Tag Archives: Vinegar Hill

Homework #2 The Whiskey Wars

The unwillingness for New Yorkers not to pay their taxes doesnā€™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, thereā€™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

This article helped clarify the relationship between taxation and criminalization.Ā 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,Ā Ā 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 readerĀ 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

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 PartyĀ from 1773. Both were acts of rebellion in protest of high taxes on specific items. IĀ learned thatĀ 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 isĀ like a tip of the hat to the rebellious, rich history of late-19th century Vinegar Hill.

Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, and Brooklyn

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 ā€œformulaā€ for being a model for city planners to follow?

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

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

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 Ā 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.

Reflection #1: Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn, Downtown Brooklyn, and Dumbo

Class of 2/1

While reading through these Wikipedia articles on Brooklyn several things caught my attention. First, while reading the page on Vinegar Hill I had found it interesting how a small portion of theĀ borough has been able to retract from modernization of its streets, sidewalk and small housing structures. These parts of the neighborhood date back to the early 1800’s and play a vital role in the the history and aura of this area in Brooklyn. It shows people they don’t need to watch television or browse the internet to get a glimpse of how life lookedĀ many years before they were born, They can walk outside and see things though the eyes of someone who lived more than a century ago and witness history in front of them. Second, while reading the page on Brooklyn I had found it interesting and notable information that Brooklyn was not considered a borough of New York until nearing the closing of the 19th century. I found that interesting because it shows how young our city really is. I guess this information strikes me as thought provoking because I am looking at it from a scientific standpoint. Lastly, while reading the page on Downtown Brooklyn I had never known this area held safe houses for slaves during the 19th century. I had also found it interesting to learn how the Brooklyn Academy of Music played a vital role in keeping Brooklyn’s economy strong in the face of deterioration.

Reflection #1: Brooklyn – Downtown, Vinegar Hill and DUMBO

While the urbanization and gentrification of Brooklyn, particularly DUMBO has been apparent in the past decade, I was pleased to find such an array of rich history in the borough of Brooklyn in these articles.Ā I was intrigued by the historical background of Brooklyn, asĀ the name originated from the “Breukelen” (Dutch) settlement. Other familiar names were present, such as Boswijck, (Bushwick) and Gravesende (Gravesend) both of which were dutch towns in the 17th century. TheĀ nameĀ Canarsie was also present in the Vinegar Hill article, as Canarsee Indians prior to the colonial era.

The Brooklyn page is the most informative, as it offers extensive information on the Colonial Era, Post colonial Era, Government and Politics, Demographics, Attractions etc. That page is the most comprehensive, whereas both Vinegar Hill and Dumbo were a little short in terms of demographics and use. I also wish that there were more historical maps included in these articles (I was surprised to find that the Downtown Brooklyn page excluded a map)

Homework #1 Reflection of Brooklyn

Before reading these articles I have never heard of Dumbo, Brooklyn or Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn. I work in Brooklyn and also attend college in Brooklyn but it never really bother or impressed me at all. It just so happen that is where my college is and that is where my job is. After reading about the history and development of the Brooklyn community, I am certainly honored and impressed to be there every day, to be a part of such a developed neighborhood. Now I am curious to learn more about my surroundings there and I would certainly pay close attention to the layout, the history and the structure of the buildings and landmarks around my school and my job. To be honest, I always thought of Brooklyn as one of the most undeveloped boroughs but at least now I have a better understanding and appreciation for that area. Some of the greatest things that happen in this country started in Brooklyn and Iā€™m sure many people like myself are not aware of that.

Brooklyn Wikipedia Reflection

While reading the wikipedia articles I found many interesting facts. One thing that really stood out to me was that Brooklyn is the most populated borough. You would think Manhattan would be but Brooklyn consists of about 2,621,793 people while Manhattan consists of aboutĀ 1,636,268. I also loved reading about Vinegar Hill and finding the different boundaries that were sold to different settlers. It was very interesting to read due to the familiarity of the boundaries. It was also interesting to learn the previous names of the now familiar places such as Rinnegokonk is now the Wallabout Bay. I also found that DUMBO is ā€œBrooklyn’s most expensive neighborhood, as well as New York City’s fourth richest community overall.ā€ The wikipedia articles were well written and understood but definitely still need to be fact checked.