While Fred E. French's development Tudor City flourished, the perils of private-sector redevelopment emerged at French’s next major project, Knickerbocker Village, located on the Lower East Side near the Manhattan Bridge. When his plans, which included the demolition of the infamous “Lung Block,” faltered in the Depression economy, he was left holding 14.5 acres of tenement property, optioned at about $14 psf. In 1933, French went hat-in-hand to the federal government’s Reconstruction Finance Corporation to beg for millions to realize his dream. Federal officials provided only enough for part of the project: two massive perimeter blocks that, at 12 stories, rose high above the surrounding tenements, yet covered just about half the land. The project achieved a density of 800 people per acre. NYCHA’s first Chair, Langdon Post, called Knickerbocker Village “new types of slums,” but the tenants disagreed after repairs were made to the hastily-built buildings.

The Civil War marks one of the bloodiest events in American history. During the Constitutional Convention, compromises regarding slavery were made in order to ratify the Constitution and form the United States of America. The framers of the Constitution recognized the moral issues surrounding the slave trade but many were not prepared to give up slavery's economic benefits, in order to make true the phrase "All Men are Created Equal." As the nation expanded westward, the debate over slavery intensified. The northern states, who largely opposed slavery's expansion believed the federal government should stop its spread. The southern states rallied behind the notion of state's rights in order to protect their slave-trading interests and allow for its expansion to the newly forming states in the West. Tensions, which had been largely kept in check throughout the 1840s and 50s reached a boiling point with the election of President Lincoln in 1860. Following his inauguration, several states succeeded from the Union, sparking a brutal war lasting four years. The war resulted in the end of slavery throughout the United States and the passage of important Constitutional Amendments, which would be used throughout the nation's history to advance civil rights to marginalized groups. As you explore some of the important locations associated with the war in New York, consider the following questions: What role did New York play in the Civil War? What effects did the Civil War have on the "home front?" New York Social Studies Scope and Sequence Standards 4.5c, 7.8c,d, & 11.3c For Teachers: Lesson Plan for Civil War in New York

In its history, New York City has seen its fair share of accidents, disasters, and catastrophes. Some have been man-made, while others were the work of Mother Nature. These events have, over time, altered and shaped the city and its citizens.

One sure-fire way to lose a presidential election? Become the mayor of New York City first. Running the country’s most populous city seems like an excellent résumé booster, but every NYC mayor who’s tried has failed to secure the nation’s highest office. By Serena Troshynski, Reference Librarian, NYPL Milstein Division of U.S. History, Local History, and Genealogy.

New Yorkers are known for having strong opinions, but sometimes things get out of hand. This collection examines riots throughout New York's history, from the start of the LGBTQ movement at Stonewall to the race riots of the Civil War to a good old fashioned brawl between actors' fans.

"Riots in New York July-Aug '63; northeast corner of Catherine and Cherry Street during the Draft Riots in 1863." The New York City Draft Riots were a week-long violent action that occurred in Manhattan in the summer of 1863. The impetus for the riots was discontent among working-class populations (largely Irish immigrants) with new laws regarding a draft for the Civil War. The working classes were upset at the wealthy who could buy their way out of conscription for $300. What began as a discontent regarding the draft, in the days as the first draft numbers were being drawn, quickly devolved into race riots. White mobs attacked black people and their homes, public buildings, the homes of abolitionists, churches, and in a violent conflagration, the Colored Orphan Asylum at 44th Street and Fifth Avenue was burned to the ground. The police department attempted to quell the violence but had little luck. (The police superintendent John Alexander Kennedy was brutally beaten.) The military eventually arrived and by July 16 (four days after the riot had begun) there were several thousand Federal troops in the city, and news had begun to spread that the draft was being postponed. The results of the riots were drastic, 120 people killed, more than 2000 injured, hundreds of homes and business damaged and 11 black men lynched. As a result of this violence, many blacks who lived in Manhattan left the city and moved to Brooklyn. The population shift was so dramatic that by 1865, the number of blacks living in Manhattan was lower than it had been in 1820.