Ask an Urban Historian: American East

In this new column, urban historians respond to readers’ questions about cities. Here, Dr. Walter Greason of Ursinus College in Pennsylvania takes questions about cities in the East. Have a question? Send it to .

Dear Urban Historian,
I recently took a cruise of the New York City harbor with my fiancé, and the view was beautiful. But as I looked out at Jersey City’s sparse skyline, I was wondering: why has New Jersey never developed a major city or urban center? How did it become the largely suburban state that it is today?
— Debbie Winston, Stamford, Connecticut

I would disagree that New Jersey never developed a major urban center. Newark, Camden, and Trenton all experienced periods of significant economic growth and population increases in the late 19th and early 20th century. The more interesting part of your question is the second half: one might note the stagnation of these cities’ growth, while the farming regions of the state began to transform into suburbs, after 1940. Federal mortgage finance backing and local real estate practices certainly influenced this transformation, which de-emphasized urban development in the Garden State. If you pressed me for a single reason for a lack of dense urbanization, I would suggest it is the way the “home rule” provisions of the New Jersey constitution were interpreted to sanction the sprawling multiplication of municipal governments. Hundreds of new towns emerged, and they all competed with one another to attract and house urban residents who wanted to become suburbanites. The state is still reeling from the consequences of that particular vision of “home rule.”

Dear Urban Historian,
Democrats swept into power at the federal level this year campaigning largely on an anti-corruption platform. It’s interesting to note, though, that corruption occurs at the city level just as often. In your opinion, what Eastern city has been the most corrupt historically, and which strikes you as most corrupt today?
— Jim LaFange, Old Lyme, Connecticut

I would argue that the most corrupt place in the East is not a city but a county. DeKalb County, Georgia, is a prime example of municipal corruption because of the career and legacy of its sheriff, Sydney Dorsey. Dorsey’s use of municipal services and workers to provide personal and financial comfort to himself and his family would have been enough to taint local politics in suburban Atlanta for a long time. But here’s the kicker: After voters in DeKalb County booted Dorsey out of the sheriff’s office in 2000, Dorsey sent two of his deputies to the home of his elected successor, Derwin Brown. They shot Brown at close range in front of his home two days before was set to take office. Dorsey was convicted of murder in 2002 and is serving a life sentence for his crimes. In 2004, a jury ordered Dorsey and his two co-conspirators to pay the family of Derwin Brown $776 million.

Municipal corruption in exurban areas deserves much closer scrutiny in an era when our news media relies on the aging stereotypes of “big city” corruption that have existed since the 19th century.

Dear Urban Historian,
What would you say was more important to American history: the Boston Tea Party, or the Million Man March? What has been the most impactful public protest staged in an Eastern city?
— Emily Harden, Washington, D.C.

The activist in me wants to choose the latter event, but the historian ultimately will not stand for it. The importance of the Boston Tea Party has often been overstated—its public effect declined significantly outside of the New England colonies. I could even argue that the Million Man March was part of the emergence of Islam as the singular post-Cold War (perceived) threat in the halls of power in the United States: the sight of a million African-American men shouting “God is Great” in Arabic at the steps of the Capitol being broadcast on CNN around the world has not been taken seriously enough over the last ten years. Despite all this, I think it is too soon to judge the historical impact of the Million Man March, while the largely symbolic impact of the Boston Tea Party clearly still resonates with many today.

As for the most impactful protest in an Eastern city, my first choice is the march of the Bonus Army in 1932. Thousands of World War I veterans marched in Washington, D.C., demanding payment of a cash bonus for their military service, promised to them in a law from 1924. It was a massive public action that continued for months and symbolized the ineptitude of the federal government, especially the President (Herbert Hoover), at that time. 

Dear Urban Historian,
What is a borough? And why is New York the only city that has them? The way they function, it’s like they’re each their own city. Was this ever the case?
— Simon Trumble, Williamsburgh, New York

A borough is a category of municipal incorporation within a state legislature. The other two most common categories are townships and cities. New York does not have the only boroughs, but they do have a few of the largest ones. The semi-independent function of the New York City boroughs is a holdover from when each borough was a separate entity. Annexation was a strategy for urban expansion between 1870 and 1930. The consolidation of New York City from the five separate boroughs created a dynamic cultural and economic zone that could continue to compete with (and, in some ways, dominate) other larger, emerging cities within the American industrial economy (Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Dallas, for instance).

Dear Urban Historian,
I am a lifelong Pittsburgh resident who recently visited family in Worcester, MA. I was struck by the similarities between the two cities, both of which have suffered significantly in the post-industrial and information ages. Why is it that some cities made the transition smoother than others? And which cities, in your mind, really got it right?
— Allison Mercer, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Private investment or disinvestment, although sanctioned by federal policies after 1978, is the primary distinguishing factor in a city’s ability to make a smooth transition from an industrial economy to the global information economy. In general, businesses left Rustbelt cities because of rising taxes and labor costs and moved to less regulated environments: the suburbs, Sunbelt cities (Phoenix, Atlanta, Houston), and developing nations. The tax revolts of the late 20th century crippled public revenue streams in order to maintain the competitive advantages of northern and midwestern American cities. Once that downward spiral of shrinking services and consumer populations began, the main way older industrial cities tried to compensate was with aggressive tax deferrals for corporate investment. Sadly, these strategies only slow the decline, rather than reversing it, and they rarely generate new economic growth.

Dear Urban Historian,
The Northeast’s history is filled with heroic and exciting figures, ranging from explorers to founding fathers to individuals who would later have beer brands named after them. But my seven-year-old daughter and I have been debating for some time now, and we want to know: when all the chips fall, who deserves the most street cred: William Penn, Henry Hudson, or Sam Adams?
— Gavin Kendrick (and Becky Kendrick), Boston

My vote goes to Sam Adams, but mainly because of Dave Chappelle’s vision of Samuel Jackson at the start of the second season of his show. I could just see Adams screaming at the redcoats, “Yes, you deserve to die! And I hope you burn in ...” Let me watch my language, for your daughter’s sake.