Rochester and Western New York

4.0 credits

Rochester’s history began long before the first permanent settlement in 1812 and was marked by a long and violent conflict between native peoples, the French and the British. Wheat harvested in the Genesee Valley was ground into flour using the power of the Genesee River as it dropped 260 feet to Lake Ontario. Transporting flour and other goods to New York City and other markets was difficult until the Erie Canal was completed in 1825. The canal enabled an enormous migration of settlers moving west, and many chose to stay in Rochester. The village became a city in 1834 with a vibrant and expanding mix of cultures that joined together to make Rochester a vibrant commercial and manufacturing center. The Western Union Telegraph Company traces its roots to Rochester in 1851 and in 1853 eight local New York railroads merged to form the New York Central, whose tracks ran parallel to the Erie Canal. In 1881 a local bank clerk, George Eastman, quit his job to devote his full attention to the business of photography and founded the Eastman Kodak Company. The Haloid Photographic Company was founded in Rochester in 1906 and entered into an agreement with inventor Chester Carlson in 1946 that resulted in the introduction of the Xerox 914 plain paper copy machine in 1959 was adopted around the world. Nevertheless, Rochester’s most famous residents are likely Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony, who were instrumental in the struggle to expand civil rights to all Americans. The local community, however, struggled to welcome the large numbers of African Americans who moved to Rochester after World War II. Housing discrimination, white flight to the suburbs, and riots marked the 1960s, and the city today has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the country. Nevertheless, the city has vibrant cultural and educational institutions that continue to attract talented newcomers. In short, the history of Rochester has a bit of everything and students in the course are encouraged to study the entire experience of the community, including topics that may be new and frankly uncomfortable.