The history of Brooklyn began in 1636, when Kings County was founded. In the 19th century, Brooklyn transformed from a tiny agricultural backwater into the third-largest city in the United States. Civic pride was at its highest during those times. Many Brooklyn residents felt that they needed to honor their city’s rural past before it was quickly erased from memory.
Over the next century, Brooklyn underwent a process of consolidation into the city of Greater New York. It played a role in historical conflicts, such as its use as the headquarters of the Red Cross during World War I, and faced its own challenges. The city struggled with deindustrialization, economic decline, and social change. Even today, there are voices questioning whether Brooklyn should have joined New York City, but you can read more about this at brooklyn-yes.com.
The first settlements
Today, Brooklyn is not only the most populous borough in New York City, but also a historical and cultural center with a long and fascinating history. In short, Brooklyn’s beginnings date back to the 1630s, when Dutch colonists founded the city of Broekelen. This was facilitated by its geographical location, especially the presence of a river.
Although, it all started long before Columbus discovered the New World. Brooklyn, located on the southern tip of Long Island, was originally inhabited by a group of American Indians who called themselves the Lenape, which means “people.” Among them were the Nayak and Canarsie, who grew corn and tobacco and fished in the rivers.
The Dutch, who settled in Manhattan in the early 1600s, called their neighbors “river Indians” or “wild people.” They began purchasing land across the river in 1636, and their fortunes often contrasted with those of the American Indians. As a result of diseases such as smallpox that were new to the Americas, wars, land deals that were not always fair, and other factors, by the 1680s the indigenous population had lost all rights to the hilly, densely forested landscape.
It was then that the Dutch founded five villages – Bushwick, Broekelen, Flatbush, Flatlands, and New Utrecht. Later, in 1643, a lady founded another village called Gravesend. This was done by Deborah Moody, an Englishwoman who was fleeing religious persecution in England and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The British took over the Dutch territory in 1674 and merged the six villages into one county, Kings, which became part of the crown colony of New York.
A census conducted in 1698 counted 2017 people in the newly created county. About half of the early settlers were Dutch. In addition, there were immigrants from Germany, England, France, and Scandinavia, including a large number of black slaves brought from Africa.
The beginning of a great union
Until the end of the nineteenth century, Brooklyn was alive and well, both economically and culturally. It became one of the largest and most populous cities in the United States. But on a fateful day, January 1, 1898, the city of Brooklyn disappeared, and Brooklyn, the outer borough, was born. The same fate awaited the former neighbors – the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.
The decision to unite all the boroughs around Manhattan into one central city was made easily, quickly, and carefree. Politicians, businessmen, mayors, and ordinary citizens argued and lobbied for both solutions, and there are those who have been against it for almost 20 years.
The consolidation of New York City required enormous amounts of money and power, as well as consideration of business interests, tax revenues, city bureaucracy, social issues, and civic identity. Some people saw it as inevitable and progressive, but for others it was the end of the world as they imagined it and called it the death of Brooklyn.
The bill that created the municipality of New York City was signed on May 1, 1897, but negotiations continued for years, especially as it relates to the city of Brooklyn and the city of New York. The fact is that many of Brooklyn’s transportation achievements revolved around its location as a midpoint between the important and productive agricultural regions of East Brooklyn and Long Island. But there were also economically advantageous facts about Lower Manhattan, such as the presence of ports, businesses, and financial power.
When the ferry service between Brooklyn and Manhattan was successfully established in the late 1700s, Brooklyn effectively became the first suburb of New York City. The steamboat ferry lines of the early 1800s cemented this status.
But the entirety of Kings County was a collection of boroughs, each with its own governing bodies, elected officials, and distinctive identity. Being part of one borough did not mean being part of the city of Brooklyn.
The boomerang rule
By the way, Brooklyn, which is known all over the world today, originally consisted of six separate cities. Five of them were Dutch and one was English. These cities were settled in the early and mid-1600s. The towns of Brooklyn, Flatbush, New Utrecht, Flatlands, Bushwick, and Gravesend were incorporated into the County of Kings in 1683, 20 years after the British capture of New Amsterdam. But they still remained independent cities, with smaller villages and hamlets within their larger borders.
The cities of Brooklyn and Williamsburg were incorporated in 1854, and Brooklyn annexed the town of New Lots in 1886. Flatbush, Gravesend, and New Utrecht became part of Brooklyn in 1894, and Flatlands, the last stand, completed its annexation to the city of Brooklyn in 1896.
Interestingly, not all of these annexations were voluntary, without a struggle. The town of Flatbush was particularly notable, where residents voted against joining Brooklyn, but that’s another story entirely.
And then came January 1898. Prior to this either lucky or big mistake, Brooklyn had its own transportation centers, railroad and tram lines, and roads. It had its own independent parks, police, correctional and fire services, water and gas companies, and later telephone and electricity companies, as well as a separate and very progressive public school system.
In addition, Brooklyn had its own government, courts, and newspapers, and even if it had been located elsewhere, it would still have been an independent and successful city. But it was located right across the river from Manhattan, and the future of the two cities would always be linked.
Competition with Manhattan
All this time, Brooklyn competed with Manhattan to determine which city could be better. Many parents and supporters of Victorian-era Brooklyn invested a lot of time and money to make it a first-class city.
Manhattan received Central Park, created by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Brooklyn received an even better project from them — Prospect Park. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan? Don’t make native Brooklynese laugh, but meet the much larger Brooklyn Museum of Art and Science, now called the Brooklyn Museum. And so on and so forth.
And the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge was indeed a turning point and a catalyst for discussions about the unification of Manhattan and Brooklyn. And it did happen. On January 1, 1898, the city of Brooklyn disappeared, and the outer borough was born.
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