The New York Colony

Children's Literature

New York stands out as one of the leading states in America. New York has a large population and some of the leading commercial centers in the United States. However, years ago, New York was no more than a staging area for native peoples to maintain their traditional societies. Over time European colonists arrived from places like Holland and England. The arrival of these settlers fundamentally changed the nature of society in this region. Cities began to grow as the Europeans drove Native Americans out of their traditional homelands. Once established, Europeans developed areas of New York as agricultural centers as well as municipal trading hubs. There, the seeds of mercantile development grew and New York became one of the most productive of the Thirteen Colonies established by the British. This prosperity fueled disaffection with the motherland and led New Yorkers to become leading lights in the American Revolution. Fully one-third of the major military engagements of the Revolutionary War occurred in New York. After the war New Yorkers voted to ratify the U.S. Constitution and became the eleventh state in the Republic. The story of New York and its settlers is the subject of this chapter in the "Our Thirteen Colonies" series. Through a reasonably well-written text and numerous illustrations, author Barbara Somerville tells this complex story. Although somewhat scattered in its presentation, this book serves as a reasonable introduction to this portion of Colonial America. 2004, The Child's World, Ages 8 to 10.
— Greg M. Romaneck