New York City

War History of New York City

New York City, from its founding as a Dutch trading post in 1624 to the present day, has played a pivotal role in the military conflicts and wars of America and the world. As the gateway for millions of immigrants and the center of American financial and military power, this city has repeatedly been the site of war, occupation, and resistance.

Colonial Era: From New Amsterdam to New York

In 1624, the Dutch West India Company established Fort Amsterdam at the southern tip of Manhattan. Ten years later, Kieft's War (1643–1645), led by Governor Willem Kieft of New Netherland, resulted in the systematic genocide of the Lenape people. Kieft ordered attacks on Lenape villages, killing women and children. An estimated 1,100 Natives were killed in these attacks. In 1664, an English fleet attacked New York Harbor and captured the colony without firing a shot. Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant was forced to surrender, and the city was renamed 'New York' after the Duke of York. The English immediately built military fortifications in Lower Manhattan.

American Revolution: Seven Years of British Occupation

New York City was the most strategically important city in the American Revolutionary War. At the Battle of Long Island in August 1776, George Washington's 20,000 soldiers were defeated by 32,000 British troops under General William Howe. Washington saved his army through a daring nighttime retreat across the East River. From September 1776 to November 1783, the British occupied New York City and turned it into their main military headquarters in America. During the occupation, the Great Fire of New York in September 1776 destroyed one-quarter of the city. The British turned the city into a military fortress. American prisoners were held in prison ships in Wallabout Bay (Brooklyn) in inhumane conditions. Of 11,000 prisoners, over 8,000 died of starvation and disease.

Civil War and Draft Riots

During the American Civil War (1861–1865), New York City was deeply divided due to its economic ties to the slave-owning South. The NYC Draft Riots of July 1863 lasted five days and became the worst civil disturbance in American history. Angry white mobs, who could buy exemptions from the draft, attacked Black neighborhoods. They threw children out of the Colored Orphan Asylum and burned the building. At least 120 people were killed and over 2,000 wounded. Federal troops had to occupy the city to restore order.

World War II and Brooklyn Navy Yard

During World War II, the Brooklyn Navy Yard became the largest shipyard in the world. Over 70,000 workers, one-third of them Black and women, worked here. The USS Missouri, USS Enterprise, and USS Arizona were built here. New York Harbor was the main embarkation point for American troops. Over 3 million soldiers were deployed to war fronts through New York Harbor.

September 11, 2001 and the War on Terror

On September 11, 2001, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center towers in Lower Manhattan. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and reduced the towers to rubble. The site became a mass grave. Cleanup took nine months, and thousands of first responders were exposed to toxic dust. After the attacks, the NYPD created a massive surveillance apparatus targeting Muslim communities, and police funding increased dramatically.