Map of Lower Manhattan in the 1760s
The Battle for New York: The City at the Heart of the American Revolution by Barnet Schecter
City Hall Park was once known as the Commons, before City
Hall was built, but now houses over a dozen monuments.
Purposes:
·
Dutch Era: a pasture - provided food and
agriculture
·
British Era: the central place for protests (even today), executions,
and gatherings
·
Here is also where the Declaration of
Independence was read aloud and where the American flag was raised on
Evacuation Day.
Protest outside City Hall (February 2011)
Nathan Hale
statue:
·
Who is Nathan Hale?
o
He was a spy in the Continental Army, but
unfortunately, he was caught and hung by General William Howe.
·
Nathan Hale was rumored to be imprisoned here
·
Represents liberty, since Hale was a freedom
fighter
·
Hale faces City Hall’s entrance plaza
o
Controversy: Hale’s face is facing away from the
public, which is ironic since he sacrificed his life for them for freedom and
independence
Liberty Pole:
·
All the liberty poles were built in this park,
but the only known location is of the fifth pole (built in 1776), where the sixth
pole (built in 1921) stands.
·
Was built to show unity and freedom
Was the 6th pole erected to serve as a monument to represent all five previous poles or was it built to symbolize America's freedom many years later? I'm quite curious to see what the new pole looks like and if it mimics the wooden poles of the revolution.
ReplyDeleteI think the pole served to represent the previous poles and the people who fought for liberty. I showed a picture of the pole during my presentation, but it was small. Here is a link to an image of the sixth pole:
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I find it extremely interesting how you mentioned during your presentation that this was a location for protest during the British era, and over 200 years later we saw a protest going on today in the same location. I guess City Hall Park will always have a rich history of being the center of progressive protest throughout different time periods of American history and the different important issues of the time.
ReplyDeleteGood point -- and as I learned the next day, it turns out deBlasio was having a meeting with Bloomberg while we were there, so maybe the protesters knew that ...
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