-the site has been used as a pasture, a prison, a parade ground and a public execution site
-From 1653-1699 this area was known as the commons.
-western boundary used to be a native american trial
-today it is broadway
-construction began in 1757 on the debtors prison and the soldiers barracks which is now where the Tweed courthouse stands.
-Protesters in 1766 protested the Stamp Act of 1765. In protest, a liberty pole was erected.
-the mast was topped with a vane that said "liberty"
-a replica, built in 1921, was placed near the spot of where the original one was.
-During the American Revolution the British controlled New York and used the debtors prison to hold prisoners of war and behind the soldiers barracks they executed soldiers, around 250 of them at the gallows.
-1803 the cornerstone was laid for the current city hall. The design was made by Joseph Mangin and john
-in 1818 the rotunda was built at the northeast corner
-this housed the first art museum in New York City
Is the replica of the liberty pole still standing?
ReplyDeleteYes, it is located on the west side of City Hall -- far from where we were yesterday.. But yo can see it from the sidewalk along Broadway.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for anyone: The liberty pole was a much contested symbol of the colonial resistance to Britain. Can anyone think of a similarly contested or controversial symbol - from history or today?
ReplyDeleteThe swastika comes to mind. It used to be an ancient Indian symbol with very spiritual connotations. When the Aryans were in India they took the symbol back with them, and since Hitler had such an affinity for the Aryans, he made it the symbol for Nazi Germany. What was once a symbol with good connotations now is a symbol with very bad connotations.
ReplyDeleteAnd today it is also controversial as a symbol for white supremacy -- as is the Confederate battle flag. In recent years, there have been court and political battles (not violent or physical ones as with the liberty pole) by African American groups to get the Confederate symbol removed from several state flags in the South.
ReplyDelete