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Counties of New York State
Photo: Drum Corps, 93rd New York Infantry, 1863, Virginia, Library of Congress |
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| New York was one of the original 13 states. Henry Hudson,
an English explorer sailing under the Dutch flag, claimed the region for
The Netherlands in 1609. Naming it New Netherland, the Dutch
established New Amsterdam, which later became New York City, on Manhattan
Island. In 1664, the English took control of New Netherland and
renamed it New York in honor of the Duke of York who later was crowned as
King James II. Nearly one third of all the battles of the Revolutionary War were fought in New York, and New York City became the first capital of the United States under the Constitution. George Washington took his oath of office as our first president in New York City. In the early 1800s, New York began its great era of railroad and canal building. The Erie Canal was completed in 1825, helping to open the Midwest to settlers. By 1820, New York was the most populated state, and by 1850, it was the leading manufacturing state. |