New York is in the northeastern United States. It is one of the middle atlantic states. The Dutch built its first settlements. Then,England ruled New York for more than a hundred years. In 1788,New York became one of the orignal 13 states.

First I am going to tell you how New York became the 11th state. On Joly 9, 1776, the provincial congress of New York met in White Plains. It approved The Declaration Of Independence which the Continental Congress had adopted on July 4. The congress also organized an Independent goverment. The next year, New York adopted its first constitution George Clinton was elected governor. About a third of all the battles were fought in New York. New York City was the United States capital from 1785 to 1790. In 1789, George Washington became the first presjident of the United States. He took the oath of office at Federal Hall on Wall Street. In the early 1800s, settlers moved to western New York. Buffalo was begun in 1803.

Rochester was settled in 1812. Some people headed even farther west. They moved to states like Illonois and Michagen. These places were on the Great Lakes. Between 1817 and 1825, the Erie Canal was dug across New York. It ran from Albany to Buffalo. The canal connected the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes.

EARLY HISTORICAL FACTS

Ancient Indians reached New York more than 11,000 years ago. They hunted animals with spears. Some of thier spear points have been found. Giovanni de Verranzo was the first European to explore New York. He was Italian, but he worked for France. American leaders wrote the United States Constitution in 1787.

It created the county’s goverment. New York approved the Constitution on July 26, 1788.