Zachary Canelos
Bowling Green
- Bowling Green located at the southern tip of Manhattan
- It is New York City’s oldest park
- Some people claim that it is the place where Native American tribes sold Manhattan Island to Dutch Governor Peter Minuit in the year 1626 for $24
- After the British took over in 1664, they treated the land as public property
- John Chambers, Peter Bayard, and Peter Jay leased the land from the British
- They improved the park with the addition of trees, a wooden fence and an actual bowling green
- In 1770, a huge statue of King George III on his horse was placed in the middle of the park
- New York City merchants helped to pay for the statue as a way to thank the British for repealing the Stamp Act of 1770
- A crown of excited demonstrators decided to
bring down the statue and tear it to pieces as an act of independence in 1776
Since the statue of George III was torn down as an act in the spirit of independence, is there anything in its place right at present? Or is there a plaque that explains the absence of the statue in the park?
ReplyDeleteYes there is a plaque that discusses the absence of the statue. It says, “Erected by the common council in 1771, this fence surrounds New York’s earliest park. The park was leased in 1733 for use as a bowling green at the rental of one peppercorn a year. Patriots, who in 1776 destroyed an equestrian statue of George III which stood here, are said to have removed the crowns which capped the fence posts but the fence itself still remains.”
DeleteIt is interesting how the huge statue of King George III that was placed in Bowling Green was torn down only 6 years later when the Americans regained rule from the British. The fact the statue was torn down shows the constant political turmoil and the constant changes in NYC. NYC can never stand still for one second.
ReplyDeleteIt also shows the destructive power of street mobs ... something we will continue to see in our study of NYC History. We don't see these kinds of mobs as much anymore... it seems that ever since Gandhi and King, many protesters have employed nonviolent tactics, which have their own different sort of power. For example, Occupy Wall Street was non-violent.
ReplyDeleteI'd also like to repeat what I said earlier today about the bull statue, which authorities feared could become a target during the Occupy movement 2 years ago. The overturning or destruction of statues can make a strong symbolic statement. Does anyone know of other examples of this?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Naomi that when the colonists tore down the statue it showed an act of independence. I also think it shows an act of growing unity between the colonists because everyone who helped tear down the statue came from all walks of life (Merchants, Farmers, etc.) The colonists were all unified at this time because they had one common goal. I also with there being some sort of plaque to explain what happened in this location we should show our pride in what the colonists did. I believe the colonists used this tactic to grab the governments attention and tell them they were fed up.
ReplyDeleteWould the tear of the statue of King George cause major commotions for the colonist with the British such as deaths, riots, etc? From that moment the statue was teared down, were all the British were alarmed about the potential threat the colonist may give? Did they secure themselves differently or immediately contain Britain, etc?
ReplyDeletewhen I talk about the commotions, I am talking about if the British may have killed some of the colonists to threaten the colonists
Delete