The North End (Research Paper Sample)

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The North End
The history of the North End can be traced back to seventeenth century when it was predominantly settled by the Puritans, and later by the Italians in the late 19th century. Today, The North End has emerged as one of the densely populated places in Boston. Before the Italians came in, the North end was a home to people of diverse backgrounds and culture during the early and the mid-19th century. It was inhabited by the African American, the German and the Jews immigrants. The North End is a very prominent place in the Shawmut Peninsula, which was later named Boston. The place can be remembered for its artisan shops and unique residential places that facilitated trade in the area and fuelled the economy of Boston. Today, The North End is a very vibrant neighborhood in Boston that is dominated mostly by Italians. The North End is arguably one of the places in Boston that bears a long history of different ethnic groups from different parts of the world, and has remained as one of the historic places in Boston that are widely sought by tourists. Its long history brings about the understanding of the religious festivals and other practices that characterize the daily life of the Italians who are the dominant group. Today, it is one of the safest neighborhoods in area.
Initially, Boston’s North End was a peninsula, which was bordered by the Boston Harbor and by Charles River on the north, western and its eastern parts. On its southwestern part, it connected to the town at the junction between the two streets, the Hanover and the Blackstone. The border has since been moved severally to the south or to the west in several occasions, but this changed in the recent past when several buildings were demolished and the expressway was erected. This move has meant that there would never be problems with boundaries and it is true that it helped to come up with clear and permanent boundaries for the North End neighborhood. The Charles River and Boston Harbor remain as the boundaries to the North and to the East respectively. The North Washington Street and the Cross Street are the borders to the West and to the South respectivelyCITATION Ale09 \p 15 \l 1033 (Goldfeld 15). Several developments especially in the early years of nineteenth century also left it changed topographically. The North Cove and the Dock square were filled so to create the Quincy Market. These changes also culminated into the extension of the waterfront, which also allowed the projection of the wharves into Boston Harbor, through which sailors could dockCITATION Ant07 \p p.IX \l 1033 (Anthony and Charles p.IX).
The Puritans who first settled in Boston’s North End came from England in around 1630. Around this time, Boston was a peninsula with a very thin street connecting it to the main land. The early travellers from the other neighborhoods who used horses or travelled on foot entered Boston through the Washington Street. During this time, infrastructural development in terms of roads and other means of transport were not fully in place. The boats were the simplest means that could be used to enter Boston and the North End served this purpose well, as it could be easily accessed through the Charles River and the Boston Harbor. It also acted as the best means through which people could connect to the other settlement areas. As time went by, ferries that operated between the North End and the two towns of Charlestown and Chelsea were established by the colonial government through the Governor Winthrop. These two ferries brought in many people to the North End. These were mainly merchants, visitors, sailors and permanent dwellers. The influx of people into the North End made it become a very busy destination. The North end’s harbors were deep and therefore offered very conducive places where the people could build their wharvesCITATION Ale09 \p 16 \l 1033 (Goldfeld 16).
The North Enders found the North Street coastline a good place for buildings and wharves. This also served as a good place for the colonialists who wanted to keep watch of their trade, as large ships used to dock at this place to deliver goods and people. During this period, the North Street and the Harbor were the front parts of the North End, and it is where the colonialists first erected their windmill. The windmill was later moved due to unfavorable conditions to Copp’s Hill, which was near the ferries for easy access by the people. Therefore, the mill became a very important asset of the colony since it acted as one of the food production areas as it grounded grains to flour. Several developments occurred during this colonial period that changed the face of the North End. Most notable include the filling of the Mill Pond. Fortifications were then built at the Boston harbor to help protect the town from the French and the Dutch invasion.
The Boston people managed to keep their place away from invasions for a very long time and this is the time that they improved infrastructure in the area. The notable streets include the North Street and the Hanover Street in the North End. Others that also came later include Cross, Richmond and Battery. The need for infrastructural development was heightened by trade, which was majorly driven by the large ships that docked at the harbors, the ferries and the windmill that served many peopleCITATION Ale09 \p 18 \l 1033 (Goldfeld 18). The invasions were very likely for the Bostonians during this colonial period, and after the evacuation of the British from Boston, General Washington reinforced the Fort Hill’s defenses.
Immediately after the building of the streets in the North End, the people started to form close community ties among them. The unity was also brought about by regular worship among the North Enders. The main church, which was used during this period, was located in the South End but the North Enders eventually formed a separate church in 1649. This showed that the North End had become prosperous and independent enough to minister to themselves in their own church. The North End grew continuously with new meetinghouses, and schools being erected in the middle 17th century. New shops came up and people were authorized to sell coffee, beer and other drinks. Even entertainment places were coming up along the major streets of the North End. Many meetinghouses came up and people were able to congregate and worshipCITATION Ale09 \p 19-23 \l 1033 (Goldfeld 19-23).
It is also worthy to note that the North End was inhabited by the African Americans , and their history can be told in line with the history of the Africans who lived in this area both as free and enslaved people. Some of the inhabitants of the North End actually enslaved the Africans and the Americans especially in the 1600s and 1700s. Otherwise, Africans were the most vulnerable group for slavery. During this time, the African inhabitants were few, but as time grew, the population increased. Free African Americans also begun to settle in the North End, especially on Copp’s Hill. The enslaved blacks were able to take part in church services, their involvement in church activities resulted from constant hopes for a breakthrough. These enslaved blacks were forced to the harsh conditions and were put under strict Massachusetts lawsCITATION Ale09 \p 33-35 \l 1033 (Goldfeld 33-35).
From 1840s, several immigrant groups flocked Boston, with most of them settling in the North End. These included mainly the Italians, Jews from Russia and Germany, and the Irish. This kind of immigration led to the emergence of different North End, a place characterized by diverse cultures from different origins. The place became very densely populated as immigrants continued to arrive. This led to the North End being dominated by the Jewish and the Italians immigrants by the 20th century. This neighborhood became so much influenced by these ethnic communities, giving it a unique characteristic. Throughout this century, there was emergence of coffee shops, restaurants, cafes and entertainment places that also attracted many tourists to the area.
These tourists mainly come to see the old church and the streets that were built by the Puritans who were the first dwellers of the North End. It therefore has a rich history due to the cultural diversity that is present there. It was once a place of the wealthy and bourgeoisie society, but since these people were evacuated in 1776, it gave way to the immigrants who came from the neighboring countries including Germany and Russia. This made it become one of the culturally rich places in BostonCITATION Ant07 \p p.X \l 1033 (Anthony and Charles p.X). The North end has become a major destination of the visitors who come to visit Boston from the rest of the world. The Paul Revere House and the Old North Church attracts so many tourists to the neighborhood. It has become more than just a historical site and is emerging to be one of the determinants of the future of Boston. Several of the tourists who visit this area are fascinated by the streets that were laid in the 17th century by the Puritans. Some other ...