Battle of Golden Hill
New York City
January 19, 1770
Even before violence erupted in what widely became known as the “Boston Massacre,” New Yorkers pushed back against British soldiers stationed in New York City by erecting “liberty poles” around the city. A confrontation between the two sides occurred on Golden Hill on January 19, 1770. While no victories were claimed, the Battle of Golden Hill illuminated the early tensions that sparked the American Revolution.
Battle of Golden Hill, NY, Jan 19, 1770, by Charles MacKubin Lefferts, c.1919-20. Courtesy of The New York Historical, 1923.95.
Detail, "Plan of the city of New York in North America surveyed in the years 1766 and 1767," by Bernard Ratzer. Courtesy of the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division, The New York Public Library.
Liberty Flagstaff by Albert Weinert, June 14, 1921, donated by Sons of the Revolution and The New York Historical. Located in City Hall Park, New York City. Courtesy of The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.