Architecture and the City

Reading: Russell Shorto, Island at the Center of the World (Prologue, and pp. 93-128)

Opinion Paper/Reaction Paper Question on the Reading: What is the source of the conflicts with the Native Americans that begins several years after the Dutch settle in Manhattan? How do you think Adriaen van der Donck regarded these conflicts? Can you detect any similarities between the Dutch-Indian conflicts and any other military conflicts you may know about  from history or even from the present day? What do people tend to fight about most? Why?

Oh, we know why there was early conflicts. The Native Americans got shafted with that measly .25 cents or whatever small amount of token money. The Dutch expanded and didn’t really follow their agreements and then run into resistance from the Native Americans and then things get messy. Van der Donck regarded these conflicts as natural and expected. He was sympathetic to the Native Americans but also was observant to the interests of New Amsterdam.

There are similarities between military conflicts of the Dutch and Native Americans. It sounds very much like what is happening in Israel. People are very emotional and stern and stubborn when it comes to land. They will not buckle down as it is tied down to tradition, history and livelihood. Most people would rather have their land pried off their dead hands than submit willingly.

Reading: Historical Atlas of New York City, pp. 16-39

New York: An Illustrated History, Introduction, and pp. 5-29

Opinion Paper/Reaction Paper Question on the Reading: How does your reading of these sections of the two books alter your perceptions of New York City and its History? What is the most surprising thing you learned?
To be frank, I loath and hate the explorer stories of the discovery of America. Let me repeat: I. hate. them.

The arrogance, the entitlement, the exploitation, the backhandedness, the bravery of the Europeans to so boldly mock, insult, take advantage of and murder the Native Americans: “Hello Mr. Indian Man. Let me get my Barbarian fix on and chop off the heads of your women and children and bring ’em back to the camp and gloat them in front of my buddies.(p. 12)  Oh, and by the way: Heeeere’s smallpox!” Really, it’s such a classy story that it gets me into hives each time I see an ugly, pretentious illustration in a history book.

God, the early colonial history stuff also bores and aggravates the hell out of me.
I’m sorry, I don’t have the stomach to write in detail about how chivalrous or of how much extraordinary character these sissy men so nobly and cowardly acted.

Though, on a more positive note, I’d like to thank the Dutch for their contribution of the cool names we have in New York and that is all. But I also know why I never liked the name Stuyvesant. God, what a racist dick (p. 13-4). My old boss went to Stuyvesant High School (supposedly an amazing and prestigious nyc high school) and was a huge, stupid, fat bitch and gloated about it, however she turned out to be a college dropout. Stuyvesant Town is now home to douchey investment bankers and pseudo-professional consultants of questionable talent and expertise. But I feel bad the English were even bigger assholes, but at least he got to live the rest of his days in Greenwich Village before it turned out to be what it is now.

But back to general areas of annoyance:
– I learned that even the first person to set foot on Staten Island thought it was a hellhole. So it’s a pervasive and universal feeling that the Island is bland, unremarkable and boring named after the king’s bastard son. Verrazano, who couldn’t be bothered to make anything of it and who by the way also sounds like sort of a priggish dick, is an apt and appropriate name for the bridge.

– The Duke of York was the 17th century equivalent of Gossip Girl.

*Really, I’m sorry for my negative tone. None of this particular history excites me, whatsoever. I’ll make up for it with a more detailed reflection on New York in its later years.