Franklin Square
Franklin Square is located in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York. Based on the United States Census Bureau, Franklin Square has an aggregate area of 2.9 square miles. The area of Franklin Square is margined on its north by Stewart Manor, on its northeast by Garden City, on its southwest by North Valley Stream, on its east by West Hempstead, and on it west by Elmont.
HISTORY
The earliest white settlers used the former Franklin Square,as the grazing land, and eventually, farmland,after the time of American Revolution.Oak and dogwood forest was thick in the southern segment of what is presently Franklin Square.Two ambitious gentlemen, Rev Robert Fordham and John Carman negotiated with the local Indians for a region of land to institute a new community in the year 1643. As per history, representatives of the Massapequak, Mericoke, Matinecoke and Rockaway tribes joined with the men at a location slightly west of Denton Green.Approximately 64,000 acres were sold by native Indians much of which are the current towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead, for items worth less than $100 today.
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The origin of the name "Franklin Square" is indefinite.
It has been theorized that the name honors Benjamin Franklin, however, he was not related to this community historically. Others consider that it was named after a local resident whose information was lost over the period of time. The first President George Washington traveled through the town while visiting Long Island in 1790.In his diary, he noted that the area was "entirely treeless except for a few scraggly fruit trees.”In the spring of 1840, one of the most influential poets, essayists, and journalists of that time, Walt Whitman, stayed three months,in this area as the schoolmaster of the Trimming Square school district which is located in the middle of Garden city south,West Hempstead and Franklin
Square. A hotel was built by Louis Schroerer in 1852, near the tollgate by what is now Arden Boulevard of the Hempstead-Jamaica Turnpike. An escalating number of visitors and immigrants, mostly german, were attracted to the hotel, from New York City to the once rural hamlet. By 1952, all the farms were gone and substituted by newly built homes full of emigrants from near New York City. Franklin square obtained national recognition through a financial organization, the Franklin National Bank which was once the nation's 20th largest bank. The Franklin National Bank was proclaimed bankrupt in october 1974, as a result of mismanagement and fraud concerning losses in foreign currency speculation and inadequate loan policies.It was declared as a historical landmark in 2004, by the town of Hempstead. In 2015, the building was listed on the National register of historic places. DEMOGRAPHICS According to the 2010 census the population was 29,320. The overall picture of the population was 75.1% Non-Hispanic White, 3.2% African American, 0.11%Native American, 7.2% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, and 1.75% from other races. According to the 2000 census, out of the total 10,187 households, 31.4% had children below the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were married couple staying together, 10.4% were female householders without a husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. In Franklin Square (census designated place), the population was spread out with 22% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The average age was 39 years.There were 89.9 males for every 100 females.The CDP Franklin Square, has a considerably large extent of Italian American (40%), Irish American(16%), and German American population(11%).
One of the earliest land grants in the area was the 30 acres given to George Best in 1796. He slowly gained more land until he had 185 acres.
To stimulate growth inland, the Homestead Act was initiated. Many traveled overland by horse and wagon on rutted trails and grassland to find a plot of 160 acres of undeveloped land. They were granted title to the land if they “improved” the plot by building a dwelling and cultivating the land. After five years on the land, farmers were entitled to the property, free and clear.
For around three cents per acre, 15 million in total, the land would have been as if one was giving land away in modern days. But even when the purchase was made, it was a steal. But this is exactly what was needed, land, and more land. A place to grow larger, somewhere to call ours. But even then that we bought the land, we did not know what was upon the land. To even have any knowledge of what was in the land, there were ones who were paid to be sent out to see what the land had to offer us. This was a very scary risk for him as he didn’t know if the land would have anything to offer. Though these peoples main purpose was to map out the land for it to be sent out. But if anything were to come up wrong in the purchase, Jefferson’s reputation would be ruined. Not only would they think that his opinions were useless, but he would no longer be a man anyone will
The condemnation commissioners came along and found piece after piece of land under the name George Plunkitt of the Fifteenth Assembly District, New York City. They wondered how he knew just what to buy. Plunkitt sees the opportunity and he takes it.
Pennypacker, Morton. General Washington's spies on Long Island and in New York. Brooklyn, N.Y., The Long Island Historical Society, 1939.
African or black history was not a study that was done by many until the last century. Studying African Americans accurately as part of American History was an even newer field of history. John Hope Franklin’s obituary calls him, “the scholar who helped create the field of African-American history and dominated it for nearly six decades.” He would call himself an historian of the American South.
John Winthrop and Benjamin Franklin were both leaders in their time. They had very different views on common issues, which is very apparent in the works used in the document provided for this paper. The two men had differences in topics such as; logical thinking, religion, and views on government control. John Winthrop was more of a strict man who didn't see the option of questioning issue, where as Benjamin Franklin chose to have a more open mind about each issue he dealt with.
The availability of inexpensive land in the American West provided opportunity for many Americans to fulfill the American dream of individualism, economic opportunity and personal freedom. Immigrants, former slaves and other settlers moved across the country to become western farmers and ranchers to make a new life. One of the reasons why the west was a land of opportunity for the farmers and ranchers was the large quantity of cheap available land. This allowed for many Americans, both rich and poor, to buy land for farming and raising cattle. The Homestead Act of 1862 aided the process. The Homestead Act gave title to 160 acres of federal land to farmers who staked a claim and lived on the land for five years. Alternatively, a farmer could buy the land after six months for $1.25 an acre. Many blacks and immigrants joined the westward expansion, looking for a better life. Immigrants saw the land as opportunity because many could not own land in the countries where they were born. For example, in Nebraska, a fourth of the population was foreign born. These immigrants transformed...
The distribution of Government lands had been an issue since the Revolutionary War. Early methods for allocating unsettled land outside the original 13 colonies were chaotic. Boundaries were established by stepping off plots from geographical landmarks. As a result, overlapping claims and border disputes were common. The Land Ordinance of 1785 finally implemented a standardized system of Federal land surveys that eased boundary conflicts. Territories were divided into a 6-mile square called a township prior to settlement. The township was divided into 36 sections, each measuring 1 square mile or 640 acres each. Sale of public land was viewed as a means to generate revenue for the Government rather than as a way to encourage settlement. Initially, an individual was required to purchase a full section of land at the cost of $1 per acre for 640 acres. The investment needed to purchase these large plots and the massive amount of physical labor required to clear the land for agriculture were often insurmountable obstacles.
Nathanael Greene was born July 27, 1742. He was born in his family's homestead in the village of Potowomut, Rhode Island. He had five brothers and he was the second of them. His mother was Mary Mott Greene. His father was married to two women and Nathanaels' mom was the second of his dads' wives. His dads' name was Nathanael Greene Sr., and had many children with his first wife. For people like Nathanael it was rough living in Great Britain in the 18th century, especially for his parents having to pay for all their kids. Nathanael Greene, which was the man that saved the Revolutionary War, was one of the main men who defeated King Georges' army. His face was later studied by King George III because Nathanael Greene was one of the main people
As white settlers poured across the mountains, the Cherokee tried once again to compensate themselves with territory taken by war with a neighboring tribe. This time their intended victim was the Chickasaw, but this was a mistake. Anyone who tried to take something from the Chickasaw regretted it, if he survived. After eleven years of sporadic warfare ended with a major defeat at Chickasaw Oldfields (1769), the Cherokee gave up and began to explore the possibility of new alliances to resist the whites. Both the Cherokee and Creek attended the 1770 and 1771 meetings with the Ohio tribes at Sciota but did not participate in Lord Dunnmore's War (1773-74) because the disputed territory was not theirs. On the eve of the American Revolution, the British government scrambled to appease the colonists and negotiate treaties with the Cherokee ceding land already taken from them by white settlers. To this end, all means, including outright bribery and extortion, were employed: Lochaber Treaty (1770); and the Augusta Treaty (1773) ceding 2 million acres in Georgia to pay for debts to white traders. For the same reasons as the Iroquois cession of Ohio in 1768, the Cherokee tried to protect their homeland from white settlement by selling land they did not really control. In the Watonga Treaty (1774) and the Overhill Cherokee Treaty (Sycamore Shoals) (1775), they sold all of eastern and central Kentucky to the Transylvania Land Company (Henderson Purchase).
In order for the government to expand, it needed money. In an attempt to secure additional revenue, the government stopped granting land to the settlement for disbursement amongst their church members and began selling it instead. Anyone, regardless of church affiliation or status, could now obtain their own land by purchasing it directly from the government. The price of the land was determined by its distance from town, the condition of the soil, and whether it had been cleared or improved upon.
In The Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin recounts the many paramount experiences throughout his life that shaped him into great American figure he was known to be. On the opening page, Franklin reveals the book’s epistolary format by writing, “Dear Son,” going on to admit that he’s made some mistakes in the past and to recollect that past is a way to relive it. By divulging his desire to “change some sinister Accidents & Events” (Franklin 3) the author indicates how important it is for his son to observe as he amends his mistakes. Pride, virtue and vanity play a pivotal role in Benjamin Franklin’s life and the way he portrays himself to others. Instances occur where the author is shown gloating about his great accomplishments and he puts emphasis on his need to live a virtuous and morally perfect life. Throughout his story, Benjamin Franklin tells his son of his many virtuous acts and momentous achievements, motivating the question as to whether he seeks his own approval more so than the approval of his peers.
Also, in Calavaras County in California, they hold a Calavaras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee every third weekend in May. Whenever it is near his birthday, there are also walking tours that are offered to people of places that he visited in New York City.
The expansion of the United States is such a vital part of American history, yet some often forget how it all happened. Many thriving settlers were given an extraordinary opportunity starting on January 1, 1863 that would end up laying the floor work for many Midwestern and Western citizens today. The rights and responsibilities to live on and maintain 160 acres of land may seem like a lot to take in for a student learning about an Act about land from the 1860s. However, think about all the people the Homestead Act of 1862 affected. There was a lot of pressure on the original homesteaders to make good use of their newfound land, the government was giving out land that wasn’t exactly theirs, and the Native American would have some their rights stolen.