Category Archives: Reflection

Homework #2 The Whiskey Wars

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The unwillingness for New Yorkers not to pay their taxes doesn’t surprise me. Tax evasion seems to be a never ending problem in this country in the past and even now in the present. And with tax rate being as high as it is, there’s no doubt this problem will continue to rise. I believe the Government should give people and small businesses more tax breaks. This might end all the corruption and illegal activities people use to hide and swindle their income. After reading this article now I know why some parts in Brooklyn looks so run down and ruined. I had no idea the IRS had the power to enforce such a war on tax evaders.

Reflection #2: The Whiskey Wars That Left Brooklyn in Ruins

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This article helped clarify the relationship between taxation and criminalization. Reminscent of the Boston Tea Party, the idea of tax for businesses such as distilleries induced a criminal like lifestyle. Despite it’s legality, the sudden tax increase of alcohol was quite absurd,  from $2 – $30. That amount (equivalent in today’s terms) was enough to send Irishtown, or what was Vinegar Hill “over the hills”, whereby the creation of an underground ring for importing and exporting liquor feasible. Irishtown was conveniently located next to a port, which was perfect for smuggling. Street gangs, sailors and smugglers were born, as corruption rings in the police force were also apparent.

The presence of corruption did not limit itself to Vinegar Hill, but instead showed itself to be a prime example here. Allegations were found as far the White House, which makes the reader understand the breadth and urgency of taxation. I found this article not only to be entertaining and informative, but as a great piece to commemorate Vinegar Hill’s rich history. However, I’m a little disappointed in how the author summarized the deterioration of the Irishtown ring, as I wish Dalzell was more descriptive about it. Also, I wish Dalzell included more forms of documentation within the article (i.e Whiskey labels, distillery images, maps of the raids etc.)

 

Reflection #2: The Whiskey Wars That Left Brooklyn in Ruins

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I was fascinated by the assigned reading on the Whiskey Wars of Brooklyn. One of my initial thoughts while reading about the Whiskey Wars was that in some ways it reminded me of the Boston Tea Party from 1773. Both were acts of rebellion in protest of high taxes on specific items. I learned that Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn was heavily involved with creating illegal distilleries. The article mentioned that “legitimate” distilleries would close down and be replaced by “vinegar” factories. This leads me to wonder if these “vinegar” factories somehow influenced the naming of the neighborhood Vinegar Hill. I like that at the end of the article the author concludes with a small paragraph on modern day Vinegar Hill. The arrival of the Kings County Distillery is like a tip of the hat to the rebellious, rich history of late-19th century Vinegar Hill.

Second 100 Word Reflection: Visual Notes

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While and after reading chapters one and three of Visual Notes book, I was able to kind of understand why my mind works the way it does. I am a person that usually needs to write things down for it to make sense to me but sometimes I have to take it a step further and draw out what is really going on in my mind, and how (the thought process) those things are going on in my mind and usually everything because so much more clearer. So reading these two chapters just felt familiar and relatable, and definitely enjoyable.

Reflection

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I was never too familiar with the history of Brooklyn, much less the greater of New York, but the Wikipedia postings revealed a goldmine of information about such a small chunk of land. One of the things I found interesting was after the Canarsee Indians sold the land to the Dutch, it was renamed Breukelen and so far that name has stuck. Also the major rezoning of Brooklyn after World War II allowing it to continually evolve in it’s own right was interesting to read about, and in many ways Brooklyn still operates and maintains an identity apart from New York.

Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, and Brooklyn

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When I think about the evolution of Brooklyn, after reading all of the information on the Wikipedia webpages, I wonder about the next step in its evolution. Will there be a next step that may even lead to a reversal towards a more environmentally friendly/sound plan, such as reestablishing ponds, lakes, wetlands, and forested areas? Will this development of a city be a predictor about if a city will be the end result of a developing community? Is it an example about how the future of the world will be like? Will there be a shift in the way that humans normally develop their communities, or will there always be the same variables in this “formula” for being a model for city planners to follow?

Reflection_1

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Brooklyn is an interesting place, with a rich history a stunning locale. I learned that Brooklyn has gone through some dramatic changes throughout the years.  I am interested to learn about different indicators of change in Brooklyn, and too see if there are relationships between them. I am new to the Brooklyn area, so most of the information I learn is very new.   I didn’t even know that a place like “Vinegar Hill” even existed.

01. The reflection on the borough of Brooklyn and its neighborhoods Vinegar Hill, Downtown and Dumbo.

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After the readings I found out that Brooklyn has so much history to offer by reading, but most interesting by visiting its neighborhoods and feel the past. It amazing how they have been able to keep this historic areas untouched until now days like Vinegar Hill neighborhood. I can’t say the same about Dumbo and Downtown Brooklyn since they have been modernized and very expensive, but some part of this neighborhoods are kept the same old way. One of the things that surprised me about Brooklyn was that it’s the second most densely populated boroughs not just in New York State, but in whole United States. Another surprising thing to me was that the name Breuckelen (Brooklyn) came from a Dutch farmer in 1646. Can’t wait to learn more about Brooklyn and looks like this class will do this in details.

Brooklyn Changes

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Brooklyn is much larger than I thought it was. When I started reading the numbers and comparisons to other landmasses, I was a bit surprised. I lived close to downtown Brooklyn 15 years ago and I could notice the huge change in culture over time. There are still places like Vinegar Hill that exist and show us a glimpse of the past. I didn’t realize Dumbo was an acronym for “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass”. I find it interesting that there were different Indian inhabitants present in Brooklyn, along the waterfront. I thought that Brooklyn was uninhabited and only greenery and wildlife was present before settlers came.

Brooklyn neighborhood Reflection 1 on Vinegar Hill, Rambo, Dumbo and Downtown.

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First article about vinegar hill was really eye opener for me, i felt ashamed because i didn’t know about vinegar hill at all till now. At least  now i know that where i am living right now was also part of vinegar hill. Second thing i learned from these article is about new neighborhood rambo, i never heard this before, surprisingly i am living in brooklyn since 2009. Its just so amazing to me that every neighborhood is totally different from one another, that is the one thing i really love about brooklyn, for example i live in Midwood once i went to Bushwick and i thought i am in different state, unfortunately i was still in brooklyn. These articles really showed what i had in my mind about the rich diversity of Brooklyn.