Immigrant NYC, Episode 2: Expansion Necessitates Immigrants (1775-1825)
Channel: Samuel Finesurrey, Ph.D.
Date: 2020-03-28

The need to build the nation and rebuild NYC after the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) necessitates immigration to New York City. Episode 2 documents how, between the end of the 18th Century and the start of the 19th Century, NYC is increasingly becoming the most important city in the U.S., further amplifying the need for immigrant labor. 

A 1776 fire burned 1/4 of the city to the ground as Rebel troops fled the British at the start of the Revolutionary War. From the ashes of the conflict NYC would be reborn, becoming the nation's second capital at the end of the 18th century. With infrastructure projects like the grid plan and the Eire Canal being undertaken in the first half of the 19th century, and Central Park and the Brooklyn Bridge in the second half of the century, the city need workers to continue its seemingly exponential growth. 
For more on the people who lived in Central Park see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdsWYOZ8iqM