Before the Bill of Rights, before the War for Independence, before even the British, another great story unfolded in New York. It is the story of a Dutch settlement on the southern tip of Manhattan where citizens from different countries, speaking different languages and worshiping different gods, banded together to tame a wilderness and reshaped history in the process.
This free, one-hour audio walking tour features commentary from Russell Shorto, author of the bestselling book The Island at the Center of the World and Eric Sanderson, landscape ecologist and author of Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City. The tour begins at Castle Clinton and ends at Federal Hall, across from the New York Stock Exchange. Stops include the sites of Peter Stuyvesant’s house, Fort Amsterdam and more.
By the early 18th century, New York City was second only to Charleston, South Carolina as an urban center of slavery. Four in 10 households owned at least one enslaved person. Kidnapped, sold and put to work in the most objectionable jobs, hear their stories of struggle and triumph — from New Amsterdam where freedom could be earned to colonial New York, where subversive retention of culture was a rare victory in the face of oppression.
Written and narrated by Sam Roberts, Urban Affairs Correspondent, The New York Times, this audio walking tour features commentary from noted historians including Mike Wallace, author of Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 and Christopher Moore, historian, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The tour begins at Castle Clinton and ends at the African Burial Ground. Stops include the sites of the Wall Street slave market, African Pinkster celebration and more.
Unlike Boston and Philadelphia, New York’s Revolutionary War history is often hidden from view. Hear about the people and visit the places that shaped the city and fueled a legacy of resilience that saw it through the darkest of days of 1776 and more recently 2001. From a seven-year British occupation to short-lived glory as the republic’s first capital; from the disastrous fire that razed a quarter of its structures to a reemergence as a global metropolis.
This free, one-hour audio walking tour is written and narrated by Sam Roberts, Urban Affairs Correspondent, The New York Times, and features commentary from Mike Wallace, author of Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898. The tour begins at Castle Clinton and ends at St. Paul’s Chapel. Stops include the sites of Fort George, the tavern of spy Samuel Fraunces and more.
For a brief moment in August of 1776, the success of the American quest for independence hinged on a daring midnight retreat by a defeated General George Washington and the Continental Army across the East River to Manhattan. Vanquished by the British in the battle of Brooklyn, they would survive to fight another day. In fact, Washington would liberate New York City seven years later and become the first President, in this the nation’s first capital.
The tour begins at Castle Clinton and ends at Federal Hall. Stops include the chapel where Washington worshiped, the site where he was inaugurated and more.
