New York

New York

 

Description

   When did sheep inhabit Central Park? What was the importance of October 29, 1929? Were pieces of the Statue of Liberty really scattered haphazardly around New York? Who wanted to name his book Trimalchio in West Egg?

   The state of New York has a very rich and fascinating history. You’ll start your explorations way back in 1609 and travel through time to learn wonderful facts about people and things through to the present.  Are you ready? Jump back with me to the days when Henry Hudson sailed the seas and New York had a different name! Bon voyage!  

 

 

Goals

The goals and objectives of this fieldtrip are to: (a) become familiar with the history of the state of New York and (b) have fun! 

 

Research

(Source: the World Book Encyclopedia web site)

 

According to the World Book Encyclopedia, “New York was one of the original 13 states. Henry Hudson, an English explorer sailing under the Dutch flag, claimed the New York region for the Netherlands in 1609. The Dutch named the region New Netherland. On Manhattan Island, the Dutch established New Amsterdam, which later became New York City. The English took control of New Netherland in 1664. They renamed it New York in honor of the Duke of York, a brother of England's king, Charles II.

 

About a third of all the battles of the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783) were fought in New York. New York City served as the capital of the United States from 1785 to 1790. George Washington took the oath of office there as the first president of the United States. In the early 1800's, New York began its great era of canal and railroad building. By 1850, New York ranked as the leading manufacturing state.”

 

Today, “New York is a leading center of banking, communication, and finance in the United States,” writes the World Book Encyclopedia. “It is also a leader in wholesale and retail trade and in manufacturing. According to the 2000 census, New York ranked as the nation's third-largest state in population. Only California and Texas had more people. The capital of New York is Albany.”

(http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/wbol/wbAuth/jsp/wbArticle.jsp)

 

Lesson Plans:

 

1) Go to the Learning Adventures in Citizenship website (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/laic/index.html). From time to time, the links on the web site do not work. Either skip the question below or the page you’ve been directed to and go on. When navigating a site, you may want to use your forward and back arrows, or click on the icon (link) buttons. The back arrow is the best way to get from a particular screen back to the main screen.

2) Click on “Explore the Learning Adventures.” Than, click on Episode 1 (1609-1825) to start off on your virtual fieldtrip. Be sure to click on all underlined red words for further information.

3) Click on “The History: An Overview” to discover what was going on in New York from 1609 to 1825.

4) You can either click on the seven individual objects in the Captain’s study to learn about them, or scroll down the screen and click on Topic 1, Topic 2, etc. Use your back arrow to get back to the Episode page after you’ve read about all seven topics. Be sure to click on all underlined red words for further information.

5) Click on Episode 2 (1825-1863).

6) Click on “The History: An Overview” to discover what was going on in New York from 1825 to 1863.

7) You can either click on nine individual objects in the newsroom to learn about them, or scroll down the screen and click on Topic 1, Topic 2, etc. Use your back arrow to get back to the Episode page after you’ve read about all nine topics. Be sure to click on all underlined red words for further information.

8) Click on Episode 3 (1865-1898).

9) Click on “The History: An Overview” to discover what was going on in New York from 1865 to 1898.

10) Click on either the seven individual objects in the photography salon to learn about them, or scroll down the screen and click on Topic 1, Topic 2, etc. Use your back arrow to get back to the Episode page after you’ve read about all seven topics.

11) Click on Episode 4 (1898-1914).

12) Click on “The History: An Overview” to discover what was going on in New York from 1898 to 1914.

13) Click on either the nine individual film reels in the closet to learn about them, or scroll down the screen and click on Topic 1, Topic 2, etc. Use your back arrow to get back to the Episode page after you’ve read about all nine topics.

14) Click on Episode 5 (1914-1931).

15) Click on “The History: An Overview” to discover what was going on in New York from 1914 to 1931.

16) Click on either the six individual billboards in Times Square to learn more, or scroll down the screen and click on Topic 1, Topic 2, etc. Use your back arrow to get back to the Episode page after you’ve read about all six topics.

17) Click on Episode 6 (1931-1940).

18) Click on “The History: An Overview” to discover what was going on in New York from 1931 to 1940.

18) Click on either the five individual posters on the wall to learn about them, or scroll down the screen and click on Topic 1, Topic 2, etc. Use your back arrow to get back to the Episode page after you’ve read about all five topics.

19) Click on Episode 7 (1940-present).

20) Click on “The History: An Overview” to discover what was going on in New York from 1940 to the present.

21) Click on either the five individual pictures on the wall to learn about them, or scroll down the screen and click on Topic 1, Topic 2, etc. Use your back arrow to get back to the Episode page after you’ve read about all five topics.

 

22) While not part of this fieldtrip, you may want to explore the activities that go with each topic.

 

Scavenger Hunt Questions

 

Grades K-3

1) Who helped to organize New York’s first bank?

2) Who was John Russwurm?

3) What was wampum?

4) What was behind Walt Disney’s inspiration to create Disney World?

5) Why did the colonists believe that the British government had no right to tax them? What did they do to protest?

6) Why were Irish immigrants leaving Ireland in the 1800’s and coming to America?

7) What was Henry Hudson hoping to discover on his voyages?

8) How did Times Square receive its name?

9) Was Peter Stuyvesant a good director-general of New Amsterdam?

10) Where did the Revolutionary War begin?

 

Grades 4-8

1) Who did Olmsted and Vaux believe a park (Central Park) should be made for?

2) Why does the Statue of Liberty point east?

3) What year did World War II start? What was the first country invaded?

4) How did Dutch merchants benefit from Henry Hudson’s voyage to the New York area?

5) What kind of contract came with the Triborough Bridge that was the first of its kind for a public structure?

6) Who renamed New Amsterdam? Who was it renamed after?

7) What was the goal of the Prohibition Party?

8) What could the Dutch West India Company of the 1600’s be compared to today? Was it more or less successful?

9) What was the fate of Henry Hudson and his son?

10) Who built the wall for which Wall Street is named?

 

Highschool

1) What did F. Scott Fitzgerald dub the 1920’s? Why?

2) Why was the Triborough Bridge like no other bridge that had come before it?

3) Why was Breuckelen (modern day Brooklyn) originally built?

4) Why was the Harlem Renaissance an important cultural movement?

5) What did the 18th Amendment of the Constitution state?

6) What was the purpose of Roosevelt’s “New Deal?”

7) What was New York named originally?

8) What did Abraham Lincoln say in his Cooper Union speech about slavery that won New Yorkers over?

9) What did New York have by 1865 that she didn’t have in 1825?

10) What was the period in U.S. history known as the “Red Scare” all about?

 

Further Activites

 

* In 1920, the 18th Amendment was added to the Constitution banning liquor from being sold, drunk, or transported in the United States. Pick up a copy of the U.S. Constitution and read it, as well as the Bill of Rights.

 

* Read the following historical novels based in New York: The Orphan of Ellis Island by Elvira Woodruff, Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer, and Behind the Lines by Isabelle Holland.

 

* Buy a blank journal and start a state trivia journal. As you’ve noticed during the fieldtrip, New York is a state rich in history. Pick 20 New York facts that interest you from the fieldtrip and record them in your state trivia journal. Then over time, do the same for the rest of the states!

 

* Time for vocabulary! Define the following words: fraud, campaign, daguerreotype, petition, symbolism, condensed, syndicated, feminist, immigrant, and emigrant.

 

* Grab the popcorn and let’s watch a movie! “Split Infinity” is about a modern-day girl who finds herself transported to the days before the Depression. While coping with the problems of the time, she learns some valuable lesson along the way. (“Split Infinity” is distributed by Feature Films for Families.)

 

* Pick an interesting time period in New York’s history and thoroughly research it. Then write an informative 2-3 page paper on your chosen time period.

 

* New York City was, and still is, a melting pot of many people from many countries all over the world. Imagine that you are suddenly transported to a busy New York City street in the early 1900’s. What will you see? Hear? Smell? Where will you go and what will you do? Write a one-page account of your day in New York City.




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