History
Etymology
The name Indianapolis is derived from the name of the state, Indiana (meaning 'Indian Land', or simply 'Indian Land'),[20] and polis, the Greek word for 'city'. Indiana Supreme Court Justice Jeremiah Sullivan is credited with coining the name. Other names considered were Concord, Suwarrow, and Tecumseh.
Foundation
In 1816, the year Indiana gained statehood, the United States Congress donated four sections of federal land to establish a permanent seat of state government. Two years later, under the Treaty of Santa Maria (1818), the Lenape renounced title to their tribal lands in central Indiana, and agreed to leave the area in 1821. This tract of land, which was called the New Purchase, included the site selected for the new state capital in 1820.[24] The Indians belonged to the Miami Nation of Indiana") (Miami Nation of Oklahoma") and Indianapolis is part of Cession 99; The main treaty between the indigenous population and the United States was the Treaty of Santa María.[25].
The land attracted settlers, especially descendants of families from northwestern Europe. Although many of these early European and American settlers were Protestant, a large proportion of the early Irish and German immigrants were Catholic. Few African Americans lived in central Indiana before 1840.[26] The first European Americans to permanently settle in the area that became Indianapolis were the McCormick or Pogue families. The McCormicks are generally considered the first permanent settlers; However, some historians believe that George Pogue and his family arrived first, on March 2, 1819, and took up residence in a log cabin along the creek that was later called Pogue's Run. Other historians have argued as early as 1822 that John Wesley McCormick), his family, and employees became the first European American settlers in the area, settling near the White River in February 1820.[27]
On January 11, 1820, the Indiana General Assembly authorized a committee to select a site in central Indiana for the new state capital. The state legislature approved the site, adopting the name Indianapolis on January 6, 1821. In April, Alexander Ralston and Elias Pym Fordham were appointed to study and design a city plan for the new settlement. Indianapolis became the seat of the county government on December 31, 1821, when Marion County was established. "Marion County (Indiana)") A combined county and city government continued until 1832 when Indianapolis was incorporated as a city. Indianapolis became an incorporated city effective March 30, 1847. Samuel Henderson, the city's first mayor, led the new city government, which included a seven-member city council. In 1853, voters approved a new city charter that provided for an elected mayor and a fourteen-member city council. The city charter continued to be revised as Indianapolis expanded.[30] Beginning January 1, 1825, the seat of state government moved to Indianapolis from Corydon "Corydon (Indiana)"). In addition to state government offices, a United States district court was established in 1825.[31].
Growth occurred with the opening of the National Road through the city in 1827, the first major federally funded highway in the United States. A small segment of the Indiana Central Canal opened in 1839, which opened in 1839. The first railroad to serve Indianapolis, the Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad, began service in 1847 and subsequent rail connections fostered growth. Indianapolis Union Station was the first of its kind in the world when it opened in 1853.[35].
Civil War and Gilded Age
During the Civil War, Indianapolis was overwhelmingly loyal to the Union cause. "Union (Civil War) Governor Oliver P. Morton"), a leading supporter of President Abraham Lincoln, quickly turned Indianapolis into a gathering place for Union army troops. On February 11, 1861, President-elect Lincoln arrived in the city, en route to Washington, D.C. for his presidential inauguration, marking the first visit by an elected president in the city's history.[36] On April 16, In 1861, the first orders were issued to form the first Indiana regiments and establish Indianapolis as the headquarters of the state's volunteer soldiers.[37][38] In one week, more than twelve thousand recruits signed up to fight for the Union.[39].
Indianapolis became a major logistics center during the war, establishing the city as a crucial military base.[40][41] Between 1860 and 1870, the city's population more than doubled.[34] An estimated four thousand Indianapolis men served in thirty-nine regiments, and an estimated seven hundred died during the war.[42] On May 20, 1863, Union soldiers attempted to disrupt a statewide Democratic convention in Indianapolis, forcing a postponement of proceedings, known sarcastically as the Battle of Pogue's Run. Fear turned to panic in July 1863, during Morgan's Raid on southern Indiana, but Confederate forces turned east toward Ohio, never reaching Indianapolis. On April 30, In 1865, Lincoln's funeral train made a stop in Indianapolis, where an estimated crowd of more than one hundred thousand people passed by the slain president's coffin at the Indiana State House.[41][45].
After the Civil War and after the Second Industrial Revolution, Indianapolis experienced tremendous growth and prosperity. By 1880, Indianapolis was the third largest pork packing city in the world, after Chicago and Cincinnati, and the second largest railroad center in the United States by 1888.[46][47] By 1890, the city's population surpassed one hundred thousand.[34] Some of the city's most notable companies were founded during this period of growth and innovation, such as L. S. Ayres") (1872), Eli Lilly and Company (1876), Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company (1910), and Allison Transmission (1915). Once home to 60 automobile manufacturers, Indianapolis came to rival Detroit as a center of automobile manufacturing. state labor unions, including a minimum wage, regular work weeks, and better working conditions.[49] The International Typographical Union") and the United Mine Workers of America were among several influential unions based in the city.[34].
It was progressive until World War II
Some of the city's most notable architectural features and best-known historical events date back to the turn of the century. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, dedicated on May 15, 1902, would later become the city's unofficial symbol.[50] Ray Harroun won the inaugural Indianapolis 500, held on May 30, 1911 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Indianapolis was one of the cities most affected by the Great Flood of 1913"), which caused five known deaths[51][52][53] and the displacement of seven thousand families.[54].
As a stop on the Underground Railroad, Indianapolis had one of the largest black populations in the northern "Union (Civil War)" states, until the Great Migration.[55] Led by D. C. Stephenson), the Indiana Klan became the most powerful political and social organization in Indianapolis from 1921 to 1928, controlling City Hall and the Board of School Commissioners, among others. At its peak, more than 40% of males White natives of Indianapolis claimed to be members of the Klan. While campaigning in the city in 1968, Robert F. Kennedy gave one of the most praised speeches in American history of the century, following the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. As in most American cities during the Civil Rights Movement, the city experienced tense race relations. Indianapolis Public Schools' implementation of desegregated transportation proved controversial.[59].
Under the mayoral administration of Richard Lugar, the city and county governments were restructured, consolidating most public services into a new entity called Unigov. The plan eliminated bureaucratic layoffs, captured increasingly suburbanized tax revenues, and created a Republican political machine "Republican Party (United States)" that dominated Indianapolis politics into the 2000s.[60][61] Unigov went into effect on January 1, 1970, increasing the city's land area by 7,988 km² and a population of 268,366.[62][63] It was the first major city-county consolidation to occur in the United States without a referendum since the creation of the City of Greater New York in 1898.[64].
Amid changes in government and growth, the city invested in an aggressive strategy to brand Indianapolis as a sports tourism destination, known as the Indianapolis Project. Under the administration of the city's longest serving mayor, William Hudnut (1976-1992), millions of dollars were invested in sports facilities and public relations campaigns as part of an economic development strategy. The strategy was successful in landing the Olympic Festival. In 1983, it secured the 1984 relocation of the NFL's Baltimore Colts and hosted the 1987 Pan American Games.[14]
Modern Indianapolis
Economic development initiatives focused on revitalizing the city's downtown continued into the 1990s under the mayoral administration of Stephen Goldsmith. During this period, several cultural amenities were completed at White River State Park, the continued development of the Canal Walk, the Circle Center Mall was completed, and new sports facilities were opened (Victory Field and Bankers Life Fieldhouse). In 1999, several cultural districts were designated to capitalize on cultural assets within historically significant neighborhoods exclusive to the city's heritage as a means to promote continued economic development.[67].
During the 2000s, the city invested heavily in infrastructure projects, including two of the largest construction projects in the city's history: Indianapolis International Airport's Colonel H. Weir Cook Terminal and Lucas Oil Stadium, both opened in 2008.[68][69] The expansion of the Indiana Convention Center was completed in 2011.[70] Construction began that year on DigIndy, a $1.9 billion to correct the city's combined sewer overflows by 2025.[71] Rapid transit was reintroduced to Indianapolis with the opening of IndyGo's ninety-six million Red Line Bus Rapid Transit projects&action=edit&redlink=1 "Red Line (IndyGo) (not yet drafted)."[72].