught us about the history beneath our feet and towering above our heads, the history of this great city. We learned about how the native people of Mannahatta were forced out by capitalistic Dutch, and the many later travels from every country in Europe. We learned about how these immigrants came to New York seeking hope and opportunity, and stayed and fought for the change they sought against the harsh city. After learning all this we went on tours of the various parts of New York. We saw where the immigrants lived in squalor, the neighborhoods where immigrant gangs fought for territory, the muddy streets where only the rich were protected by the police.
We learned about a dream to cross a river, and the magnificent bridge that promised to make this dream a reality. The Irish workers built this bridge, and it was every bit as majestic as New York deserved, but in typical New York fashion the Irish were insulted by the date of the opening, May 24th, 1883 (Queen Victoria’s birthday), and were not present on the first day the bridge was used by the public.
Professor Drabik took this class and helped us understand how New York was built. We followed the raising of New York, from the deceitful purchase of Mannahatta from the Lenape Indians, to the streets and foundations laid by the Dutch and then the English, to the modern skyscrapers envisioned by creative minds. This seminar has taught us about New York: her moments of shining glory, and the shadows of her hidden shame. She is a beautiful city. She is a dirty city. She is our city.
We also delved into our own families’ pasts, to discover how each of us came to this great city. We learned about our family storied history and cultures and the rich ethnic diversities present in each of our blood. This class taught us as much about our own history as it did about New York’s.
The following video features pictures from our tours of Downtown Manhattan and Manhattanville.
