 |
| Fort George as seen from the south
This
site has served three very different functions over the course of the
city’s history:
1) as the military
defense of the city when it was a Dutch and British colony.
* was headquarters for Peter Stuyvesant
* The Dutch surrendered to British - and later the British surrendered to the Americans here
* The fort was the target of the angry Stamp Act rioters, who hanged the governor in effigy and burned his coach.
2) as the
Federal Customs House for the port in the late 1800's.
* the size and ornate design symbolized the importance of NYC trade to the nation during an era when the US became a global economic power
3) as the National Museum of the American Indian today.
* Does anyone see the irony of this as the site for a museum devoted to Native American art and culture?
|
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Stop #2: Fort George/Customs House/Museum of the Native American
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Was the fort really necessary? What might some of the consequences have been without it?
ReplyDeleteI can see the irony. The fact that a fort made to defend NYC from attacks was made to a American Indian Museum is humorous. One of the enemies the fort was built to defend from was the Natives. They constantly posed a threat to NYC especially after Kieft and Stuyvesant enforced laws against them. Thus making a museum for Natives in a place that has a history of people against Indians is ironic.
ReplyDeleteWhy did they decide to make this site into a museum donated to Native American art and culture? Was there anything that sparked this?
ReplyDeleteDara - When the Dutch built the fort, it was seen as necessary since the Dutch colony was sandwiched between the British to the north (Mass.) and south (VA), and the Dutch and British were fierce rivals for trade and power.
ReplyDeleteBlair - this is a good question, and I am having trouble finding any info on why they located the museum there. It was not because the site had special significance to the Native Americans or their history. Perhaps it was logistical - that there was a magnificent building without purpose and located in a tourist-heavy zone?
ReplyDelete