The Untold History of Brooklyn

The history of Brooklyn had begun its journey long before the Columbus was able to find the new world of Brooklyn. This place is situated in the Southern Area of the Long Islands was actually controlled by some American-Indians who were knwon as Lenape (the People). These people used to live their lives based on agriculture and fishing.

The Dutch Started Their Journey

The Dutch settled in the Manhattan and it was the early 1600s. They used to call their neighbors “River Indians” or “Wild People”. They started buying land all around Manhattan, including the lands acroos the river in 1636. The Dutch soon started to strengthen their grip all over the places and the Indians were forced to go deep into the forests.

British Take Over and The Era of Slavery

The Dutch were able to establish 5 villages- Brooklyn, Bushwick, Flatbush, Flatlands, and Utrecht. The sixth village called Gravesend was founded in 1643. It was founded by a British Lady named Deborah Moody. She was fleeing around the America for a religious purpose. Then, the British took over the Dutch force. The six villages were then included in the Kings County and British Culture started making its mark in the history of Brooklyn.

A census report of 1698 shows there were 2,017 people residing in these six villages. Sadly, the numbers of Indians were not many. Most of the people living there were from the Dutch background and some were from Germany, France, and Scandinavia. The numbers also included a bulk of black people who were brought in as slaves. These people were there to serve those European people. The tradition of having slaves blossomed in these six villages and the rich people became richer. The situation became quite worse and remained same till the revolutionary war. In 1771, just prior to the revolutionary war, these black slaves represented 1/3 the people living in the Kings County. Sadly, this tradition went on legally until 1827, when slavery became prohibited in the New York.

British Occupied Brooklyn During Revolution War

During the Revolution, the British troops were able to take over the inexperienced army of George Washington. They won The Battle of Brooklyn on 1776. The Colonial force was, however, able to escape annihilation by fleeing away from the East River in a winter night. Manhattan and Brooklyn were occupied by the British during the Revolutionary War.

Current Situation

After that era, Brooklyn has blossomed under the American government. It is also the most populous city among the five boroughs of New York City. The place now has many attractions and that has been largely possible thanks to proper planning and execution of the American Federal Government. Brooklyn has made its name on the world map.

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