Oct. 17 Event: Lower Manhattan Revolutionary War Commemoration
Jim Kaplan writes:
This Saturday will mark a new milestone in the historical activities of the Lower Manhattan Historical Society and its constituent organizations. At 2:30 pm in Trinity Churchyard on October 17 (the exact anniversary of the British surrender at the pivotal battle of Saratoga) there will be a wreathlaying ceremony on the graves of General Horatio Gates, Alexander Hamilton & Col. Marinus Willett, commemorating the role of these great New Yorkers in the American victories at the battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, the new Vicar of Trinity Church, will provide introductory remarks, and Ambrose Richardson, President of the Sons of the Revolution, will be the Master of Ceremonies. We hope that as in prior years Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will attend (although this is not confirmed). The nature of the ceremonies is outlined here: 2015-10-17 (Saratoga - Yorktown Commemoration).
We believe that in the three short years the Commemoration has taken place it is growing to be one of New York City's major patriotic ceremonies, educating New Yorkers about the importance of the City and some of its early leaders in the American victories during the Revolution. The preliminary tour sponsored by Openhouse New York is already sold out, but I urge you all to attend the 2:30 wreathlaying at Trinity Churchyard.
--
James S. Kaplan
President, Lower Manhattan Historical Society.
Lower Manhattan Historical Society
Jim Kaplan, president of the Lower Manhattan Historical Society, reported to the LMHS members in a recent letter. Excerpts follow:
LMHS scored another great success with its sponsorship of Evacuation Day celebrations. As you hopefully all by now know, Evacuation Day (November 25, 1783) was the day that the last British troops left New York City and the United States ending the American Revolution. It was celebrated as a major holiday here in New York City until the beginning of the First World War. The centerpiece of these celebrations was a reenactment of the raising of the American flag at Bowling Green.
There have been sporadic attempts by various groups to revive this holiday since then and the LMHS decided at our last meeting to move to the forefront of these efforts. As a result, Art Piccolo had commissioned the manufacture of a large 13 star flag similar to the one that flew over Bowing Green in 1783, which was paid for by John Herzog, the founder of the American Museum of Finance. This Flag was first publicly presented on November 24, 2014 at the annual Evacuation Day dinner held by the Sons of the Revolution at Fraunces Tavern, which was the exact location of the dinner held on November 25, 1783 by George Washington and New York Governor George Clinton in honor of the return of the City to patriot control. The next day, November 25, 2014, at 12pm the LMHS sponsored a ceremony at which this flag was raised by among others my daughter Caroline Kaplan at Bowling Green (see attached photos). In attendance at the ceremony were LMHS director Wes Oler, John Herzog, reenactors from the United Colored Troops 1st Rhode Island and Marblehead sailors regiments, Wesley Chen of the Chinatown history project, a group from the Evacuation Day walking tour sponsored by the American Museum of Finance, and last but not least our irrepressible director Art Piccolo of the Bowling Green Association, who acted as unofficial master of ceremonies....
In addition at 1:15 pm starting at the Manhattan Borough President's office at the Municipal Building, I gave a walking tour of the City Hall area, including the history and iconography of the three great public buildings--City Hall, the Surrogate's Court and the Municipal Building--in which effort after almost 20 years I was reunited with my former Law Department and walking tour leader colleague, the noted New York historian and lecturer Warren Shaw....
Our next project will involve much more recent Lower Manhattan history, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the placement of Arturo Di Modica's Charging Bull at Bowling Green park. . . . [Also under discussion are] such future possible projects as a celebration of the birthday of Albert Gallatin in January (Gallatin, who is buried in Trinity Churchyard, was Jefferson's Secretary of the Treasury and the founder of NYU); a celebration of the 175th anniversary of the first time Silent Night was sung in the United States, which took place around Christmas at Trinity Churchyard; and a celebration honoring Alexander McDougall, a leading New York patriot from the Revolutionary War.
Hugh Scott: Reflections on Ferguson
Hugh Scott sent in the poignant reflections below:
From 1985 through 1999, I owned a business located at the corner of West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive in Ferguson, Missouri. Our company distributed and manufactured a variety of products used in industrial equipment. In 1985, West Florissant, while not an aesthetically beautiful commercial strip, was a thriving retail area which included a full scale shopping mall, two new car dealers, and a good mixture of ancillary retail and commercial businesses. Ferguson itself was an older well-regarded middle class inner ring suburb just north and west of the City of St. Louis.
During the time I owned my business on West Florissant, I was also involved in local politics both as an elected official in another town and as a member of several regional commissions. I was acquainted with the Mayor of Ferguson and several other officials from neighboring cities. During those years, Ferguson was regarded by most of us in government as a very well run mixed race community that embraced diversity.
Even in my early days as a business owner in Ferguson, the Canfield Green Apartments which adjoined my property were a source of concern. Most of the housing was for lower income people who were subsidized by Section 8 vouchers. Several of my associates personally observed significant gang and drug activity there. Geographically and demographically, Canfield Green was then (and continues to be today) an outlier and it seemed to be isolated from the rest of the City of Ferguson.
In the fifteen years since my departure, the retail base on West Florissant has changed. Like all older suburbs, stand-alone retail stores and single product car dealerships have been replaced by big box retail centers and mega car dealerships located in the outer suburbs. Convenience stores, liquor stores and auto repair shops now take the places of the former national brand stores and car dealers. Truthfully, the area has begun to look very tired.
While West Florissant Road deteriorated, the City of Ferguson began to thrive elsewhere. Just a few blocks over, the “Old Town” part of Ferguson experienced a renaissance. New restaurants and boutiques moved into older storefronts. Until the present events, Ferguson was becoming a destination for people from all over St. Louis. In fact, just two years ago, Ferguson was in the running to be named an “All American City.”
What Happened Beginning on August 9, 2014 (Undisputed Facts)
Unarmed Michael Brown, Jr. an 18 year old African American youth was shot and killed by a white Ferguson policeman. In the hour before his death, Brown, a very large man had strong armed a store keeper and stolen several cigars. The police officer, Darren Wilson, had confronted Brown and a friend on Canfield Drive. He asked (told) them not to walk in the middle of the street. An altercation leading to the shooting ensued. Other officers were called to the scene and it appeared that no one in authority was able to take charge. Brown’s body was left in the street uncovered for several hours until eventually removed by the Coroner
The County Prosecutor asked a sitting Grand Jury to investigate and consider charges against Officer Wilson. On November 24, the Grand Jury ruled that not enough evidence existed to indict Officer Wilson on any of four charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to first degree murder. Protesting, rioting and looting have occurred off and on in Ferguson and elsewhere since August 9.
Why Ferguson?
It is well known that tension exists between many African American male youths and anyone in authority. I am not an expert on the sociological reasons for this but I can say that I have personally observed this animosity on a number of occasions.
Adding to what I suspect is a universal situation between black youth and police, Ferguson possesses additional unique circumstances which tend to exacerbate the problem.
First, Ferguson has a majority black population but the City Council is predominately white. There is no hint of electoral corruption or polling place funny business. For unknown reasons, it seems that a large percentage of the black population does not vote in the same proportions as white voters.
Second, Ferguson is one the larger of a cluster of very small incorporated municipalities in north St. Louis County. These small villages and cities tend to have their own police departments and municipal courts. A significant portion of the revenue in these small towns is generated by automobile citations and court fines. Often, poor black drivers operate substandard unregistered and uninsured cars. While the police are perfectly justified in issuing citations, these small departments have become very proficient at making this type of traffic stop.
Likewise, the municipal courts are proficient at assessing fines which feed the city’s coffers. Often, black drivers are stopped in several different jurisdictions and given tickets for the same violations within a few hours. Faced with numerous court summons in several jurisdictions and few resources to pay fines, these folks just don’t show up in court. This results in an arrest warrant and the violator is taken to jail. Once the violation is cleared up in one jurisdiction, the arrestee is then taken to an adjacent municipality to answer for another warrant. Sometimes, individuals are held for several weeks while they “make the rounds” of all the jurisdictions where there are outstanding warrants against them.
It is of little wonder that the typical tension between African American youths and those in authority is even more intense in a city like Ferguson.
What I Feel as a Member of the St. Louis Community
I did not know Michael Brown, Jr. I have had a nodding acquaintance with his mother, Leslie McSpadden, who has waited on me at the deli counter of the market we shop in. She seems like an intelligent woman and I am sure she is devastated by this loss. My heart goes out to her.
When the looting started on August 9 and the QuikTrip and an adjacent store were vandalized, it became clear that the local police were not capable of handling the unrest. Other police units with riot equipment were called in, too late to save these buildings but in time to put down further trouble. I felt sure that more problems were ahead in Ferguson and that more manpower would be required to protect lives and property going forward. Unfortunately, some local leaders and the local media decried the use of riot squads and claimed “Gestapo” tactics were being used against peaceful protesters. By all appearances, much of the protesting was far from peaceful. Justified or not, the presence of riot police ended the looting that night.
Immediately after the shooting, there was a call for appointment of a special prosecutor. Apparently, the Governor of Missouri has the authority to make this appointment. When he declined to act, this left the matter in the hands of the local county Prosecuting Attorney, who is a long serving and well respected man. Unfortunately, many members of the African American community believe that the prosecutor is biased in favor of police because his father, a policeman, was murdered by a black criminal.
Here, the Governor created an impossible situation. If the prosecutor had recused himself, several convicted criminals would probably appeal their cases based on the appearance of bias on his part in favor of police in their own prosecutions. Thus, amidst severe and avoidable criticism, the matter was taken by the prosecutor to a Grand Jury. I have a great deal of difficulty understanding the Governor’s motivation in not acting here. To me, the appointment of a special prosecutor in all cases where a citizen is killed by an on-duty police officer makes great sense. If there are to be any good outcomes from this event, passage of legislation to this effect might be one.
When it became apparent that the Grand Jury was about to report its findings sometime during the week of November 23, the Governor declared an emergency and called in National Guard units. However, when the rioting began on the evening of November 24, the Guard was nowhere to be seen. Desperate to get help, the Mayor of Ferguson tried calling the Governor and the State Attorney General. Failing to reach them, he spoke to the Lt. Governor. He told him that his town was burning and that he needed to find the National Guard. Sadly, the National Guard did not appear until the fires were out of control and eight businesses were destroyed.
For me the behavior of the Governor both in the special prosecutor situation and in his failure to order the Guard into action is inexplicable. There is a suggestion that perhaps the Justice Department or the White House might have told the Governor not to use the National Guard. Regardless, the Governor’s inaction in both instances led to dire consequences. The unrest continues and it now has a life of its own.
In the end, I am sad for the St. Louis community that I have been a part of all of my life. I am sad that local and state authorities have demonstrated a lack of leadership and general incompetency in the wake of a crisis. I am sad that I believed that public officials were capable of more and they let me down. I am sad that my city has become the poster child for the racism which exists here but also exists in every other major urban area in the country. I am sad that 150 years after the emancipation proclamation by President Lincoln, serious racial divisions persist in this country.
Hugh Scott
November 2014
Oct. 12 Yorktown-Saratoga Celebration Trinity Churchyard
If you're in the NY area this weekend, join Jim Kaplan at the 2nd annual ceremony commemorating the Yorktown and Saratoga victories in the Revolutionary War. It's free and open to the public. Sun. Oct. 12 2:30 pm. Here's the Fraunces Tavern writeup:
The Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York (SRNY), the 1st New York Continental Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society (AHA), the Lower Manhattan Historical Society (LMHS), and the National Democratic Club are pleased to announce that they will be holding the second annual ceremony commemorating the American victories at the Battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. The ceremony will be held in historic Trinity Churchyard.
Wreaths will be laid at the recently installed plaque to General Horatio Gates, the commanding general at the Battle of Saratoga, on the tomb of Alexander Hamilton, who led the troops at the battle of Yorktown, and on the grave of Marinus Willet, a Revolutionary War hero and a New York City politician.
“The purpose of this tour and ceremony is to help New Yorkers understand the importance of these often forgotten Revolutionary War heroes, buried right in Lower Manhattan,” said [James] Kaplan [of LMHS and, not incidentally, Yale 71].
For more information about this historic event, please contact 212-425-1776.
*In the image above: General O’Hara surrendering the sword of General Cornwallis, who was indisposed, to General Washington. He, in turn, motions that it be given to General Lincoln, who, earlier in the war had been ill-treated by the British. French regiments are on the left side of the road, with General Rochambeau on horseback. American troops on right side. American officers to right of Washington – Von Steuben, Alexander Hamilton, Knox, Lincoln and Lafayette.
Jim Kaplan July 4th Walking Tour
This year's July 4th walking tour led by Jim Kaplan may well be sold out already, but here's an excerpt from the New Yorker's Above & Beyond calendar listings in the July 7 & 14 issue just out:
"Harking back to the tall-ship display that graced New York Harbor for the nation’s bicentennial, in 1976, an elaborate Fourth of July celebration is set for downtown this year. Spearheaded by James S. Kaplan, a lawyer, historian and walking-tour guide, and presented in conjunction with the Fraunces Tavern Museum, the Sons of the Revolution, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Park Service, and many other organizations, the festival includes a fifty-gun salute near Castle Clinton, readings at Federal Hall of the Declaration of Independence, walking tours, and other events. . . . Kaplan likes to get started early on the Fourth of July: for the past seventeen years he’s led a pre-dawn tour of downtown on that day. This year, he’s leaving at 3 a.m. (For more information, visit july4thinnewyork.com.)"
Paul Angiolillo Work at Watertown Gallery Show
Paul Angiolillo's sculpture will be at the Room 83 Spring gallery in Watertown, MA, in a group show, "Out of True," that runs April 17-May 29. The artists' reception is Sunday, May 11, 3-5 pm. See PDF below for more details:
Gallery Show Apr-May 2014 Angiolillo - PDF
Jim Rothman Q&A April 1 on @YaleLive
From news.yale.edu:
"James E. Rothman has plenty to say about life in science — and plenty to show for it, including a 2013 Nobel Prize. Now’s your chance to ask what he thinks, wherever in the world you are. The acclaimed cell biologist is scheduled to appear Tuesday, April 1 on @YaleLive, the university’s monthly live interview program.
"Viewers may submit questions before and during the broadcast via Yale’s Facebook page, Twitter@Yale, and socialmedia@yale.edu. The program broadcasts at noon EDT on the university’s YouTube channel."
As you know, our classmate Jim, who chairs Yale’s Department of Cell Biology, won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine last year for his work on, as the Nobel press announcement put it, "the exquisitely precise control system for the transport and delivery of cellular cargo" by means of tiny bubbles called vesicles. Jim is, among other things, a wonderful speaker, and it should be a lively and fun program.
Jim Kaplan Walking Tours - Spring 2014
Jim Kaplan writes:
To My Walking Tour and Historical Activity Participants
I am pleased to report the very exciting historical walking tours and lectures that I expect to undertake this spring and summer:
1. HELL'S KITCHEN: A POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE NEW YORK IRISH - Sunday March 23, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Leaves from St. Patrick's Cathedral.
The Sunday after St. Patrick's Day, I will for the fourth consecutive year be giving a tour on the political history of the New York Irish. It is now more than 40 years since I was assigned by Dick Morris to work for George McGovern at the McManus Democratic Club, whose leader James R. McManus has been the Democratic District leader in the Hell's Kitchen area for 50 years. In this unique tour I provide an inside view of the political history of Hell's Kitchen starting with its settlement by the immigrant Irish in the 1850's to its recent rise as a trendy New York neighborhood. I also discuss Archbishop Hughes and the importance of the Catholic Church in New York politics, the rise of the theater district, the fight against blight and pornography in the 1970's, and based on original research how Frances Perkins, FDR's Labor secretary and the creator of the New Deal Social Welfare policies, got her start when as a social worker in Hell's Kitchen she met Thomas J. McManus in 1910. The tour is sponsored by Culture Now, and you can sign up on their website. For more information do a Google search for "Tammany's Last Stand" to access my 10,000-word companion article, which covers most but not all of the tour.
Also I just spoke on a book panel about noted author Terry Golway's new book Machine Made, a new history of Tammany Hall, which I highly recommend.
2. TORONTO; FORT YORK AND THE BATTLE THAT CREATED CANANDA - May 2, 2014--In conjunction with the spring meeting of the New York State Bar Association Estate Section in Toronto, I will be leading a group to view Toronto's Fort York, site of one of the seminal battles in the War of 1812, in which American troops sacked the Canadian capital. As in prior Bar tours, the participants will hear a lecture on the building by a highly trained Canadian national park service guide. I will supplement this presentation with my own introduction describing the origins of the War of 1812, its impact on both Canada and the U.S., and how in 1814 Washington was burned in retaliation for the Battle of York. I will also discuss how on August 10, 1814 New York City was saved from British attack by Marinus Willett's stirring speech from the steps of newly constructed New York City Hall.
3. JULY 4 ALL NIGHT TOUR (3 A.M. to 7 A.M.)-- For the 18th consecutive year, I will be giving my highly acclaimed all night walking tour of Lower Manhattan sponsored by the Fraunces Tavern Museum (the audio of which for last year can also be heard on the Culture Now website). On the tour as in prior years I will discuss Jacob Leisler, Thomas Paine,and give the July 4th history of the City of New York in City Hall Park describing the building of the Erie Canal and the history of Tammany Hall (including my daughter Olivia's classic oration on Nathan Hale), and will provide my now famous discourse on General Horatio Gates and the critically important Battle of Saratoga. As you may know, as a result of this tour, the New York State Daughters of the American Revolution last October placed a marker in Trinity Church graveyard rescuing General Gates from 150 years of obscurity of an unmarked grave. In honor of this momentous event in the history of the City of New York, I have moved the time of the tour up one hour to 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. so that that the tour might be followed by a wreath-laying ceremony on the graves of Gates, Alexander Hamilton and Marinus Willett. Willett is a relatively new addition to my tour, first mentioned on last year's tour.
Also, note that a number of historical and other groups are planning an all-day Fourth of July festival in Lower Manhattan; possibilities include a reading of the Declaration of Independence at Federal Hall, a flag raising at Bowling Green, and a reading of George Washington's 1790 Newport Letter in front of Fraunces Tavern.
4. PRETOUR LECTURE - I will be giving a lunchtime pre-tour lecture at the Fraunces Tavern Museumat 12:30 on June 17 on Marinus Willett. Willett's public career spanned 55 years from 1775 until his death in 1830 at the age of 90. Beginning with his gallant stand on Broad Street to stop the British from brining heavy guns to Boston, he was an important Revolutionary War commander, a brilliant diplomat who settled the Creek War, a founder of the New York State Democratic Party, a Mayor of New York in 1807, and a leader in rallying New York militias in the War of 1812. I consider him as important as General Horatio Gates, whose career I have been promoting for some time. Like Gates he is buried in Trinity Churchyard in an obscure grave.
Hope to see you for some or all of these events.
Tim Powell Named New Class Rep to AYA
Tim Powell is our class's new representative to the Association of Yale Alumni, succeeding the estimable Alan Yuspeh, whose 3-year term has ended. Tim writes:
Frankly, I barely knew what AYA was---it didn't exist when we were at Yale.
I've since attended my first AYA planning session. I'm pleased to offer my opinion that it's a quality organization with excellent staff and leadership. Contrary to what I had assumed, it's not a fund-raising office (as Yale's Development Office is). Check AYA's website www.aya.yale.edu to see what they're up to.
It seems AYA is trying to 'reposition' Yale from a place where we went to school nearly a half-century ago, to a resource that we can continue to access and use now and for the rest of our lives. At the same time, they're challenging us to add value---not just financial value, but also 'human' value---to our classmates, to current Yale students, to the University, and to the world beyond.
And they're doing it all in a very bottom-up way, by encouraging and supporting grassroots efforts within Yale classes. As a predictable result, classes---each of which is a discrete 501(c)(3) corporation---vary widely in how they operate and in what they choose to take on as a group.
I came to Yale from a public school and on scholarship, and at the time felt like something of an outsider there. I didn't realize at the time that I wasn't the only one. I confess I didn't attend a full Class reunion until our 20th. There I saw a few old friends---and started making some new ones.
In 2006 Harry Levitt asked me to help run the Class website. In so doing, I've gotten to work closely with several people from our Class, most of whom I didn't know while we were at Yale. For me it's been a uniformly positive and rewarding experience.
Like so many things in life you take from these pro bono things as you put into them. I'm looking forward to serving in this capacity, and I thank the Class for yet another new experience.
Jim Kaplan Tour Sat. Nov. 2: 'The Great Crashes of Wall Street'
From Jim Kaplan:
Subject: The Great Crashes of Wall Street: My Final Tour of the 2013 Fall Season
To My Walking Tour Participants and Supporters:
After a highly successful walking tour in commemoration of Jewish Arrival Day on September 29, and an even more successful tour for Openhouse New York on October 12 in connection with the First Annual New York City Celebration of the American Victory at the Battles of Saratoga (at which Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and I laid a wreath on the grave of Col. Marinus Willett in Trinity Churchyard), Richard M. Warshauer and I will be giving the last walking tour of my fall season on Saturday November 2: The Great Crashes of Wall Street.
This tour, which Mr. Warshauer and I have given for the past 25 years, leaves at 1 pm from 48 Wall Street, the former site of Alexander Hamilton’s Bank of New York. It covers the history of Wall Street and the American economy from 1609 to the present, and is the only on-location commemoration of the panic of 1907, the stock market crash of 1929, the crash of 1987, and the crash of 2008.
It represents the culmination of my efforts to teach and reshape the history of Lower Manhattan in a way that makes it exciting and accessible to residents and tourists alike.
It is sponsored by the Museum of American Finance and is described in the link below. I urge you to attend and sign up while there are still tickets available:
www.moaf.org