The Empire Strikes Back: War and Freedom in Colonial New York

When asked which city comes to mind when thinking about American Independence and the Revolutionary War, one may guess Boston or Philadelphia, and yet, it was New York City where Washington commanded the Continental Army in the summer of 1776, where the British made their last stand until 1783, and where the first capital of the United States was declared.

It was in New York that the British Empire declared its capital on the American continent, striking back against the rebels in 1776 when they declared their freedom. And for seven years thereafter, New York remained a British-occupied city, divided internally by a population consisting of both American Patriots and a large number of British Loyalists.

New York thus became a city of contradictions: a wildly diverse metropolis that still displaced its Indigenous populations and a symbol of freedom where slavery was still upheld. Indigenous communities and enslaved Africans fought on both sides of this war, hoping that it would yield a more just outcome for them, and setting the stage for future struggles for a free society.

In this tour, we will trace the footsteps of the Revolution in New York, visiting a park where a statue of King George once stood before Patriots took it down; a tavern where battle strategies were drawn up; the sites of Washington’s Farewell Address as General and Inauguration as President; the burial place of Alexander Hamilton; and more.