These questions may be used as topics for discussions or help answer more indepth questions you might have about Manhattan's rich history. The information provided is not age specific, but it is presented at an adult level of comprehension and may help create a dialogue about the main themes in Building Manhattan. Some of these themes are general and can be used to discuss the building of large cities anywhere in the world. This may help make the material more relevant to you.

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Question: What materials did different groups of people who came to Manhattan build with, and how did this effect what they built?

The Lenape worshiped nature and believed the earth was sacred. Because of this belief they did not make permanent structures. They built with natural materials like sticks and bark that would not disturb the land.

The Dutch were fur traders and explorers. They did not come to live on Manhattan permanently. They build a large fort to use as a trading post. It also protected their trade goods from other traders and native people who live on Manhattan.

When the English came to Manhattan, they planned to stay and colonize the land. They paved roads and began building a more permanent city with stone buildings and local institutions like, government, schools and hospitals.

Question: What were some of the reasons immigrants came to Manhattan
and how did their ideas change the city?

Freedom
Many people journeyed to Manhattan seeking freedom from foreign governments, religious oppression. They believed that by coming to Manhattan they would be free to choose their own beliefs. They helped change the city by making it a place full of diverse ideas that inspired many great social and political changes through out the rest of America.

Famine & Sickness
There were not enough jobs and food in some countries to feed all the people. This caused many people to immigrate to Manhattan looking for better jobs so they could feed their families and send money back to people in the countries the had come from. This changed the city by bring lots of labor to the many industries that helped Manhattan become prosperous. It also brought people who wanted better lives. Over time, they helped to build many of the civic institutions, parks, museums and theaters the city is famous for.

Fortune
People traveled to Manhattan hoping to make fortunes in the many new industries that were thriving in Manhattan. Some brought ideas for inventions they hoped to patent and sell. Others hoped to invest in the prospering city. Prosperity of business helped the city build new buildings, roads and bridges that brought even more opportunity to the island. It also helped the city to invest in great inventions like electricity, the subway system, and the first city health agency.

Question: Why do cities change and what makes the change possible?

Industry
Cities often develop around areas with large industries. The industries provide jobs and bring people to the area. These people all need to live close to their jobs and so they build a community near the industry. As large industry grows it will attract other industries to the area and a city will begin to grow from the communities of people who work in and around the industries.

Population
Cities have very large populations of people. Often a city is made up of several small communities that share a larger common system of schools, institutions, hospitals and law enforcement.

Inventions
Through out history many inventions have helped to make cities possible. In a city many people are living very close together, this would no be possible without the following inventions:

Sewage & Garbage Removal: Sanitation is one of the most important factors for the development of a city. There are far too many people in a city for the waste to pile up. Cities often have elaborate waste removal systems with daily garbage and recycling pickup schedules and large disposal plants.

Mass Transit: Millions of people may live and work in a city, but the streets of most cities cannot handle millions of cars. If everyone in a city had a car no one would get anywhere. It would also not be good for the environment. Cities can be many miles across and walking is not always safe or possible. Large cities have built mass transit systems to help with this. A transit system can include buses, ferry boats, trains and subways. Manhattan has all of these and more!

Skyscrapers: Large industries in a city want to be close to each other. This would not be possible if industries with thousands of people could only build short buildings. They would have to stretch for miles in every direction to hold all their people. This is why cities are full of skyscrapers. A building 100 stories tall can hold thousands of people and take up the same ground area as a six story building that can only hold a few hundred people. This allows millions of people to work in a very small area. Manhattan is only 22 square miles and 4 million people work there!

Institutions: Institutions are organizations, establishments, and foundations, like museums, libraries, parks and zoos. In cities, there are many institutions devoted to the public which are paid for by taxes and donation of the people. (What makes many of Manhattan’s large city institutions unique are their accessibility to the public) Many of Manhattans public institution are famous and recognized all over the world. Discuss: Central Park, Metropolitan Art Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History.

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