While on the tour of Wall Street, we were able to see many important historical sites. The sights reflected the roots of New York and how it came to be. We were able to see where many important historical events happened in New Amsterdam and how life was. One of the more important sights we saw was Federal Hall. Being where the Executive branch, Congress, and the Supreme Court were first located. Federal Hall is also where George Washington became the United States' first president. This is where different branches of government did their work when New York City was the first capital of America. At Federal Hall, the Bill of Rights was proposed, and the First Amendment was approved. This is perhaps our most important amendment because the First Amendment gives us the right to freedom of speech. Dr. Owen Anderson, author of Why the First Amendment is ‘first in importance’”, stated, “By connecting the freedom of religion with the freedom of speech, the First Amendment gets to the essence of what it is to be a human — for it is self-evident that we are thinking beings” (Anderson 1). Without freedom of speech, the government would be able to restrict everything that we say. This would not allow us to voice our opinions or beliefs to others.
Federal Hall currently demonstrates its respect for this amendment. Federal Hall has an area outside, that allows groups of people to exercise their First Amendment, called the First Amendment Rights Area. Therefore, Federal Hall National Memorial says, “We encourage citizens to exercise rights guaranteed by the Constitution. However, the courts have recognized that activities associated... regulated to protect the public and park resources” (NPS 1). Here at Federal Hall, we were able to see that on the steps they allow us to have Freedom of Speech. In this selected area, a small group of people can hand out flyers with information, get signatures for petitions, and more. This shows how Federal Hall sticks to its roots with the First Amendment. Since it was enacted here, they stand by it and honor its use to this day.
Another important site to me that we saw was the African Burial Grounds. Here we were able to see the monument for all the slaves that died during the time New York City was New Amsterdam. Their bodies were found when a building was supposed to be built on the site, but something was found. “When digging for the building, they discovered around 400 slave tombs” (Zinszner 1). In the 1600s slaves were used to perform tasks and work for white people. Even though we think of the South as a place where slavery was heavily ingrained, it was prevalent in the North as well. In fact, “New Amsterdam had the second-largest slave population besides Charleston in 1741” (Zinszner 1). This is interesting to think about because many of us probably would not expect to think of New York as a place where slaves were prevalent. This memorial reminds us that slaves were a huge part of life in New Amsterdam. Between multiple slave revolts and beliefs of conspiracy, many people's lives were taken. This memorial was touching since it showed respect for those who died. The African Burial Grounds helps us to see that these people’s lives were very important.
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While walking on the side of the street, we were able to see a well that New Amsterdam used to use. This well was not like today's, the well we saw was rather shallow. This was because of the lack of water in New Amsterdam during the 17th century. There was no water source coming directly to New Amsterdam and the closest body of water was the Hudson River. The Erie Canal had not been constructed yet, so there was no flow of water into the city. Without the canal, there was no way for enough water to be brought in for the whole city. Since the canal wasn’t finished until 1825, fires from houses made of wood were common. The water during this period was also dirty. Thus, making the water unsafe to drink and causing health problems for the residents of New Amsterdam. By drinking the dirty water, many got sick and some could have become seriously ill. Due to the dirty water in the city, the sanitation conditions became worse. This could be part of the reason why people did not live very long during this era. In fact, “The life expectancy was 35 and 1/3 to ½ of the population died before the age of 16” (Zinszner 1).
The water epidemic in New York City still exists almost 200 years later. This was the case in 1832 with the cholera outbreak in New York City. Author of “How Epidemics Helped Shape the Modern Metropolis,” John Wilford, stated, “The epidemic left 3,515 dead out of a population of 250,000. (The equivalent death toll in today’s city of eight million would exceed 100,000.)” (Wilford 1). This shows how deadly the outbreak was and the impact that it had on the population.
These were the most important sights that stood out to me the most. Seeing these sights gave me a better understanding of the history of New Amsterdam (New York). Seeing Federal Hall reminded me of everything our past Presidents/Congressmen did for us. They gave us all the rights that we currently do now. The burial ground reminded me to honor other people's lives and be thankful for what I currently have. With the well, it helped me see how it would be very hard to have access to water. The well was shallow, which would mean that the water would run out quickly. So, in some cases, there could be no water in the well.
Works Cited
- “Federal Hall National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S.
- Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/feha/index.htm.
- “Why the First Amendment Is 'First in Importance'.” The Washington Times, The Washington Times, 12 Dec. 2016, www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/12/why-the-first-amendment-is-first-in-importance/.
- Wilford, John Noble. “How Epidemics Helped Shape the Modern Metropolis.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Apr. 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/science/15chol.html?mtrref=www.google.com&assetType=REGIWALL.
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