How Newark Became Newark : The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American City

This sweeping popular history is the unflinching story of one of America s most fascinating cities. Brad R. Tuttle's illustrated account is fresh and honest a critical tale that does not shy away from Newark's sometime seedy past. From its abrupt and steady decline following WWII to today's more hopeful future spurned on by a new real estate market and a growing population, How Newark Became Newark follows well-known and long-forgotten characters and significant events embodying the overall rise, fall, and rebirth of New Jersey's biggest city. For The First Time In Forty Years, The Story Of One Of America's Most Maligned Cities Is Told In All Its Grit And Glory. With Its Open-armed Embrace Of Manufacturing, Newark, New Jersey, Rode The Industrial Revolution To Great Prominence And Wealth That Lasted Well Into The Twentieth Century. In The Postwar Years, However, Newark Experienced A Perfect Storm Of Urban Troubles - Political Corruption, Industrial Abandonment, White Flight, Racial Conflict, Crime, Poverty. Cities Across The United States Found Themselves In Similar Predicaments, Yet Newark Stands Out As An Exceptional Case. Its Saga Reflects The Roller-coaster Ride Of Every City U.s.a., Only With A Steeper Rise, Sharper Turns, And A Much More Dramatic Plunge. How Newark Became Newark Is A Fresh, Unflinching Popular History That Spans The City's Epic Transformation From A Tiny Puritan Village Into A Manufacturing Powerhouse, On To Its Desperate Struggles In The Twentieth Century And Beyond, After World War Ii, Unrest -- Mounted As The Minority Community Was Increasingly Marginalized, Leading To The Wrenching Civic Disturbances Of The 1960s, Though Much Of The City Was Crippled For Years, How Newark Became Newark Is Also A Story Of Survival And Hope, Today, A Real Estate Revival And Growing Population Are Signs That Newark Is Once Again In Ascendance. --book Jacket. Prologue, Pride In Newark : A 300th Anniversary And A City On The Brink -- Rise -- Corporation: Sheltered Puritan Village To Teeming Industrial Hub -- Politics To The Dogs: Southern Sympathy During The Civil War -- Greater Newark: A Metropolis Blooms With The Dawn Of The Twentieth Century -- Fall -- Dead Weight: Prohibition, Politics, And The Growth Of Organized Crime -- The Slums Of Ten Years From Now: A City Transformed Through Postware Urban Renewal -- Bound To Explode: Generations Of Frustration Boil Over In The Summer Of 1967 -- The Worst American City: A Transfer Of Power And The Dire 1970s -- Rebirth -- Sharpe Change: A New Mayor Charts The Meandering Road To Recovery -- A Renaissance For The Rest Of Us: Cory Booker Confronts The Power Structure -- Stand Up: A New Administration, A New Arena, And Some Age-old Struggles. Brad R. Tuttle. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 321-324) And Index. For the first time in forty years, the story of one of America's most maligned cities is told in all its grit and glory. With its open-armed embrace of manufacturing, Newark, New Jersey, rode the Industrial Revolution to great prominence and wealth that lasted well into the twentieth century. In the postwar years, however, Newark experienced a perfect storm of urban troublesùpolitical corruption, industrial abandonment, white flight, racial conflict, crime, poverty. Cities across the United States found themselves in similar predicaments, yet Newark stands out as an exceptional case. Its saga reflects the rollercoaster ride of Everycity U.S.A., only with a steeper rise, sharper turns, and a much more dramatic plunge. How Newark Became Newark is a fresh, unflinching popular history that spans the city's epic transformation from a tiny Puritan village into a manufacturing powerhouse, on to its desperate struggles in the twentieth century and beyond. After World War II, unrest mounted as the minority community was increasingly marginalized, leading to the wrenching civic disturbances of the 1960s. Though much of the city was crippled for years, How Newark Became Newark is also a story of survival and hope. Today, a real estate revival and growing population are signs that Newark is once again in ascendance. Founded in 1666, Newark was a thriving town long before much of New Jersey was even populated. That early lead widened as this growing metropolis became a manufacturing center in the early 19th century. Brad R. Tuttle's How Newark Became Newark charts the uneven progress of the city as it struggled with market competition, economic downturns, and changing population patterns. This lively narrative history of New Jersey's largest city adds new depth of a place that most of us think of "New York's little sister." With its open-armed embrace of manufacturing, Newark, New Jersey, rode the Industrial Revolution to great prominence that lasted well into the 20th century. This title presents a history that spans the city's epic transformation from a tiny Puritan village into a manufacturing powerhouse, on to its desperate struggles in the 20th century.