HISTORY OF NEW YORK CITY

Written documentation of the history of New York City began with the first European visit to the area by GIOVIANNA da VERRAZZAN, in command of the French ship LA  DAULDAE, when he visited the region in 1524. It is believed he sailed into UPPER  NEW  YORK BAY, where he encountered native LENAPE, returned through THE  NARROWS, where he anchored the night of April 17, and then left to continue his voyage. He named the area of present-day  NEW  YORK CITY  Nouvelle-Angoulême  in honor of francis 1, King of France and Count of angouleme                                                                                                 Like many major U.S. cities, New York suffered race riots, gang wars and some population decline in the 1960s. Street activists and minority groups like the Black Panthers and Young Lords took matters into their own hands and organized rent strikes and garbage offensives, demanding city services for poor areas. They also set up free health clinics and other programs, as a guide for organizing and gaining "Power to the People." By the 1970s the city had also gained a reputation as a crime-ridden relic of history. In 1975, the city government avoided bankruptcy only through a federal loan and debt restructuring by the Municipal Assistance Corporation, headed by FELIX RAHOTYN. The city was also forced to accept increased financial scrutiny by an agency of NEW  YORK STATE. In 1977, the city was struck by the twin catastrophes of the NEW  YORK BLACK OUT OF 1977 and the SAN OF  SAMserial murderer's continued slayings