History of the City of New York - Syllabus

Lecture Topics and Reading Assignments have BROWN headers, Field Trips have GREEN headers. Other special notices have RED headers.

Items preceeded by an asterisk are required for everyone. Additional titles are included as suggestions for those who wish to read more about a particular topic. Labyrinth Books at 536 West 112th Street has all the volumes required for this course.

* Kenneth T. Jackson, ed., The Encyclopedia of New York City (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995). As large as fifteen normal books, this volume will tell you more than you will need to know about the city. You are required to read only the specific entries (out of 4300) specifically mentioned in this syllabus. Multiple copies are on reserve in the Columbia Library. The retail price is $60, but Coliseum Books at 57th and Broadway sells it for $40, and Labyrinth Books has promised to discount it by 20 percent, for a price of $48.
New York Times Book Review by William Grimes
New York Times Book Review by John Tierney

I. N. Phelps Stokes, The Iconography of Manhattan Island (New York: Robert H. Dodd, 1915-1928). This classic, six volume edition, now costing many thousands of dollars, is available in Columbia's Rare Book Room.

Carol von Pressentin Wright, Blue Guide: New York (New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1983). If you can afford only one guidebook, this is the most comprehensive.

Thursday, September 10 - "History as Destiny: The Case of NYC"

* Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961). Vintage paperback. A book you will remember all your life.

Tuesday, September 15 - "Urban Planning in the New World"

* Kenneth T. Jackson, "Introduction: New York Through the Centuries," in Kenneth T. Jackson, ed., The Great Metropolis: Poverty and Progress in New York City (New York: American Heritage Custom Publishing, 1994).

* Henry S. F. Cooper, "The Man Who Invented Dutch New York: Washington Irving," in The Great Metropolis.

* Edwin Hoey, "Terror in New York - 1741," in The Great Metropolis.

* The "Dutch" in the Encyclopedia.

Nan A. Rothschild, New York City Neighborhoods: The 18th Century (New York: Academic Press, 1990).

Michael Pye, The Drowning Room (New York: Granta Books, 1994). Mystery set in colonial New Amsterdam.

Randall H. Balmer, A Perfect Babel of Confusion: Dutch Religion and Culture in the Middle Colonies (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989).

Wednesday, September 16 - Field Trip 1 - Upper West Side and NYHS

Walking tour, led by Professor Jackson, of the Upper West Side and a visit to the exhibition "Uniting Neighbors: The Role of Settlement Houses in New York City," at the New York Historical Society. Cost: $2 for the NYHS. Meet at the northeast corner of 86th Street and Broadway at 2 PM.

Thursday, September 17 - "Dutch Outpost, English Prize"

* Kenneth T. Jackson, "The Forgotten Saga of the Prison Ships, in The Great Metropolis.

* Ralph Whitney, "The Unlucky Collins Line," in The Great Metropolis

* "Port of New York" in the Encyclopedia.

David C. Humphrey, From King's College to Columbia, 1746-1800 (New York: Columbia University Press).

Thursday, September 17 - Field Trip 2 - South Street Seaport

Walking tour, led by Professor Jackson, of the South Street Seaport area and a visit to the iron-hulled sailing ship Peking. Meet at 116th Street and Broadway at noon or at the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse at the corner of Water Stret and Fulton Street at 12:45. Cost: $3 to the South Street Seaport Museum.

Thursday, September 17 - Field Trip 3 - Sail on the Pioneer

Sail on the 112-year old schooner Pioneer around New York harbor, accompanied by Professor Jackson, from 3:15 to 5:30 PM. Meet at the Pioneer dock at the South Street Seaport Museum at 3:15 p.m. Cost: $15 to the South Street Seaport Museum - the normal charge for this is $25. Limited to 40 persons.

Thursday, September 17 - Field Trip 4 - Panel Discussion on the Harbor

Attend a panel discussion, chaired by Professor Jackson, at the Seamen's Church Institute, from 6-8 PM, on the problems and future of the New York waterfront and port. Admission to the event is $4, payable to the SCI.

Friday, September 18 - All-Night Bicycle Tour of Detroit

Inspired by the NYC ride, this has recently become an annual event, led by Jeffrey McDowell of the University of Detroit Mercy. If anyone is interested, please see Prof. Jackson for details.

Saturday, September 19 - Field Trip 5 - Tribeca: The Creative Explosion

Walking tour, led by Joyce Gold, of the neighborhood that was transformed from wholesale butter and eggs to art galleries and Robert De Niro in just fifteen years. Cost: $8 to Joyce Gold. Meet at 1 PM at Duane Park at Duane and Hudson Streets. Take the #1,2,3, or 9 train to Chambers and walk north.

Tuesday, September 22 - Rosh Hashanah - No Class

Wednesday, September 23 - Field Trip 6 - the Bronx and Yankee Stadium

Walking tour, led by Professor Jackson, of Morningside Park, adjacent to the Columbia campus, then a subway ride to 161st Street in the Bronx, for a walking tour of the neighborhood around Yankee Stadium, followed by a night game between the Yankees and the Cleveland Indians. Limited to fifty persons who are willing to make a night of it. The group will return from the stadium at the end of the eighth inning or at 10:15 PM, whichever comes first, so that you can expect to be back on campus by 11 PM. Cost: $12 for ticket to the game plus subway fares and money for whatever you eat or drink. The purpose of the trip is to consider the impact of a professional sports team on a poor neighborhood and to discuss the desirability of large-scale public investment in a new stadium either in the Bronx or on the West Side. Meet on the steps of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine at 4 PM.

Thursday, September 24 - "Revolutionary Battlefield"

* Edward K. Spann, The New Metropolis: New York City, 1840-1857 (New York: Columbia University Press, 1981). Nicely written and popular with readers.

* Kenneth T. Jackson, "The Forgotten Saga of the Prison Ships, in The Great Metropolis.

John J. Gallagher, The Battle of Brooklyn, 1776 (New York: Sarpedon Publishers, 1995)

Joseph S. Tiedemann, Reluctant Revolutionaries: New York City and the Road to Independence, 1763-1776 (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998)

Tuesday, September 29 - "Revolutionary Battlefield Continued"

Thursday, October 1 - "The Rise to North American Dominance"

* Firefighting, gangs, crime, and santitation in the Encyclopedia.

Thursday-Friday, October 1-2 - Field Trip 7 - All-Night Bicycle Ride

We will leave from the sun dial at 11 p.m. and return approximately seven hours later. This ride is neither a marathon or a race. The pace will be slow, and we will make several stops. Because each additional bicyclist is a potential problem, the ride is limited to members of the class. The cost is $4 to pay for spare tires, repair ewquipment, a van to pick up broken bikes and tired riders, and an ambulance in case of emergency.

But there is nothing I can do to remove all risks. I have been lucky so far, and in 26 years of these events only one one person has been hurt - a young woman who hit a pothole in the financial district, and sailed over her handlebars, banging up her chin and requiring stitches. One danger is that in tight circumstances you will crash into one another and someone might break a leg. The most serious threat will likely come from automobiles and trucks. Thus, I insist that you wear a helmet. Remember that a good helmet can be your only defense against the things you cannot control. In fact, head injuries are reduced by 85 percent when helmets are worn correctly. A good helmet, by the way, is certified. Current certification stickers read ANSI, ASTI, Snell. White clothing and a light should also improve your chances.

Rollerblading is OK, but your feet will be sore. There will be a long rest stop at about 2 a.m. at the Ear Inn, (326 Spring Street between Washington and Greenwich Streets in lower Manhattan). At the end of the ride, most people will take the subway back to the campus, but you should bring money for a taxi just in case you want to leave earlier. If you leave before the trip concludes kindly tell one of the group leaders when and with whom you are leaving.

Persons who expect ot be slow should ride towards the front of the group. It is difficult enough to do there trips without having to worry about riders who race ahead trying to anticipate where we are going. So please remind behind me. Tour leaders will be able to repair flat tires and fix minor problems, but I ask that you not show up at the sundial unless your bicycle is in good working order.

Finally, you must sign a waiver of responsibility if you wish to join this optional ride. It is not required and will not count toward the field trip requirement.

Friday, October 2 - Field Trip 8a - Central Harlem

Walking tour, led by Joyce Gold, of Harlem. The focus will be on the way farmland and country estates gave way to the urban jazz age and how the neighborhood became the center for African-American culture. Cost: $8 to Joyce Gold. Meet at 1 PM at 138th Street and Amsterdam Avenue (City College). Tour also available on Saturday, October 3.

Saturday, October 3 - Field Trip 8b&c - Central Harlem

Walking tour, led by Joyce Gold, of Harlem. The focus will be on the way farmland and country estates gave way to the urban jazz age and how the neighborhood became the center for African-American culture. Cost: $8 to Joyce Gold. Meet at 10 AM at 138th Street and Amsterdam Avenue (City College). Tour also available at 1 PM

Tuesday, October 6 - "Sanitation and Publc Health"

* Kenneth T. Jackson, "The Dozen Decisions That Changed New York," in The Great Metropolis.

* Jack Finney, Time and Again (a novel of late nineteenth century New York)

Joan Abel Goldman, Building New York's Sewers: Developing Mechanisms of Urban Management (West Lafayette: Purdue University Press, 1997)

Check out the Five Points Home Page, a new interactive Web site featuring historic images of New York's legendary nineteenth century slum, artifacts from the ongoing Foley Square/Five Points archaeological project, and an introduction to the complex story of the fascination segment of Gotham's history.

Kenneth T. Jackson and Stanley K. Schultz, eds., Cities in American History (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1972)

Wednesday, October 7 - Field Trip 9 - Chinatown and Little Italy

Walking tour, led by Professor Jackson, of the Civic Center, Chinatown, and Little Italy. Meet on the northeast corner of Broadway and 116th Street at noon (or on the southeast corner of Broadway and Chambers Streets at 12:40). Cost: $3 for admission to the Museum of the Chinese in the Americas.

Thursday, October 8 - "Making the City Livable: Fire and Water"

* Kenneth T. Jackson, Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States (New York: Oxford University Press, 1985), pp. 3-156.
New York Times Book Review by Chris Hauptmann
New York Times Book Review by Grady Clay

* Articles by Fleming, Tarr, and Sufrin in The Great Metropolis.

David Rosner, A Once Charitable Enterprise: Health Care in Brooklyn and New York City, 1885-1919 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982).

Friday, October 9 - Field Trip 10 - Jack Finney "Time and Again" Tour

Walking tour, led by Dr. Phil, which retraces the steps of the time traveler Simon Morley from the Dakota Apartments to Madison Square Park to the Tweed Courthouse. Cost: $8 to Dr. Phil. Meets at 2 PM on the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West. Lasts at least 3 hours. Information: 1-888-377-4455.

Tuesday, October 13 - "Making the City Livable: Cemeteries and Parks"

Kenneth T. Jackson and Camilo J. Vergara, Silent Cities: The Evolution of the American Cemetery (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1989).

Francis R. Kowsky, Country, Park, and City: The Architecture and Life of Calvert Vaux (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).
New York Times Book Review by James F. O'Gorman

Wednesday, October 14 - Field Trip 11 - Governors Island

The Regional Plan Association and the General Services Administration are offering a free walking tour of Governors Island, with the focus on what to do with this historic site in the harbor. No cost, but you must reserve a place by calling 253-2727, ext. 393, or 439-1090. No charge.
An article on the sale offering of Governors Island

Thursday, October 15 - Movies: "The Great Bridge" and "The American Revolution" - CLASS BEGINS AT 8 AM

Thursday, October 15 - "The Great Bridge"

* David McCullough, The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1972).

"Central Park" and "Riots" in the Encyclopedia.

"The Central Park" and "Draft Riots" in The Great Metropolis.

Saturday, October 17 - Field Trip 12 - Ladies Mile

Walking tour, led by Joyce Gold, of the Historic Ladies Mile, made famous by Edith Wharton. The 1890s brought elegant design to fashion, and grand emporiums to Broadway and Sixth Avenue, a neighborhood now re-emerging as an exciting new shopping district. Cost: $6 to Joyce Gold. Meet at 3 PM at Grace Episcopal Church at 10th Street and Broadway.

Tuesday, October 20 - "The Legacy of Tammany Hall"

* Alexander Callow, "The House That Tweed Built," in The Great Metropolis.

* Peter Andrews, "Delmonico's: The Restaurant That Changed the Way We Dine," in The Great Metropolis.

* Rita Kramer, "Richard Croker: Boss of Tammany Hall," in The Great Metropolis.

* "Tammany Hall" in the Encyclopedia.

Wednesday, October 21 - Field Trip 13 - Lower East Side

Walking tour, led by Professor Jackson, of the Lower East Side. Among other places, we will visit the Tenement House Museum on Orchard Street and Katz's Delicatessen on Houston Street. Cost: $3 for the Tenement House Museum, plus subway fare and money for a possible warm brisket on rye. Meet at 116th Street and Broadway at 2 PM.

Thursday, October 22 - Mid-Term Examination

Thursday, October 22 - Field Trip 14 - Fort Greene - CANCELLED

Walking tour of Fort Greene in Brooklyn, led by Professor Jackson. Among other places, we will visit Fort Greene Park, the location of the Martyr's Monument from the American Revolution, Long Island University, and Pratt Institute. Cost and meeting place to be determined.

Saturday, October 24 - Field Trip 15 - Jamaica, Queens

Walking tour, led by Carlos Pomares, Roy Fox, and Professor Jackson, of Jamaica. No cost except for the subway. Queens is the most heterogeneous place in the United States, and Jamaica is one of Queens' most dynamic and vital areas. Meet at 116th Street and Broadway at noon. Or meet at the King Manor Museum at 1:15 PM. In that case, take the E train to the end of the line at Jamaica Center. If you exit toward the back of the train you will be facing King Park straight ahead. It is at Jamaica Avenue at 153rd Street in Queens. The tour will end by 3 PM.

Tuesday, October 27 - "City People: New Ways of Living in the Metropolis"

* Ann Douglas, Terrible Honesty: Mongrel Manhattan in the 1920s (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1995).
New York Times Book Review by Arnold Rampersad
New York Times Book Review by Richard Bernstein

* Newspapers, Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, Horace Greeley, jazz, department stores, and Coney Island in the Encyclopedia.

* Frederick Binder and David Reimers, All the Nations Under Heaven: An Ethnic and Racial History of New York City (New York: Columbia University Press, 1995).

Andrew S. Dolkart, Morningside Heights: A History of Its Architecture and Development (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998).

Wednesday, October 28 - Field Trip 16 - Multi-Ethnic East Harlem

Walking tour, led by Kerrie Cotton Williams, of the former Jewish and Italian communities with the contemporary African-American and Latino peoples of the area. Stops include: La Marqueta, Ohab Zedek Synagogue, and sites associated with Tito Puente, Paul Robeson, Fiorello LaGuardia. Cost: $6 to Big Onion Walking Tours. Meet at 3 PM in front of the Museum of the City of New York, located at 103rd Street and Fifth Avenue. Tour will conclude back at the MCNY.

Thursday, October 29 - "Robert Moses"

* Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1974).

Friday, October 30 - Field Trip 17 - Macabre Greenwich Village

Walking tour, led by Joyce Gold, on Halloween Eve, of Macabre Greenwich Village. Focus on ghosts, graveyards, hanging trees, and murders. Meet at 3 PM at Washington Square Park at the Arch, on Fifth Avenue a couple of blocks south of Eighth Street. Cost: $6 to Joyce Gold.

Saturday, October 31 - Field Trip 18 - Washington Heights and Inwood

Walking tour, led by Professor Jackson, of Washington Heights and Inwood, followed by soccer and football games between Columbia and Princeton at Baker Field. Limited to 40 persons who want to make a day of it. No cost except for the subway and a football ticket. Meet at 116th and Broadway at 8:30 AM. I hope to include a tour of the 190 acre Inwood Hill Park.

Saturday, October 31 - Field Trip 19 - Halloween Parade

If we can think of a NYC history theme and an appropriate costume and organize at least 25 members of the class into a cohesive group, we might participate in this bizarre and unforgettable event.

Tuesday, November 3 - Field Trip 20 - Before Stonewall: Gay and Lesbian NYC

Walking tour, led by Eliza Byard, of Greenwich Village as a mecca of lesbian and gay history. Stops include sites associated with Bayard Rustin, Willa Cather, and two of New York's cross-dressing politicians. Cost: $6 to Big Onion Tours. Meet at the Washington Square Arch on Fifth Avenue, a few blocks south of 8th Street, at 3 PM.

Charles Kaiser, The Gay Metropolis, 1940-1996 (New York: Houghton-Mifflin, 1997).
New York Times Book Review by George Chauncey
New York Times Book Review by Phillip Lopate

Wednesday, November 4 - Field Trip 21 - Financial District

Walking tour, led by Professor Jackson, of the Wall Street area, including Trinity Church, the Skyscraper Museum (16 Wall Street), and New York Unearthed, an archaeology museum on Pearl Street between Whitehall and State Streets. No cost except for subway fare. Meet at noon at 116th Street and Broadway.

Thursday, November 5 - "The Port in WWII"

Special guest lecturer Joseph Meaney, Acting State Historian of New York will discuss the important role of the Port of NY in World War II.

Sunday, November 8 - Field Trip - The High Bridge Park

Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the High Bridge, the oldest bridge in NYC. Take the A train to Dyckman Street and walk about two blocks east to the southeast corner of Nagle and Dyckman at 11 AM, or meet at 1 PM at the park on 174th Street and Amsterdam. For more information, contact Matt Simmons at (212) 304-2365

Tuesday, November 10 - "Tenements and Tenement House Reform"

* Richard Plunz, A History of Housing in New York City: Dwelling Type and Social Change in the American Metropolis (New York: Columbia University Press, 1990), chapters 1,2,3,4,8, and 10.

* Articles on poverty and African-Americans in the Encyclopedia.

* Andrew R. Heinze, Adapting to Abundance: Jewish Immigrants, Mass Consumption, and the Search for American Identity (New York: Columbia University Press, 1992).

Wednesday, November 11 - Field Trip 21.5 - Williamsburg

POSSIBLE field trip to Williamsburg, specifically the Satmar chasidic community there. See Professor Jackson for details.

Thursday, November 12 - Movies: "NY Underground" and "Robert Moses"

CLASS BEGINS AT 8 AM

Friday, November 13 - Field Trip 22 - Harlem and the Bronx

An all day bus trip, led by Professor Jackson, to Harlem and the South Bronx. Visiting central Harlem, Striver's Row, and Sugar Hill, we will see the Jumel Mansion, the Poe Cottage, the real Little Italy (Belmont), East Tremont, Charlotte Street, and the Panorama of New York City. Cost: $15 for the expense of the bus and admission to the Queens Museum, plus whatever you want to eat or buy in Belmont. Meet at 8:45 AM at 116th and Broadway. Limited to exactly fifty persons.

Saturday, November 14 - Field Trip 23 - Fifth Avenue

Walking tour, led by Joyce Gold, of the Fifth Avenue Gold Coast and the mansions which made the street famous. Cost: $8 to Joyce Gold. Meet at 1 PM at the Frick Collection at 70th Street just east of Fifth Avenue.

Sunday, November 15 - Field Trip 24 - Greenwood Cemetery

Walking tour of New York's original elite cemetery, led by John Cashman, a retired Irish cop. Cost: $5 to John Cashman. Meet at the main gate to the cemetery. Take the R or N train to 25th Street in Brooklyn. Emerging at 4th Avenue and 25th Street, you would walk one block south to 5th Avenue. The enormous gates will be in front of you. Meet inside the gate.

Tuesday, November 17 - Special Lecture

Guest lecturer Winston James will speak about Harlem.

Thursday, November 19 - Movies

The Empire State Building and Levittown.

CLASS BEGINS AT 8 AM.

Friday, November 20 - Field Trip 25 - The Bowery

Walking tour, led by Seth Kamil, of the Bowery, at one time the most famous skid row in America. Stops include the Amato Opera, the Palace Hotel, and McGuirks Suicide Hall. Cost: $6 dollars to Big Onion Tours. Meet at the black cube at Astor Place in front of Cooper Union. This is where St. Mark's Place (also known as East 8th Street) in the East Village intersects with Third Avenue. Take the #6 subway to Astor Place and you are there.

* Kenneth T. Jackson, "The Bowery, the Bowery: The Evolution of Skid Row," in The Great Metropolis.

Saturday, November 21 - Field Trip 26 - Central Park

Walking tour, led by Eric Wakin, through New York's collective backyard to explore the largest work of art in the city. Designed as a place for spiritual uplift, it is now used for much more. Stops include the site of the African-American community at Seneca Village, the Ramble, Strawberry Fields, the site of the all-but-forgotten Rocking Chair Riot, and Robert Moses' smallest, yet, greatest, defeat. Cost: $6 to Big Onion Tours. Meet at the northwest corner of 66th Street and Central Park West at 10 AM.

Tuesday, November 24 - "Architecture and Skyscrapers" (Carol Willis)

* Architecture, skyscrapers, and the New York Stock Exchange in the Encyclopedia.

* Carol Willis, Form Follows Finance: Skyscrapers and Skylines in New York and Chicago (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1995).

Thursday, November 26 - Thanksgiving - No Class

Tuesday, December 1 - "The Legacy of Robert Moses"

Kenneth T. Jackson, "Robert Moses and the Planned Environment: A Re-Evaluation," in Joann P. Krieg, ed., Robert Moses: Single-Minded Genius (Interlaken, New York: Heart of the Lakes Publishing Company, 1989), pp. 21-30.

Thursday, December 3 - "Industry, Port, and Mass Transit"

* Historic preservation and city planning in the Encyclopedia.

* Kenneth T. Jackson, The Ku Klux Klan in the City, 1915-1930 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1967).

Sunday, December 6 - Field Trip 27 - A Downtown Christmas

Walking tour, led by Joyce Gold, of a history of the holiday celebration and its connection to Manhattan. Cost: $8 to Joyce Gold. meet at 1 PM at Trinity Church, Broadway and Wall Street.

Tuesday, December 8 - "NYC Politics in the Twentieth Century" / "Inner City and Invisible Fences"

* Clarence Taylor, The Black Churches of Brooklyn (New York: Columbia University Press, 1996).

Irma Watkins-Owens, Blood Relations: Carribean Immigrants and the Harlem Community, 1900-1930 (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996).-->

* Articles by Shannon and Boroff in The Great Metropolis

Chris McNickle, To Be Mayor of New York: Ethnic Politics in the City (New York: Columbia University Press, 1993).

Thursday, December 10 - "The Future of New York City" and "The Road to Hell" - Review

*Kenneth T. Jackson, Crabgrass Frontier, pp. 157-305.

* Elevateds, railroads, and Andrew Haswell Green in the Encyclopedia.

* Clifton Hood, 722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993), pp. 1-132 and 214-260.
New York Times Book Review by David W. Dunlap

Clay McShane, Down the Asphalt Path: The Automobile and the American City (New York: Columbia University Press, 1995).
New York Times Book Review by Noel Perrin

"Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light."

Joseph Pulitzer