America 250 Walking Tour of New York City

Wall Street is one of the most historically significant streets in the United States, closely tied to the events that led to American independence and the nation’s early government. Originally the northern boundary of the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam, the street took its name from a wooden wall built in the 1600s for defense. By the 18th century, it had become a center of commerce, politics, and public debate in colonial New York.

After independence, the street gained even greater importance with the construction of Federal Hall, where George Washington was inaugurated as the first President in 1789 and where the first Congress met to establish the foundations of the new nation.

City Hall Park occupies ground that was central to New York City’s role in the American Revolution and the early years of the United States. In the 18th century, this area—then known as the Commons—served as a public gathering space where colonists met to protest British policies, hear political speeches, and express growing demands for liberty and self-rule. It was here that New Yorkers rallied against measures such as the Stamp Act, making the Commons a focal point of revolutionary activism.

Throughout the Revolutionary period, St. Paul’s stood just blocks from the center of political and military activity. Its survival made it a familiar landmark in a city undergoing dramatic change—from colony to occupied territory, and finally to part of an independent nation. After independence, the chapel took on a new national role when George Washington worshipped here following his inauguration as the first President in 1789, linking the site directly to the birth of the United States government

In the years following independence, Trinity Church and its graveyard became closely tied to the leaders who helped shape the new nation. Most notably, the churchyard is the final resting place of Alexander Hamilton, a key architect of American independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the nation’s financial system. His burial here makes Trinity Church a place of national remembrance and reflection.