New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Colonial History

The Albany Congress of 1754: Native People, Colonists & the Monarchy

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Dec 1754 Map of the English Colonies (LOC)William Shirley was the Royal Governor of Massachusetts, appointed by the King of England. Shirley had been a British official in England serving on negotiating committees with French officials determining boundaries. This had led Shirley to a thorough dislike of the French.

He was very aggressive and had been a stalwart advocate of invading Canada and driving the French out of North America. Shirley had written a strong criticism of the New York Congress for its resistance to an invasion of Canada in 1748. He was upset when New Jersey and Rhode Island refused to cooperate in the invasion because they were not threatened. [Read more…] about The Albany Congress of 1754: Native People, Colonists & the Monarchy

Life In Dutch Albany When The English Took Over

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New Netherland map published by Nicolaes Visscher II (1649–1702)In 1664, Charles II, King of England, bequeathed to his brother, James, Duke of York and Albany, all the land in the Hudson River Valley and Long Island from the west side of Connecticut to the east side of Delaware Bay, in short, all of Dutch New Netherland.

He also bequeathed four men-of-war and 300 soldiers under the command of Colonel Richard Nicolls to take possession of New Netherland from the Dutch. Learning of this, the Dutch in New Netherland appealed to the Dutch West India Company asking for a loan of five or six thousand guilders to prepare fortifications. No loan or assistance appeared. [Read more…] about Life In Dutch Albany When The English Took Over

The Highland Soldier in North America

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ben_franklins_worldMuch of early American history comprises stories of empire and how different Native, European, and Euro-American nations vied for control of North American territory, resources, and people. [Read more…] about The Highland Soldier in North America

The Colonial Ginseng Trade (Historians Podcast)

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The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast our guest is Sherri Cash, history professor at Utica College, who talks about the ginseng root, which grew wild in upstate New York in the 18th century. A colonial global trading network shipped ginseng to China, where it was prized as a health tonic, in return for tea. Cash recently gave a talk on the subject at Old Fort Johnson in Fort Johnson, NY.

Listen to the podcast here. [Read more…] about The Colonial Ginseng Trade (Historians Podcast)

An Early History of Delaware

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ben_franklins_worldDelaware may be the second smallest state in the United States, but it has a BIG, rich history that can tell us much about the history of early America.

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, David Young, the Executive Director of the Delaware Historical Society, joins us to explore the early American history of Delaware from its Native American inhabitants through its emergence as the first state in the United States. [Read more…] about An Early History of Delaware

Mixed-Race Britons & the Atlantic Family

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ben_franklins_worldWho do we count as family? It a relative was born in a foreign place and one of their parents was of a different race? Would they count as family?

Eighteenth-century Britons asked themselves these questions. As we might suspect, their answers varied by time and whether they lived in Great Britain, North America, or the Caribbean. [Read more…] about Mixed-Race Britons & the Atlantic Family

Crispus Attucks: The First Martyr of Liberty

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ben_franklins_worldSamuel Gray, James Caldwell, Samuel Maverick, Patrick Carr, and Crispus Attucks. These are the five men who died as a result of the shootings on Boston’s King Street on the night of March 5, 1770.

Of these five victims, evidence points to Crispus Attucks falling first, and of all the victims, Crispus Attucks is the name we can recall.  Why is that? [Read more…] about Crispus Attucks: The First Martyr of Liberty

Boston’s Massacre

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ben_franklins_worldOn the evening of March 5, 1770, a crowd gathered in Boston’s King Street and confronted a sentry and his fellow soldiers in front of the custom house. The confrontation led the soldiers to fire their muskets into the crowd, five civilians died.

What happened on the night of March 5, 1770 that led the crowd to gather and the soldiers to discharge their weapons?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast About Early American History Eric Hinderaker, a distinguished professor of history at the University of Utah and the author of Boston’s Massacre (Harvard University Press, 2017) assists our quest to discover more about the Boston Massacre. [Read more…] about Boston’s Massacre

Aquatic Culture in Early America

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ben_franklins_worldThe Atlantic World has brought many disparate peoples together, which has caused a lot of ideas and cultures to mix.

How did the Atlantic World bring so many different peoples and cultures together? How did this large intermixing of peoples and cultures impact the development of colonial America?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast About Early American History Kevin Dawson, an Associate Professor of History at the University of California-Merced and author of Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018), joins us to explore answers to these questions with an investigation of the African Diaspora and African and African American aquatic culture. [Read more…] about Aquatic Culture in Early America

Taverns in Early America

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ben_franklins_worldInns and taverns played prominent roles in early American life. They served the needs of travelers who needed food to eat and places to sleep. They offered local communities a form of poor relief. And they functioned as public spaces where men could gather to discuss news, organize movements, and to drink and play cards. [Read more…] about Taverns in Early America