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The U.S. State of New York has been known by many nicknames, most notably as the Empire State. Adopted as late as the 19th century, the nickname has been incorporated into the names of several state buildings and events. It is commonly believed to refer to the state's wealth and resources; however, the origin of the term remains unclear. There are several theories on the origin of the name. Two of them involve George Washington, one credits aggressive trade routes, and another associates the nickname with New York exceeding Virginia in population. None have been proven. One commonly accepted tale says that when Washington was given a full map of New York prior to the Battle of New York, he remarked on New York's natural geographic advantages, proclaiming New York the "Seat of an Empire". The origin of the term has puzzled many historians; as American writer Paul Eldridge put it, "Who was the merry wag who crowned the State ... ? New York would certainly raise a monument to his memory, but he made his grandiose gesture and vanished forever."〔 ==History== The source of the term "Empire State" is uncertain. It has been attributed to the state's wealth and resources, but there is some doubt regarding that. Two possible stories involve America's first president, George Washington. The first refers to an April 10, 1785, letter to New York City Mayor James Duane. In it, Washington called New York "the Seat of the Empire". Washington is also said to have used the phrase "Pathway to Empire" once, when referring to the state in conversation with Governor George Clinton in the 1790s; no documentation of this exchange exists however.〔 Alexander Flick, in his ''History of New York State'', claims the title was used as early as 1819, coinciding with New York surpassing Virginia in population. He did not provide any source for this claim. Further in his book, Flick adds that the term was "universally acknowledged and accepted" by the time the Erie Canal was completed in 1825.〔 In a later work, Flick and coauthor John Jacob Anderson claim "New York is well called the Empire State ... not only because of the vastness of its resources, but because it so conspicuously illustrates the imperial power of law-abiding liberty among the people." Milton Klein, in ''The Empire State: A History of New York'', proposes that the name may have accompanied the success of the Black Ball Line in 1818 "because of the signal advantage the regularity of shipping gave to New York's merchants over those in other coastal cities." He claims that by 1820, it was clear that "Empire State" was in wide use, though he is doubtful that a clear origin of the term will ever be determined. The 1940 ''Guide to the Empire State'' included the following quotation: "...it would gratify the people of New York if they could discover who first dared that spacious adjective." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Origin of the name "Empire State"」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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