HIST OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

2026 marks the 400th anniversary of the famous transfer of the island of Manhattan from its native inhabitants to the Dutch West India Company, allegedly for goods worth approximately $24 guilders or $1000. No formal bill of sale exists and there is no record of what this might have meant to the Lenape (or Munsee) people who lived on the island prior to Dutch settlement, but this shadowy real estate transaction marks the formal establishment of the settlement that would eventually grow into New York City.

This special version of the History of the City of New York will explore the history of the city on its 400th birthday. In a year when the nation will be commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this unique lecture course will ask how American history looks different when we take New York as a starting point. Trade, conquest, diversity, immigration, finance, industry, radicalism, conservatism, gender, sexuality, art: New York City has been a center of exploration of all of these throughout its history, a place where generations have asked what it means to live together democratically.

Featuring field trips, walking tours, and guest lectures by leading Columbia historians of the city who approach New York from multiple vantage points, this course will bring together Columbia undergraduates and members of the broader Morningside community to explore the city that is home to us all.