In 1609, the De Halve Maen, a trading vessel from the Dutch East India Company, arrived at Sandy Hook before moving up the Hudson River. The abundance of natural resources (beaver) and position on the river made it an area of great interest to the Dutch, who would establish a colony in the years after the De Halve Maen's expedition, settling in what would become eventually become Albany, NY in 1614. The settlement was known as Fort Orange, and was the first permanent settlement in the burgeoning "New Netherlands".
A brief war caused by a separatist insurrection. The revolt was highly organized and over 400 mounted soldiers swept into the eastern and middle provinces. The main conflict of this war was the status of slaves and former slaves in the new Cuban republic. It also dealt with black and mulatto political power within the nationalist movement.
Construction on the Erie Canal began in 1817 and finished in 1825. It ran from the Hudson River in Albany to the Niagara River in Buffalo. It lowered the cost of both shipping and food in the Midwest and the Northeast. The canal also increased trade and enabled migration out West.
The Columbian exchange signifies the large-scale transfer of goods between Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America in the centuries following Columbus's arrival; this facilitation included but was not limited to people, crops, and animals. Although the Columbian Exchange did help to jumpstart America's settlement and expansion, it also spread disease, thus decimating populations, and played a role in expanding slavery throughout the world.
Squanto, a member of the Patuxet tribe, taught the pilgrims how to plant maize, also known as corn. The pilgrims soon learned the value of corn, as it would provide plenty of food and was easy to grow. This event is significant because it introduced settlers to a food source we are now dependent on and produce in mass quantity.
The Rivers Casino was the first in a series of developments along the Mohawk River and near Mohawk Harbor. The casino pays the city of Schenectady $3 million annually while giving partons a spectacular view of the Mohawk.
The Schenectady Locomotive Works, founded in 1848, was a locomotive manufacturing company. The company operated from a factory in the north western portion of the season. The company merged with the American Locomotive Company in 1901.
In 1892 GE moved its company headquarters from New York City to Schenectady, NY. As we saw in the Sanborn map from 1914, the company set up along the Erie Canal. This brought in thousands of jobs, but as we know GE was responsible for a large amount of pollution.
As Schenectady began to industrialize, GE was introduced to the area. As a diverse manufacturing company, GE offered thousands of jobs to the people in the area. However, what once was known as a symbol of power and beauty, the Mohawk River would soon become a convenient landfill for the company. This represents a major shift in how people viewed nature.
It was around these few days in late February, when our beloved Union College officially became chartered from the Board of Regents of the State of New York. It would be one of the first schools without a Religious Denomination, have a highly liberal educational program with bachelors degrees available in history, math, science, and modern languages, as well as becoming the founding home of three fraternities. Overtime Union would have many famous alumni, ranging from Politicians to Actors, a NCAA Division 1 Championship winning Hockey team, as well as becoming one of the top, "Green" schools of the country. From 1795 till today, it has allowed students from across the world, with all kinds of backgrounds, the ability to learn and experience what they need too in order to prepare for their future lives!
https://www.union.edu/about/history-and-traditions
https://www.union.edu/news/stories/201910/union-named-one-top-50-green-colleges-country
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_College#cite_note-yates423-19
This decree was more than a vague promise, it solidified the ideals of the movement (a more solid idea of emancipation but limited). Céspedes decreed that all slaves belonging to enemies would be freed and their owners would not receive compensation while pro - Cuban owners who present their slaves to rebel authorities would get financial compensation. This was limited though because runaway slaves would be brought back to owners if they supported the Cuban cause and separatists could lend their slaves to the cause while still maintaining ownership. In all, the decree represented a very limited emancipation and condoned slavery.
Carlos Manuel de Cespedes explains the transition from slavery to freedom towards the slaves belonging to known enemies, run away/captured slaves, and slaves presented by their consenting pro-Cuban owners.
The captain general of Cuba wrote that 32 slaves returned to enslavement rather than continuing to be free under the insurgents. The mambis were so poorly treated as they were subjected to pseudo enslavement. Sometimes they preferred slavery to the "freedom" given to them by men like Cespedes.
After a 10-year period of insurgency and war, Spanish officials met with rebels to sign the Pact of Zanjón. This treaty technically "ended" the war by ending slavery for those who had fought in the rebellion and about 16,000 slaves were granted freedom. However, this did not satisfy all the rebels which is why insurgencies continued.
Economic crisis that began in 1857 worsened the state of Cuba. As a result, the Spanish raised tariffs on good entering Cuba as well as increased taxes by 10% on property.
Martí was one of the prominent intellectuals of the Cuban Revolution who argued against the existence of race. The concept of a race-less Cuban nationality was a foundational part of Marti's philosophy on nationalism (9). Said beliefs differed radically from the ethos of the U.S., where "the color line in the United States grew more and more rigid, and the consequences of crossing that line became more and more brutal" (5).
This decree was more than a vague promise, it solidified the ideals of the movement (a more solid idea of emancipation but limited). Céspedes decreed that all slaves belonging to enemies would be freed and their owners would not receive compensation while pro - Cuban owners who present their slaves to rebel authorities would get financial compensation. This was limited though because runaway slaves would be brought back to owners if they supported the Cuban cause and separatists could lend their slaves to the cause while still maintaining ownership. In all, the decree represented a very limited emancipation and condoned slavery.
The Western Region of Cuba experienced economic expansion during the first half of the 19th Century. This expansion caused sugar mills to grow in numbers, size and productivity. Sugar mills began to displace tobacco and coffee farms.
Rebels led by Calixto Garcia fought for independence from Spain in what was seen as in some cases a continuation of the "Ten Years War". After Calixto had been released from prison following the "Pact of Zanjon" which ended the 10 years war, he organized the Cuban Revolutionary Committee and the committee declared war on Spain in 1878. However, due to no foreign aid, public exhaustion following the 10 years war, and lack of supplies and experienced leadership the revolution failed and was quickly quelled by Spainish forces by 1880.
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and his followers begin the Ten Years' War. After freeing his slaves, Céspede invited them to help Cuban gain its independence from Spain. This armed call began the ten year war in Cuban and ultimately the start of the Cuban Revolution.
Unlike the other revolutions in North and South America...the Cuban revolution against the Spanish seemed to be far more egalitarian. Over 60% of the army was made up of men of color who also held high ranking positions within the army. Instead of the revolution only focusing on the rights of white men and their possessions...Cuba's quest for independence was fueled by Cubans wanting equality for all people..no matter the color of their skin. What did Simon Bolivar think of a revolution that benefited all races. What would the founding fathers of the United States thought?
On this date, Cespedes ordered that all slaves would be considered free. If their owner was an enemy of the revolutionary cause, they would not receive compensation for their lost slaves. Friends of the cause would receive financial compensation for presenting their slaves to the rebel authorities. But, pro-rebellion slaveholders could lend their slaves to the cause and could keep their slaves until slavery was completely abolished. Additionally, runaway slaves would be returned to pro-rebellion slaveholders.