The Albany Common Council: 1686-1994
In the spring of 1999,
Professors Robert Dykstra and Ivan Steen of the University at Albany led a graduate research seminar on the history
of the Common Council of the City of Albany. The City of Albany received its charter in 1686, and the Hall of Records
in Albany preserves the minutes of each Council since that time, providing an incredibly rich resource to trace
the development of organized urban life from when Albany was a Dutch-speaking fur trading post huddled on the Hudson
River to the modern era. Each student presented his or her paper to the current Common Council members and other
interested members of the (as the 1686 Charter calls them) "Commonality" at the City Hall in May and
June of this year.
Soon, another eight
articles spanning from 1686 to 1982 will be presented here. These articles will be illustrated, but not
have large multi-media content.
|