The history of Brooklyn spans more than 350 years. The settlement began in the 17th century as the small Dutch-founded town of "Breuckelen" on the East River shore of Long Island, grew to be a sizable city in the 19th century, and was consolidated in 1898 with New York City (then confined to Manhattan and part of the Bronx), the remaining rural areas of Kings County, and the largely rural areas of Queens and Staten Island, to form the modern City of New York.
The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle the area on the western edge of Long Island, which was then largely inhabited by the Lenape, a Native American people who are often referred to in contemporary colonial documents by a variation of the place name "Canarsie." The "Breuckelen" settlement, named after Breukelen in the Netherlands, was part of New Netherland, and the Dutch West India Company lost little time in chartering the six original parishes (listed here first by their later, more common English names):
Many incidents and documents relating to this period are in Gabriel Furman's early (1824) compilation.
The capital of the colony, New Amsterdam across the river, obtained its charter later than Brooklyn did, in 1653.
What is today Brooklyn left Dutch hands after the final English conquest of New Netherland in 1664, in a prelude to the Second Anglo-Dutch War. New Netherland was taken in a naval action, and the conquerors renamed their prize in honor of the overall English naval commander, James, Duke of York; Brooklyn became a part of the Province of New York.
The English organized the six old Dutch towns of southwestern Long Island as Kings County on November 1, 1683, one of twelve counties then established in New York. This tract of land was recognized as a political entity for the first time, and the municipal groundwork was laid for a later expansive idea of Brooklyn identity.
Lacking the patroon and tenant farmer system of the Hudson Valley, this agricultural county came to have one of the highest percentages of slavery among the population in the Thirteen Colonies.[citation needed]
The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle the area on the western edge of Long Island, which was then largely inhabited by the Lenape, a Native American people who are often referred to in contemporary colonial documents by a variation of the place name "Canarsie." The "Breuckelen" settlement, named after Breukelen in the Netherlands, was part of New Netherland, and the Dutch West India Company lost little time in chartering the six original parishes (listed here first by their later, more common English names):
Many incidents and documents relating to this period are in Gabriel Furman's early (1824) compilation.
The capital of the colony, New Amsterdam across the river, obtained its charter later than Brooklyn did, in 1653.
What is today Brooklyn left Dutch hands after the final English conquest of New Netherland in 1664, in a prelude to the Second Anglo-Dutch War. New Netherland was taken in a naval action, and the conquerors renamed their prize in honor of the overall English naval commander, James, Duke of York; Brooklyn became a part of the Province of New York.
The English organized the six old Dutch towns of southwestern Long Island as Kings County on November 1, 1683, one of twelve counties then established in New York. This tract of land was recognized as a political entity for the first time, and the municipal groundwork was laid for a later expansive idea of Brooklyn identity.
Lacking the patroon and tenant farmer system of the Hudson Valley, this agricultural county came to have one of the highest percentages of slavery among the population in the Thirteen Colonies.[citation needed]
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The Brooklyn Academy of Music and Bargemusic in Downtown are both excellent options for concerts. During the summer season, Prospect Park hosts the Celebrate Brooklyn concert campaign every weekend in the Bandshell area of the park. There are also many concerts at churches and synagogues (for example in Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope), as well as at colleges (such as Brooklyn College and New York Technical College). Check the listings in newspapers like the New York Press and Village Voice, which also have websites.
Coney Island is home to the Brooklyn Cyclones, the New York Mets' single-A minor league baseball team. Brooklyn is also now home to the Brooklyn Nets NBA team, who play in the Barclays Center in Downtown.
There are a number of great places to walk for excellent views of Manhattan. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge—or if you prefer, the Manhattan or Williamsburg Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge itself is beautiful, and the view is splendid. You can also walk along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade or under the Brooklyn Bridge into the DUMBO neighborhood to get amazing views of Manhattan overlooking the East River.
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Downtown is where you'll find the one of the most famous of all New York landmarks: the Brooklyn Bridge, which connects the borough to Lower Manhattan. Grand Army Plaza marks the gateway to Prospect Park, and is home to the distinctive Soldiers and Sailors Arch. Coney Island is a hotspot during the summer season. One could go for a day and enjoy the beach and beach vendors, then at night visit Luna Park and ride rides for a cheap price or watch a game at the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball field. Among the attractions is the Coney Island Cyclone, one of the world's oldest and still operating wooden roller coasters.
Prospect Park is home to the Brooklyn Museum, NYC's second largest art museum. Downtown is home to the New York Transit Museum. Bedford-Stuyvesant and Flatbush are home to the Brooklyn Children's Museum and the Jewish Children's Museum, which is the largest Jewish-themed children's museum in the United States. Williamsburg is home to the Hogar Collection.
Prospect Park is home to, of course, Prospect Park, designed by Olmsted and Vaux, who also designed Manhattan's Central Park but preferred their Brooklyn creation. Adjacent to the park is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a 52-acre garden that is home to more than 10,000 taxa of plants. Marine Park is a public park that is located in the Marine Park neighborhood and surrounds the westernmost inlet of Jamaica Bay. It has about 800 acres and has a bike path, handball court, shuffleboard court and playground. The park is mainly a fertile salt marsh that is supplied with freshwater from Gerritsen Creek.