Where can I learn about the economic situation of Brooklyn and Manhattan in the late 1800s, early 1900s?

Question

I need it for a project, rather desperatly...

Thankyou so much.

Answer 1

There's a little bit at Wikipedia:

"The building of rail links such as the Brighton Beach Line in 1878 heralded explosive growth, and in the space of a decade the City of Brooklyn annexed the Town of New Lots in 1886, the Town of Flatbush, the Town of Gravesend, and the Town of New Utrecht in 1894, and the Town of Flatlands in 1896.

Brooklyn had reached its natural municipal boundaries at the ends of Kings County. The question was now whether it was prepared to engage in the still-grander process of consolidation now developing throughout the region.

In 1898, Brooklyn residents voted by a slight majority to join with Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens and Richmond (later Staten Island) as the five boroughs to form modern New York City. Kings County retained its status as one of New York State's counties."

If you search some of those items you may find more. If you are in NYC I suggest that you use the National Archives Notheast Region. It's at 201 Varick Street
12th Floor
New York, NY 10014

Here's their website: http://www.archives.gov/northeast/nyc/

Good luck!