Editing Long Island (section)

==History==
===Early history===
{{Main|History of Long Island}}
{{more citations needed|section|date=March 2023}}
[[File:Tribal Territories Southern New England.png|thumb|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] settlements on Long Island in 1600]]
[[File:Three Delaware Indians C17334.jpg|thumb|A circa 1860 portrait of three [[Lenape|Lenape Indians]]]]
[[File:The-old-house-cutchogue.jpg|thumb|The [[Old House (Cutchogue)|Old House]], built in 1699 in [[Cutchogue, New York|Cutchogue]]]]As the last [[Ice age|Ice Age]] waned with [[Wisconsin glaciation]], early [[Paleo-Indians]] ventured into the evolving landscapes of present-day Long Island, marking a significant environmental shifts and laying the groundwork for the region's rich ecosystems.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Strong |first=John A. |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book.114659 |title=The Montaukett Indians of Eastern Long Island |date=2022 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |doi=10.1353/book.114659 |isbn=978-0-8156-5645-6 |access-date=May 1, 2024 |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907221149/https://chooser.crossref.org/?doi=10.1353%2Fbook.114659 |url-status=live }}</ref> These nomadic hunter-gatherers, equipped with stone tools, navigated the newly emerging landscapes, hunting large game and gathering from the abundant natural resources.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-05 |title=First European Contact with Indigenous People - The Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council |url=https://www.cutchoguenewsuffolkhistory.org/timeline/first-european-contact-with-indigenous-people/ |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=www.cutchoguenewsuffolkhistory.org/ |language=en-US |archive-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702014104/https://www.cutchoguenewsuffolkhistory.org/timeline/first-european-contact-with-indigenous-people/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following the Paleo-Indian period, the [[Archaic Period (Americas)|Archaic Period]] marked a broadening of subsistence strategies. The inhabitants of Long Island diversified their diet, exploiting the rich marine and terrestrial environments.<ref name=":6"/> The main source of protein came from the sea, consisting of fish and shellfish, oysters being of particular importance.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Indian Archaeology of Long Island |url=https://www.garviespointmuseum.com/indian-archaeology-long-island.php#:~:text=The |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=www.garviespointmuseum.com |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907221143/https://www.garviespointmuseum.com/indian-archaeology-long-island.php#:~:text=The |url-status=live }}</ref> Deer and other wild game and various plant foods also became part of their regular diet.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Strong |first=John A |title=The Algonquian peoples of Long Island from earliest times to 1700 |publisher=Empire State Books |year=1997}}</ref>
The archaeological record also reveals a shift towards a more settled lifestyle, with small bands forming seasonal settlements.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Truex |first=James |title=The Second Coastal Archaeology Reader 1900 to the Present Readings in Long Island Archaeology and Ethnohistory Volume V. |publisher=Lexington, MA: Ginn Custom Pub |year=1982 |publication-date=Jan 1, 1982 |pages=70–78}}</ref>

The indigenous peoples in the Early and Middle [[Woodland period]] began developing horticulture as well as more efficient strategies for hunting and gathering. They established year-round settlements. Pottery emerged as a widespread technological innovation during this era, serving not only practical storage and cooking purposes but also functioning as a medium for cultural expression. The stylistic variations in pottery across different sites on Long Island suggest a rich diversity of cultural identities and the exchange of ideas among various groups.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Strong |first=John A |title=The Algonquian peoples of Long Island from earliest times to 1700 |publisher=Empire State Books |year=1997}}</ref> Additionally, this period was marked by participation in trade networks with other Northeastern Indigenous communities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stone |first=Gaynell |date=January 31, 1998 |title=The Material History of the Montaukett |url=https://easthamptonlibrary.org/wp-content/files/pdfs/history/lectures/19980131.pdf |access-date=May 1, 2024 |archive-date=May 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240501210822/https://easthamptonlibrary.org/wp-content/files/pdfs/history/lectures/19980131.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the Late Woodland Period, there was a noticeable intensification of agriculture, with maize becoming a staple crop alongside beans and squash. This agricultural advancement supported larger populations and led to the establishment of more permanent villages characterized by substantial dwellings, mostly [[wigwam]]s and [[longhouse]]s.<ref name=":3" /> The increased reliance on farming did not eliminate hunting and gathering, which continued to play a crucial role in the subsistence economy.<ref name=":4" />

The Long Island natives lived in villages of differing sizes and their governing style, because of a lack of evidence, can only be guessed. However, anthropological models suggest that the leaders did not have overarching authority over the rest of the village. Rather, the leaders often sought advice from the elders.<ref name=":5" />

The early settlers of Long Island were likely tied by kinship and did not identify themselves as distinct tribes. These tribes were designated by the Europeans as a method of identifying borders. However, there seems to be two, overlapping, but different cultures. Western Long Island natives probably spoke the Delaware-Munsee dialect. The eastern group's language is less well-founded, but it is most likely related to the southern New England [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]] dialect. The kinship system likely kept Long Island natives together with clans in present-day [[New Jersey]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Connecticut]], and [[Rhode Island]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stong |first=John |title=The Thirteen Tribes of Long Island: The History of a Myth |publisher=The Hudson Valley Regional Review |year=1992}}</ref>

[[Giovanni da Verrazzano]] was the first [[European peoples|European]] to record an encounter with the Lenape people, after entering what is now [[New York Bay]] in 1524, however it is unclear whether he encountered Native Americans from Long Island.

===17th century===
[[File:Excerpt from Map-Novi Belgii Novæque Angliæ (Amsterdam, 1685).jpg|thumb|Excerpt from the 1685 ''Novi Belgii Novæque Angliæ'' map by [[Nicolaes Visscher II]] with "Lange Eylandt alias Matouwacs" in red]]
In 1609, the [[Kingdom of England|English]] navigator [[Henry Hudson]] explored the harbor and purportedly landed at present-day [[Coney Island]]. [[Dutch colonial empire|Dutch]] explorer [[Adriaen Block]] followed in 1615 and is credited as the first European to determine that both [[Manhattan]] and Long Island are islands.

The first recorded encounters between the [[Algonquian peoples]] of Long Island and Europeans occurred with the arrival of explorers in the early 17th century, first contacted by Henry Hudson and his crew. These interactions were initially characterized by curiosity and tentative exchanges, but conflicts later emerged between them. Despite this, mutually beneficial trade ensued, with the Algonquian trading fur for clothing, metal, guns, and alcohol.<ref name=":5" />

The Dutch, recognizing the value of New England's fur market, forged long-term alliances with the Algonquians in 1613, ushering in permanent settlements. By 1621, the [[Dutch West India Company]] established itself in the Northeast. The Dutch West India Company  established a foothold in the Northeast, initiating a lucrative trade in [[wampum]]—beads of significant cultural and economic importance to Native tribes across the Northeast. The wampum was primarily made by Long Island Native Americans. The Dutch would thus engage in a triangular trade: purchasing large quantities of wampum from Long Island, exchanging wampum for fur with inland tribes, and shipping the fur back to Europe.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ceci |first=Lynn |date=1982 |title=The Value of Wampum among the New York Iroquois: A Case Study in Artifact Analysis |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3629950 |journal=Journal of Anthropological Research |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=97–107 |doi=10.1086/jar.38.1.3629950 |jstor=3629950 |issn=0091-7710 |access-date=May 2, 2024 |archive-date=May 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502181441/https://www.jstor.org/stable/3629950 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> This triangular trade created peace amongst the Europeans and the Native Americans for decades.<ref name=":5" />

In 1636, [[Charles I of England]], a [[House of Stuart|Stuart]], rewarded Scottish [[courtier]], diplomat, and colonial governor [[William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling|William Alexander]]'s service to the Crown by creating him Lord Alexander of [[Tullibody]] and [[Viscount of Stirling]]. On April 22 of that year Charles told the [[Plymouth Colony]], which had laid claim to Long Island but had not settled it, to cede it to Alexander. When his agent James Farret arrived in [[New Amsterdam]] in 1637 to present his claim of English sovereignty, he was arrested and imprisoned in [[Holland]], but later escaped from prison.

The Pequot War, a struggle over between the Pequot tribe of Connecticut, who exerted control over eastern Long Island, and the English [[New England Colonies]], reshaped alliances and power dynamics in the region. The defeat of the Pequots left a void in eastern Long Island's political landscape, who were historically under the influence of the Connecticut Pequots for trade and protection. Indigenous leaders such as [[Uncas]] and [[Ninigret]], alongside the New England Colonies, vied to fill this vacuum, with the colonists eventually prevailing over their indigenous rivals. In 1639, [[Lion Gardiner]] secured the first purchase of eastern Long Island land, an islet off of present-day [[East Hampton, New York|East Hampton]].<ref name=":6" />

The period between 1636 and 1648 marked a time of land acquisition in Long Island by Dutch and English colonists. The Dutch occupied a small portion of western Long Island while the English settled on the eastern side, buying land from any sachems who were willing to sell to them. The perspectives on these land purchases likely varied significantly between Native Americans and Europeans. Europeans viewed land transactions as opportunities for exclusive ownership and permanent settlement, while the Algonquian peoples viewed the transaction as temporary and communal.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Strong |first=John |title=Wyandanch And The Dispossession Of Indian Land On Long Island, New York:Grand Sachem, Puppet, Or Culture Broker? |journal=Long Island History Journal}}</ref> Additionally, the Native Americans governance style of weak leadership and undefined hunting grounds, did not align with the European's need for strict boundaries. This confusion resulted in conflict and boundary disputes for many years after.

In 1640, English colonists attempted to settle Cow Bay in what is present-day [[Port Washington, New York|Port Washington]]. After an alert by Native leader [[Penhawitz]], the colonists were arrested by the Dutch but released after saying they were mistaken about the title.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YdMLAAAAYAAJ&dq=James+Farret&pg=PA15|title=Year Book of the Holland Society of New-York|first=Holland Society of New|last=York|date=August 6, 1922|publisher=The Secretary|via=Google Books|access-date=March 15, 2023|archive-date=April 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407020633/https://books.google.com/books?id=YdMLAAAAYAAJ&dq=James+Farret&pg=PA15|url-status=live}}</ref>

Through Farret, who received [[Shelter Island (town), New York|Shelter Island]] and [[Robins Island]], Alexander in turn sold most of the eastern island to the [[New Haven Colony|New Haven]] and [[Connecticut Colony|Connecticut]] colonies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/historylongisla01thomgoog|title=The history of Long Island, from its discovery to the present time : with many important and interesting matters, including notices of numerous individuals and families, also a particular account of the different churches and ministers|first=Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin)|last=Thompson|date=August 6, 1843|publisher=New York : Gould, Banks & Co.|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

As European settlers proliferated on Long Island, the ecosystem underwent significant transformation, and the dynamics between Native Americans and Europeans shifted. The Europeans cleared vast areas of traditional hunting grounds and introduced livestock that damaged Native crops.<ref name=":5" /> Europeans also began to encroach on Native land, and this growing proximity heightened tensions. This culminated in [[Kieft's War]], initiated by a devastating attack that killed 80 Native Americans.<ref>{{Cite web |last=History |first=J. C. |title=Library Guides: William Kieft (1638-1646): William Kieft (1638-1646) |url=https://njcu.libguides.com/c.php?g=1048973&p=7612635 |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=njcu.libguides.com |language=en}}</ref>

Despite shifting claims to title and absentee land sales, European settlers continued to purchase land directly from indigenous people. In 1655, they split the acquired land amongst themselves and continued to search the island for more land for settlement. On June 10, 1664, other parts of indigenous land were bought, including present-day [[Brookhaven, New York|Brookhaven]], [[Bellport, New York|Bellport]], and [[South Haven, New York|South Haven]], in exchange for four coats and 6 pounds 10 shillings &ndash; a value that, accounting for monetary inflation through 2017, is currently worth approximately $840.<ref name="longislandgenealogy.com">{{Cite web |title=Long Island Indians and The Early Settlers |url=http://longislandgenealogy.com/indians.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329042210/http://www.longislandgenealogy.com/indians.html |archive-date=March 29, 2013 |access-date=November 7, 2019 |website=longislandgenealogy.com}}</ref>

During [[King Philip's War]] in 1675, the [[List of colonial governors of New York|governor of New York]], [[Edmund Andros]], ordered that all canoes east of [[Hell Gate]] be confiscated. This was done to prevent local indigenous people from helping their Native allies on the mainland, who were attacking New England settlers there.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z6yE6mWZUcYC|title=The Long Island Sound: A History of Its People, Places, and Environment|last=Weigold|first=Marilyn E.|date=August 2004|publisher=NYU Press|isbn=9780814794005|access-date=November 7, 2019|archive-date=August 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805061257/https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=z6yE6mWZUcYC|url-status=live}}</ref> Notable sachems, such as Tackapousha of the Massapequa, saw their influence wane post-King Philip's War in 1675. In the face of escalating tensions between French and English settlers, these Indigenous figures endeavored to mediate and protect their communities. However efforts to maintain land rights were undermined by disease, deceit, infringements of land patents, and cultural misunderstandings.<ref name=":5" />

After the Dutch began to colonize Manhattan, many indigenous people moved to [[Pennsylvania]] and [[Delaware]]. Many of those who stayed behind died from [[smallpox]], which spread to North America via European colonists and resulted in large scale deaths due to lack of antibodies and natural resistance which Eurasian peoples had gained with their exposure to the disease.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Edwin|first1=Burrows|last2=Wallace|first2=Mike|date=1999|title=Lenape|url=http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~chan/Lenape.pdf|access-date=April 8, 2020|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101095554/https://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~chan/Lenape.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Native American land [[deed]]s recorded by the Dutch from 1636 state that the Indians referred to Long Island as ''{{lang|umu|Sewanhaka}}''. ''{{lang|umu|Sewanhacky}}'' and ''{{lang|umu|Sewanhacking}}'' were other spellings in the transliteration of the [[Lenape]].<ref name="Sewanha..." /> ''{{lang|umu|Sewan}}'' was one of the terms for [[wampum]], commemorative stringed shell beads, for a while also used as currency by colonists in trades with the Lenape, and is also translated as "loose" or "scattered", which may refer either to the wampum or to Long Island.<ref name="Sewanha...">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/indianplacenames00tookiala/indianplacenames00tookiala_djvu.txt |title=The Indian Place-Names On Long Island and Islands Adjacent With Their Probable Significations |first=William Wallace |last=Tooker |year=1911 |pages=35, 212, 232–233}}</ref> The name "'t Lange Eylandt alias Matouwacs" appears in Dutch maps from the 1650s,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dyasites.com/maps/nysbook/Chapter2b.htm |title=The Dutch Period, with maps and explanatory text |access-date=October 15, 2012 |archive-date=January 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131173712/http://www.dyasites.com/maps/nysbook/Chapter2b.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.richmondhillhistory.org/OldLImaps4.html |title=Close-up of 1650s map |access-date=October 15, 2012 |archive-date=January 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106091619/http://www.richmondhillhistory.org/OldLImaps4.html |url-status=live }}</ref> with ''{{'}}t Lange Eylandt'' translating it to "Long Island" from [[Old Dutch]]. The English referred to Long Island as "Nassau Island",<ref name="Bunker 1895" /> after the [[House of Nassau]] of the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] Prince [[William III of England|William of Nassau, Prince of Orange]] (who later also ruled as [[William III of England|King William III]] of [[England]]). It is unclear when the name "Nassau Island" was discontinued. Another indigenous name from colonial time, [[Paumanok Path|Paumanok]], comes from the Native American name for Long Island and means "the island that pays tribute."<ref name="Paumanok origin">{{cite web|title=Early Indian Life on Long Island|url=http://www.richmondhillhistory.org/indians.html|work=Richmond Hill Historical Society website|publisher=Richmond Hill Historical Society|access-date=March 22, 2013|archive-date=May 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515034504/http://www.richmondhillhistory.org/indians.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The very first European settlements on Long Island were by settlers from England and its colonies in present-day [[New England]]. Lion Gardiner settled nearby Gardiners Island. The first settlement on the geographic Long Island itself was on October 21, 1640, when [[Southold, New York|Southold]] was established by the [[John Youngs (minister)|Rev. John Youngs]] and settlers from [[New Haven]], Connecticut. Peter Hallock, one of the settlers, drew the long straw and was granted the honor to step ashore first. He is considered the first New World settler on Long Island. [[Southampton, New York|Southampton]] was settled in the same year. [[Hempstead, New York|Hempstead]] followed in 1644, [[East Hampton, New York|East Hampton]] in 1648, [[Huntington, New York|Huntington]] in 1653, [[Brookhaven, New York|Brookhaven]] in 1655, and [[Smithtown, New York|Smithtown]] in 1665.

While the eastern region of Long Island was first settled by the English, the western portion of Long Island was settled by the Dutch; until 1664, the jurisdiction of Long Island was split between the Dutch and English, roughly at the present border between [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] and [[Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk County]]. The Dutch founded six towns in present-day [[Brooklyn]] beginning in 1645. These included: [[Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn|Brooklyn]], [[Gravesend, Brooklyn|Gravesend]], [[Flatlands, Brooklyn|Flatlands]], [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]], [[New Utrecht, Brooklyn|New Utrecht]], and [[Bushwick, Brooklyn|Bushwick]]. The Dutch had granted an English settlement in [[Hempstead, New York]] (now in Nassau County) in 1644, but after a boundary dispute, they drove out English settlers from the Oyster Bay area. However, in 1664, the English returned to take over the Dutch colony of [[New Netherland]], including Long Island.

The 1664 land patent granted to the [[James II of England|Duke of York]] included all islands in Long Island Sound. The Duke of York held a grudge against Connecticut, as New Haven had hidden [[List of regicides of Charles I|three of the judges]] ([[John Dixwell]], [[Edward Whalley]] and [[William Goffe]]<ref>{{cite ODNB |last=Nenner |first=Howard |year=2004 |title=Regicides (act. 1649) |id=70599}}</ref>) who sentenced the Duke's father, [[List of regicides of Charles I|King Charles I]], to death in 1649. Settlers throughout Suffolk County pressed to stay part of Connecticut, but Governor Sir [[Edmund Andros]] threatened to eliminate the settlers' rights to land if they did not yield, which they did by 1676.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/historicalandde00baylgoog |first=Richard Mather | last=Bayles |title=Sketches of Suffolk County, Historical and Descriptive, with a Historical Outline of Long Island |publisher=The Author |year=1874}}</ref>

All of Long Island along with islands between Long Island and Connecticut became part of the [[Province of New York]] within the [[York Shire (Province of New York)|Shire of York]]. Present-day Suffolk County was designated as the ''East Riding'' (of Yorkshire), present-day Brooklyn was part of the ''West Riding'', and present-day Queens and Nassau were part of the larger ''North Riding''. In 1683, Yorkshire was dissolved and the three original counties on Long Island were established: Kings, Queens, and Suffolk.

===18th century===
[[File:NYC_Brooklyn_Bridge_western_ramp.jpg|thumb|The [[Brooklyn Bridge]], one of several bridges crossing the [[East River]] and connecting Long Island with [[Manhattan]]]]

Following the [[European colonization of the Americas]], including Long Island, the [[Algonquian peoples]] found themselves increasingly marginalized, their ancient hunting grounds cleared for agriculture, and their economic systems integrated into the European market, particularly through their labor and the dwindling fur and wampum trades. By the 18th century, most native lands had been seized, leaving only small parcels, and many Indigenous people were relegated to roles as domestics, laborers, guides, and seamen.<ref name=":5" />

[[William Floyd]] was born on Long Island on December 17, 1734. In 1654, his family emigrated to North America. By the time of Floyd's birth, the family was established and wealthy. He was a member of the Suffolk County Militia in the beginning of the [[American Revolution]], and rose to the rank of Major General. In 1774, he was chosen as a representative from New York to the [[First Continental Congress]]. After the [[battle of Long Island]], his estate was confiscated by the [[British Army during the American Revolutionary War|British army]] and was used as a cavalry base. In 1789, Floyd was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]], where he served until 1791. [[Francis Lewis]] from [[Brookhaven, New York|Brookhaven]] on Long Island, another signer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], had his home destroyed and his wife Elizabeth arrested by the British after the battle of Long Island. [[George Washington]] managed her release by having the wives of two wealthy [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] from [[Philadelphia]] arrested, and then exchanging the two for Mrs. Lewis.

[[Marinus Willett]], of [[Jamaica, Queens]] enlisted in the [[New York Guard|colonial militia]] after the [[French and Indian War]] broke out in 1754. He participated in the [[Battle of Carillon|Ticonderoga campaign]] and the [[Battle of Fort Frontenac|capture of Fort Frontenac]] in 1758. Joining the revolutionary [[Sons of Liberty]] in the 1770s, Willett shortly thereafter enlisted in the [[Continental Army]] in 1775. Serving in the [[1st New York Regiment|1st New York]], he took part in the [[Invasion of Quebec (1775)|Invasion of Quebec]] before transferring to the [[3rd New York Regiment|3rd New York]] in 1776. Seeing action [[Battle of Monmouth|at Monmouth]], Willett then participated in the 1778 [[Sullivan Expedition|Sullivan Campaign]]. He was made the [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] of the [[5th New York Regiment|5th New York]] in 1780 and the [[Tryon County militia]] in 1781, where he fought [[Battle of Johnstown|at Johnstown]]. On August 22, 1830, Willett died and was buried in the graveyard of [[Trinity Church (Manhattan)|Trinity Church]]. The [[Willets Point]] and the accompanying [[Mets–Willets Point station (IRT Flushing Line)|Mets-Willets Point station]] is named in his honor.

Early in the [[American Revolutionary War]], the island was captured by the British from American troops under [[George Washington]] in the battle of Long Island, a major battle after which Washington narrowly evacuated his troops from [[Brooklyn Heights]] under a dense fog. After the British victory on Long Island, many [[Patriot (American Revolution)|Patriots]] withdrew, leaving mostly [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] behind. The island was a British stronghold until the end of the war in 1783.<ref>{{Cite web|title=George Washington: The Commander in Chief|url=https://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/washington/george2a.html|access-date=February 22, 2022|website=www.ushistory.org|archive-date=February 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222172828/https://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/washington/george2a.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

General Washington based his [[Intelligence in the American Revolutionary War|intelligence]] activities on Long Island, due to the western part of the island's proximity to the [[British Armed Forces|British military]] headquarters in New York City. The [[Culper Ring]] included agents operating between [[Setauket, New York|Setauket]] and Manhattan. This ring alerted Washington to valuable British secrets, including the treason of [[Benedict Arnold]] and a plan to use counterfeiting to induce economic sabotage.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

Long Island's colonists supported both Loyalist and Patriot causes, with many prominent families divided among both sides. During the occupation, British forces utilized a number of civilian structures for defense and were also at times quartered in local homes. A number of structures from this era remain. Among these are [[Raynham Hall Museum|Raynham Hall]], the [[Oyster Bay, New York|Oyster Bay]] home of patriot spy [[Robert Townsend (spy)|Robert Townsend]], and the [[Caroline Church and Cemetery|Caroline Church]] in [[Setauket, New York|Setauket]], which contains bullet holes from a skirmish known as the [[Battle of Setauket]]. Also in existence is a reconstruction of Brooklyn's [[Old Stone House (Brooklyn)|Old Stone House]], on the site of the [[Maryland 400]]'s celebrated last stand during the [[Battle of Long Island]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barron |first=James |date=August 26, 2016 |title=The Battle of Brooklyn: A Loss That Helped Win the Revolution |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/27/nyregion/the-battle-of-brooklyn-a-loss-that-helped-win-the-revolution.html |access-date=May 3, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===19th century===
In the 19th century, Long Island was still mainly [[rural]] and devoted to [[agriculture]]. The predecessor to the [[Long Island Rail Road]] (LIRR) began service in 1836 from the [[South Ferry, Brooklyn|South Ferry]] in [[Brooklyn]], through the remainder of Brooklyn, to [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]] in [[Queens]]. The line was completed to the east end of Long Island in 1844, as part of a plan for transportation to [[Boston]]. Competing railroads, soon absorbed by the LIRR, were built along the south shore to accommodate travelers from those more populated areas. For the century from 1830 until 1930, total population roughly doubled every twenty years, with more dense development in areas near Manhattan. Several cities were incorporated, such as the "City of Brooklyn" in Kings County, and [[Long Island City]] in Queens.<ref name="QueensInc">{{cite web | title=The New Long Island City--Provisions of the Proposed Charter | website=New York Times | date=February 20, 1870 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1870/02/20/archives/the-new-long-island-cityprovisions-of-the-proposed-charter.html | access-date=November 23, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219000822/https://www.nytimes.com/1870/02/20/archives/the-new-long-island-cityprovisions-of-the-proposed-charter.html | archive-date=December 19, 2018}}</ref><ref name="BrooklynInc">{{cite web | title=Brooklyn, Before It Was a Global Brand: Walk Its History | website=New York Times | date=May 20, 2020 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/20/arts/design/brooklyn-virtual-tour-virus.html | access-date=November 23, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121103111/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/20/arts/design/brooklyn-virtual-tour-virus.html | archive-date=November 21, 2022}}</ref>

Until completion of the [[Brooklyn Bridge]] in 1883, the only means of travel between Long Island and the rest of the United States was by boat or ship. As other bridges and tunnels were constructed, areas of the island began to be developed as residential suburbs, first around the railroads that offered commuting into the city. On January 1, 1898, Kings County and portions of Queens County were consolidated into the [[City of Greater New York]], abolishing all cities and towns within them. The easternmost {{convert|280|sqmi|km2}} of Queens County, which were not part of the consolidation plan,<ref><!-- \\ BEGIN refs that Nassau never voted on consolidation -->{{cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1894/09/13/archives/of-interest-to-politicians.html
|title=Of Interest to Politicians.
|page=9
|date=September 13, 1894
|work=The New York Times
|quote=The question of the Greater New-York, which is also to be submitted to the people at this coming election, involves the proposition to unite in one city the following cities, counties, and towns: New York City, Long Island City, in Queens County; the County of Kings, (Brooklyn;) the County of Richmond, (S.I.;) the towns of Flushing, Newtown, Jamaica, in Queens County; the town of Westchester, in Westchester County, and all that portion of the towns of East Chester and Pelham which lies south of a straight line drawn from a point where the northerly line of the City of New-York meets the centre line of the Bronx River, to the middle of the channel between Hunter's and Glen Islands, in Long Island Sound, and that part of the town of Hempstead, in Queens County, which is westerly of a straight line drawn from the south-easterly point of the town of Flushing in a straight line to the Atlantic Ocean.
|access-date=April 30, 2011
|archive-date=June 14, 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614194733/https://www.nytimes.com/1894/09/13/archives/of-interest-to-politicians.html
|url-status=live
}} (before vote)</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D06E0D91131E033A25755C1A9669D94659ED7CF
|title=Vote for Greater New York
|date=October 16, 1894
|work=The New York Times
|access-date=April 30, 2011
|archive-date=January 17, 2012
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117114833/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D06E0D91131E033A25755C1A9669D94659ED7CF
|url-status=live
}} (before election)</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1894/11/04/archives/newyorks-place-in-danger-consolidation-defeated-she-must-yield-to.html
|title=New-York's Place in Danger; Consolidation Defeated, She Must Yield, to Chicago.
|date=November 4, 1894
|work=The New York Times
|access-date=April 30, 2011
|archive-date=June 14, 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614195233/https://www.nytimes.com/1894/11/04/archives/newyorks-place-in-danger-consolidation-defeated-she-must-yield-to.html
|url-status=live
}} (before election)
<!--NOTE:again, no mention of Town of Oyster Bay, nor Town of North Hempstead, nor any plan for ALL of Town of Hempstead, indeed only part of Hempstead was ever planned to become part of Queens--></ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1894/11/08/archives/greater-newyork-in-doubt-the-city-vote-is-for-it-and-brooklyn-is.html
|title=Greater New-York in Doubt: The City Vote is for it and Brooklyn is uncertain.
|date=November 8, 1894
|newspaper=NY Times
|quote=The increase in area and population that New-York will acquire if consolidation becomes a fact will become evident by a glance at the following table... Flushing... * Part of the town of Hempstead... Jamaica... Long Island City ... Newtown... The townships in Queens County that are to be included in the Greater New-York have not been heard from yet...
|access-date=April 30, 2011
|archive-date=June 14, 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614195139/https://www.nytimes.com/1894/11/08/archives/greater-newyork-in-doubt-the-city-vote-is-for-it-and-brooklyn-is.html
|url-status=live
}} (before results of Queens vote known)
<!-- NOTE: no mention of Town of Oyster Bay, nor Town of North Hempstead, nor any plan for ALL of Town of Hempstead, indeed only part of Hempstead was ever planned to become part of Queens--></ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1896/02/22/archives/report-favors-consolidation-an-argument-against-the-claims-of-the.html
|title=Report Favors Consolidation; An Argument Against the Claims of the Resubmissionists.
|page=1
|date=February 22, 1896
|work=The New York Times
|access-date=April 30, 2011
|archive-date=June 14, 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614203109/https://www.nytimes.com/1896/02/22/archives/report-favors-consolidation-an-argument-against-the-claims-of-the.html
|url-status=live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/02/12/archives/the-east-city-line-fixed-its-base-found-in-the-sand-of-a-closed.html
|title=The East City Line Fixed
|date=February 12, 1899
|page=15
|work=The New York Times
|access-date=April 30, 2011
|archive-date=June 14, 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614195031/https://www.nytimes.com/1899/02/12/archives/the-east-city-line-fixed-its-base-found-in-the-sand-of-a-closed.html
|url-status=live
}}

<!-- \\ END refs that Nassau never voted on consolidation --></ref>
separated from Queens in 1899 to form Nassau County.

At the close of the 19th century, wealthy [[industrialist]]s who made vast fortunes during the [[Gilded Age]] began to construct large "baronial" country estates in Nassau County communities along the North Shore of Long Island, favoring the many [[land lot|properties]] with water views. Proximity to Manhattan attracted such men as [[J. P. Morgan]], [[William K. Vanderbilt]], and [[Charles Pratt]], whose estates led to this area being nicknamed the [[North Shore (Long Island)|Gold Coast]]. This period and the area was immortalized in fiction, such as [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]]{{'}}s ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'', which has also been adapted in [[The Great Gatsby (disambiguation)|films]].

===20th century===
[[Image:Manhasset-Bay-NY-1917.jpg|thumb|[[Manhasset Bay]], along the [[North Shore (Long Island)|North Shore]] of [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]], as seen on a map from 1917]]
[[File:OHEKA_CASTLE_exterior_view_3.jpg|thumb|[[Oheka Castle]], a [[North Shore (Long Island)|North Shore]] estate in [[West Hills, New York|West Hills]] and the second-largest private residence in the country]]
The gradual decline in Indigenous authority reached a critical point when it led to the formal obliteration of acknowledgement for many tribes. A poignant example of this phenomenon occurred in 1910, when a legal decree by the [[Judiciary of New York]] pronounced the Montaukett "tribe" extinct, ignoring the presence and testimonies of its members in court. Such decrees were used to facilitate the encroachment on Native American lands with greater ease, granting legal legitimacy to the acts of settler colonialism. In the absence of legally recognized Indigenous territories, settlers could assert ownership over Native lands without engaging in negotiations or offering compensation. This act represented the final stage in the thorough domination and displacement of Native American communities on Long Island.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvx06xs7 |title=The Archaeology of Race in the Northeast |date=2015 |publisher=University Press of Florida |doi=10.2307/j.ctvx06xs7|jstor=j.ctvx06xs7 }}</ref>

[[Charles Lindbergh]] lifted off from [[Roosevelt Field (airport)|Roosevelt Field]] with his ''[[Spirit of St. Louis]]'' for his historic 1927 solo flight to Europe, one of the events that helped to establish Long Island as an early center of [[aviation]] during the 20th century. Other famous aviators such as [[Wiley Post]] originated notable flights from [[Floyd Bennett Field]] in Brooklyn, which became the first major airport serving New York City before it was superseded by the opening of [[La Guardia Airport]] in 1939. Long Island was also the site of [[Mitchel Air Force Base]] and was a major center of military aircraft production by companies such as [[Grumman]] and [[Fairchild Aircraft]] during [[World War II]] and for some decades afterward. Aircraft production on Long Island extended all the way into the Space Age. Grumman was one of the major contractors that helped to build the early [[space flight|lunar flight]] and [[Space Shuttle]] vehicles. Although the aircraft companies eventually ended their Long Island operations and the early airports were all later closed. Roosevelt Field, for instance, became the site of a [[Roosevelt Field (shopping mall)|major shopping mall]], the [[Cradle of Aviation Museum]] on the site of the former Mitchel Field documents the Island's key role in the history of aviation.

From the 1920s to the 1940s, Long Island began the transformation from backwoods and farms as developers created numerous suburbs. Numerous branches of the [[Long Island Rail Road]] (LIRR) already enabled commuting from the suburbs to Manhattan. [[Robert Moses]] engineered various automobile [[parkways in New York|parkway]] projects to span the island, and developed beaches and state parks for the enjoyment of residents and visitors from the city. Gradually, development also followed these parkways, with various communities springing up along the more traveled routes.

After [[World War II]], suburban development increased with incentives under the [[G.I. Bill]], and Long Island's population skyrocketed, mostly in Nassau County and western Suffolk County. Second and third-generation children of immigrants moved out to eastern Long Island to settle in new housing developments built during the post-war boom. [[Levittown, New York|Levittown]] became noted as a suburb, where housing construction was simplified to be produced on a large scale. These provided opportunities for white World War II [[military veteran]]s returning home to buy houses and start a family. In his 1966 book, ''My Private America'' (''Moja prywatna Ameryka''), [[Kazimierz Wierzyński]], a Polish poet who could not go back to Poland after World War II, describes Polish farmers living there, as "walking novels".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wierzyński |first1=Kazimierz |title=Moja prywatna Ameryka |date=1966 |publisher=Polska Fundacja Kulturalna |location=Londyn |page=14|edition=first}}</ref>

===21st century===
{{unreferencedsect|date=November 2024}}
[[File:The Brooklyn Tower 010.jpg|thumb|[[The Brooklyn Tower]], a 93-story [[supertall]] [[skyscraper]] in [[Downtown Brooklyn]], the tallest building on Long Island as of 2021 at a height of {{convert|1073|ft|m}}]]
At the beginning of the 21st century, a number of Long Island communities had converted their assets from [[Manufacturing|industrial]] uses to [[post-industrial]] roles. [[Brooklyn]] reversed decades of population decline and factory closings to resurface as a globally renowned cultural and intellectual hotbed. [[Gentrification]] has impacted much of Brooklyn and a portion of [[Queens]], relocating a sizeable swath of New York City's population. On eastern Long Island, [[Port Jefferson, New York|Port Jefferson]], [[Patchogue, New York|Patchogue]], and [[Riverhead (town), New York|Riverhead]] evolved from inactive [[shipbuilding]] and mill towns into tourist-centric commercial centers with cultural attractions.

The descendants of late 19th and early 20th-century immigrants from [[Southern Europe|southern]] and [[Eastern Europe]], and [[Great Migration (African American)|Black migrants]] from the [[Southern United States|South]], were followed by more recent immigrants from [[Asia]] and [[Latin America]]. Long Island has many ethnic [[Irish Americans in New York City|Irish]], [[Jews in New York City|Jews]], and [[Italian Americans in New York City|Italians]]. In later immigration trends, [[Asian Americans in New York City|Asians]], [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics]], [[Afghan Americans|Afghans]], [[Arab Americans|Arabs]], and [[Indian Americans|Indians]] arrived on Long Island.