Policing the Gilded City: Law and Order in 19th-century New York
As New York grew throughout the 19th century from once just the island of Manhattan to ultimately encompassing five unique boroughs, crime grew with the burgeoning population. Early on, there was little in the form of law enforcement except some constables and night watchmen. The 19th century saw the evolution of two police forces and grew from a loose organization of corruption and cronyism to a professional force led by Theodore Roosevelt in the 1890s. Returning guest author and historian and creator of the website Ephemeral New York, Esther Crain returns to the show to delve deeply into this world of police, crimes and criminals of the Gilded Age.
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