<P> A war was not in the best interest of business, because New York had strong ties to the Deep South, both through the port of New York and manufacture of cotton goods in upstate textile mills . Half of New York City's exports were related to cotton before the war . Southern businessmen so frequently traveled to the city that they established favorite hotels and restaurants . Trade was based on moving Southern goods . The city's large Democrat community feared the impact of Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860 and the mayor urged secession of New York . </P> <P> By the time of the 1861 Battle of Fort Sumter, such political differences decreased and the state quickly met Lincoln's request for soldiers and supplies . Hundreds of thousands of New York's young men fought during the Civil War, more than any other Northern state . While no battles were waged in New York, the state was not immune to Confederate conspiracies, including one to burn various New York cities and another to invade the state via Canada . </P> <P> In January 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves in states that were still in rebellion against the union . In March 1863, the federal draft law was changed so that male citizens between 20 and 35 and unmarried citizens to age 45 were subject to conscription . Those who could afford to hire a substitute or pay $300 were exempt . Antiwar newspaper editors attacked the law, and many immigrants and their descendants resented being drafted in place of people who could buy their way out . Democratic Party leaders raised the specter of a deluge of freed southern blacks competing with the white working class, then dominated by ethnic Irish and immigrants . On the lottery's first day, July 11, 1863, the first lottery draw was held . On Monday, July 13, 1863, five days of large - scale riots began, which were dominated by ethnic Irish, who targeted blacks in the city, their neighborhoods, and known abolitionist sympathizers . As a result, many blacks left Manhattan permanently, moving to Brooklyn or other areas . </P> <P> In the following decades, New York strengthened its dominance of the financial and banking industries . Manufacturing continued to rise: Eastman Kodak founded in 1888 in Rochester, General Electric in Schenectady, and Endicott - Johnson Shoe Company in the Triple Cities are some of the well - known companies founded during this period . Buffalo and Niagara Falls attracted numerous factories following the advent of hydroelectric power in the area . With industry blooming, workers began to unite in New York as early as the 1820s . By 1882, the Knights of Labor in New York City had 60,000 members . Trade unions used political influence to limit working hours as early as 1867 . At the same time, New York's agricultural output peaked . Focus changed from crop - based to dairy - based agriculture . The cheese industry became established in the Mohawk Valley . By 1881, the state had more than 241,000 farms . In the same period, the area around New York harbor became the world's oyster capital, retaining that title into the early twentieth century . </P>

When was new york founded as a colony