Empire City: New York Through the CenturiesKenneth T. Jackson, David S. Dunbar As perhaps never before in its extraordinary history, New York has captured the American imagination. This major anthology brings together not only the best literary writing about New York--from O. Henry, Theodore Dreiser, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Paul Auster, and James Baldwin, among many others--but also the most revealing essays by politicians, philosophers, city planners, social critics, visitors, immigrants, journalists, and historians. The anthology begins with an account of Henry Hudson's voyage in 1609 and ends with an essay written especially for this book by John P. Avlon, former Mayor Rudolph Guiliani's speechwriter, called "The Resilient City," on the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center as observed from City Hall. The editors have chosen some familiar favorites, such as Washington Irving's A History of New York and Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," as well as lesser-known literary and historical gems, such as Frederick Law Olmsted's plan for Central Park and Cynthia Ozick's "The Synthetic Sublime"--an updated answer to E. B. White's classic essay Here Is New York, which is also included. The variety and originality of the selections in Empire City offer a captivating account of New York's growth, and reveal often forgotten aspects of its political, literary, and social history. |
Contents
Preface χν | 1 |
COLONIAL PERIOD 16241783 | 15 |
Account of Henry Hudsons Voyage in 1609 | 23 |
The Representation of New Netherland 1650 | 30 |
Description of the Towne of Mannadens ANONYMOUS 1661 | 36 |
True Copy of Articles Whereupon The New Netherlands Were | 42 |
Benjamin Blagges Memorial from The Documentary | 50 |
From the New York Weekly Journal March 11 1733 | 56 |
From Plunkitt of Tammany Hall WILLIAM RIORDON 1905 | 488 |
The Spirit of the Girl Strikers from The Outlook | 506 |
From The Autobiography of an ExColored Man | 519 |
Compact Between the States of New York and New Jersey The Port | 530 |
From The Color of a Great City 1923 THEODORE DREISER | 536 |
Arrangement in Black and White DOROTHY PARKER 1927 | 548 |
General Retrospect and Summary from The Graphic Regional | 555 |
Selected Writings of THOMAS WOLFE 19251935 1935 | 564 |
The Great Negro Plot of 1741 from The New York Conspiracy | 65 |
State of the Province of New York Cadwallader Colden 1765 | 81 |
The Forgotten Saga of the Prison Ships | 94 |
From An Excursion to the United States of North America in the Summer | 107 |
Free Schools DEWITT CLINTON 1809 | 124 |
From Travels Through North America KARL BERNHARD | 143 |
From Travels in North America in the Years 1827 and 1828 | 152 |
From America and the Americans JAMES BOARDMAN 1833 | 159 |
1835 1847 1849 PHILIP HONE | 165 |
From Cinco meses en los EstadosUnidos de la América del Norte desde el 20 | 171 |
From Democracy in America ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE 1835 | 178 |
From American Notes for General Circulation | 186 |
Two Worlds from Journal RICHARD HENRY DANA 1843 | 195 |
1857 1859 1863 1869 GEORGE TEMPLETON STRONG | 202 |
From Travels in the United States during 1849 and 1850 LADY | 209 |
From MobyDick HERMAN MELVILLE 1851 | 222 |
Containing Remarks on Some of | 228 |
Skizzen aus dem Amerikanischen Leben | 240 |
From Life and Liberty in America CHARLES MACKAY 1859 | 244 |
INDUSTRIAL METROPOLIS 18601898 | 255 |
Selected Writings of African Americans in Brooklyn 18491928 | 261 |
The Republic of NewYork from Debows Review | 268 |
Selected Writings on Central Park | 278 |
The Life of the Street Rats from The Dangerous Classes of New York | 292 |
Sandhog from My Life and Loves FRANK HARRIS 1922 | 301 |
ViceBuster from Frauds Exposed ANTHONY COMSTOCK 1880 | 311 |
The Senate Committee on the Relations Between Labor and Capital | 318 |
Experience of a Chinese Journalist from Puck | 329 |
From How the Other Half Lives JACOB RIIS 1890 | 338 |
A Glimpse of High Society from Society as I Have Found | 356 |
From New York History 18601890 THEODORE ROOSEVELT 1891 | 362 |
From Darkness and Daylight HELEN CAMPBELL 1892 | 370 |
Minetta Lane STEPHEN CRANE 1896 | 383 |
Selected Writings by COLONEL GEORGE WARING 1897 1899 | 390 |
WORLD CITY 18981948 | 397 |
The TenementHouse Exhibition of 1899 | 422 |
The Plan of a City JEAN SCHOPFER 1902 | 436 |
From The Gospel of Wealth ANDREW CARNEGIE 1903 | 452 |
The Days Work of a New Law Tenement Inspector from Charities | 474 |
Harlem Runs Wild CLAUDE MCKAY 1935 | 575 |
The ManMoth ELIZABETH BISHOP 1935 | 582 |
The Fourteenth Ward from Black Spring HENRY MILLER 1936 | 592 |
My Lost City from The CrackUp F SCOTT FITZGERALD 1936 | 602 |
The Fairy Catastrophe from When the Cathedrals Were White | 611 |
Apology for Breathing from Back Where I Came From | 619 |
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities DELMORE SCHWARTZ 1938 | 639 |
Ten Misconceptions of New York FIORELLO LA GUARDIA 1939 | 647 |
The Eighty Yard Run IRWIN SHAW 1942 | 653 |
The Making of a New Yorker JOHN STEINBECK 1943 | 666 |
Voice WOODY GUTHRIE 1945 | 673 |
WORLD CAPITAL 19482002 | 683 |
A Place Any Place to Transcend All Places | 691 |
Here Is New York E B WHITE 1949 | 695 |
Selected Writings of LANGSTON HUGHES | 712 |
The King of Harlem FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA 1955 | 720 |
Remarks on the Groundbreaking at Lincoln Square | 736 |
New York Scenes from Lonesome Traveler JACK KEROUAC 1960 | 750 |
The Warhol 60s | 760 |
Introduction and Summary from The Second Regional Plan 1968 | 767 |
Goodbye to All That JOAN DIDION 1968 | 779 |
The Yankees BRUCE CATTON 1968 | 788 |
Giving a Damn About Hell from Robert Kennedy | 798 |
13Point Program and Platform YOUNG LORDS PARTY 1969 | 808 |
From Radical Chic and MauMauing the Flak Catchers | 815 |
The Harlem Tragedy of Earl Manigault from The City | 824 |
Ode to New York REED WHITTEMORE 1974 | 834 |
The Brooklyn Bridge from Sketches from Life | 840 |
The Transformation of a Civic | 851 |
Auggie Wrens Christmas Story PAUL AUSTER 1990 | 863 |
Autumn in New York MURRAY KEMPTON 1990 | 870 |
Manhattan 1976 from About This Life BARRY LOPEZ 1993 | 873 |
Talk That Talk from In the Place to Be GUY TREBAY 1994 | 891 |
The Search for the Perfect Slice | 905 |
Someplace in Queens IAN FRAZIER 1998 | 918 |
Walking Freestyle Through the Upper East | 937 |
Science Fiction JUNOT DIAZ 2000 | 962 |
Sources and Acknowledgments | 977 |
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Empire City: New York Through the Centuries Kenneth T. Jackson,David S. Dunbar No preview available - 2002 |