New York State 59 



region, and Albany County included everything above that on both 

 sides of the river and extending indefinitely north and west. In 

 1686, New York City received a charter from the English such 

 as she had previously held under Stuyvesant ; Albany also obtained 

 a city charter. These two cities, therefore, antedate all others in 

 the United States by nearly half a century. 



STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE 



Democracy sprang suddenly into life in New York in 1641, 

 when Governor William Kieft, in order to protect himself and 

 the colonists from the Indians, summoned a meeting and asked 

 for advice. The meeting promptly elected twelve of the chief 

 citizens to take such action as seemed necessary. After a few 

 months had passed, during which the twelve men made a vigorous 

 protest against several injustices, Kieft dismissed the council from 

 office. 



As the next governor, Peter Stuyvesant, preferred to follow 

 his own judgment in the management of affairs, there was a con- 

 tinuous struggle between him and the colonists, who insisted as 

 they had before on sharing in their own government. When 

 Stuyvesant found taxes necessary he finally consented to the elec- 

 tion of eighteen men, from whom he chose a council of nine. 

 This was made a permanent council. 



Under the rule of the early governors, both Dutch and English, 

 the colonists slowly but surely came to realize their need for 

 self-government and their power in resistance to tyranny. Their 

 long-continued protests through several administrations eventually 

 resulted in bringing them, with the arrival of the English Governor, 

 Colonel Thomas Dongan, a charter giving the privilege of electing 

 an assembly. This body met in New Y'ork City, October 17, 1683. 

 In return for the freedom that had been granted the colony the 

 assembly voted to pay increased taxes. This assembly was con- 

 vened for three successive years, when the charter was recalled. 



In 1691, under Governor Henry Sloughter, the source of our 

 present government was established, with three divisions. The 

 people once more elected their assembly, which was given the 

 power to make laws and lay taxes. When Governor Cornbury, 

 who ruled from 1702 to 1708, endeavored to make money by laying 



