New York has always been revolutionary.<\/p>\n
The Big Apple was a vital cornerstone<\/a> in the formation of America, with the five boroughs serving as a backdrop for the tumultuous years that the US severed itself from British rule, partly thanks to its location along the Hudson River.<\/p>\n But life was tough for the patriots fighting for their freedom, especially those in Manhattan, which remained under British control until 1783.<\/p>\n New York City was almost constantly under British occupation during the American Revolution. esuus<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone who\u2019s living in today\u2019s New York City, in the wider ring around Manhattan, is basically experiencing a constant low-level civil war,\u201d explained Peter-Christian Aigner, executive director of the Gotham Center for New York City History and co-curator of its exhibit, The Occupied City<\/a>, referring to the population at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cThose conditions are grim, and they\u2019re grim for everybody.\u201d <\/p>\n Other than a yearlong period during which the Continental Army had control of the Big Apple, most of America\u2019s patriots were forced to live under British rule as prisoners of war or spies during the revolution.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a glimpse of what daily life looked like for the New York rebels:<\/p>\n Clothing<\/p>\n The patriots did not have a standard militia uniform, with most soldiers wearing their best suits and work clothes to battle.<\/p>\n At that time, the style for men was slim-fitting three-piece suits, white stockings, low-heeled shoes with buckles and three-cornered hats.<\/p>\n George Washington, here with his family, wore the three-piece suit that was fashionable of the time. Getty Images<\/p>\n Women wore robes \u00e0 la fran\u00e7aise\u00a0\u2014 or long gowns with tight bodices and panniers, or hoops, to give the era\u2019s famously wide silhouette.<\/p>\n Because it was wartime, most rebels wore clothes that were spun from wool and stitched together by their wives or children.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not particularly well-outfitted,\u201d Aigner said.<\/p>\n Housing<\/p>\n Finding places to sleep was a major issue for both sides during the Revolutionary War, with the British Parliament famously passing the Quartering Acts in 1765 and 1774 that required colonists to provide housing, food and supplies to even British soldiers.<\/p>\n As many as 20 soldiers could be packed in a 21-square-foot room.<\/p>\n Manhattan was valuable because of the Hudson River and its access to the other colonies. Chris Gorman (City Museum)<\/p>\n There were also makeshift camps throughout Manhattan, where disease ran so rampant that men with carts rode through daily and picked up bodies that were piling up in the streets.<\/p>\n There are forgotten graveyards beneath modern-day City Hall<\/a> where the remains of more than 20,000 New Yorkers from the era rest.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know exactly how many people die, but people are dying like flies,\u201d Aigner said of the times.<\/p>\n Food<\/p>\n The cost of basic goods jumped 700% during the war, and there was constant talk of famine.<\/p>\n The rebels lived on meager rations of bread, pork and beef and were forced to \u201cforage\u201d for their meals in the then-plentiful forests and swamps of the five boroughs.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it also meant raiding \u2014 the word gets used a little bit loosely sometimes. A foraging party might go out into the woods, but you\u2019re more likely to find resources on an established farm,\u201d Aigner said.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone who\u2019s living in today\u2019s New York City, in the wider ring around Manhattan, is basically experiencing a constant low-level civil war,\u201d expert Peter-Christian Aigner said of residents at the time. Chris Gorman (City Museum<\/p>\n Meeting places<\/p>\n Taverns were the prime meeting spot for politics \u2014 and New York had more watering holes than any other colony.<\/p>\n Rebels from other colonies would flock to the taverns to share updates on the war.<\/p>\n