who were the first people to live there?
The Lenape people.
Lower Manhattan
The area that would eventually encompass modern-day New York City was inhabited by the Lenape people. 
new york draft riots during the civil war It is referred to as the Manhattan draft riots. how many days did these riots go on for? 4 what was the reason behind the riots? White working-class discontent with new laws passed by Congress that year to draft men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War. which police department was called on to control the riot? New York Metropolitan Police Department what did they do? New York Metropolitan Police Department under the command of Superintendent John A. Kennedy. Commissioners Thomas Coxon Acton and John G. Bergen took command when Kennedy was seriously injured by a mob during the early stages of the riots. who is the second commissioner mentioned here? An American public servant and New York City Police Commissioner. when did he get promoted into this post? May 1860 did he suffer from any illnesses? Yes, severe indigestion problems. where did the riots mentioned earlier take place? Lower Manhattan
wiki:1815444
Lower Manhattan [SEP] Lenape and New Netherland
The area that would eventually encompass modern-day New York City was inhabited by the Lenape people. These groups of culturally and linguistically identical Native Americans traditionally spoke an Algonquian language now referred to as "Unami". European settlement began with the founding of a Dutch fur trading post in Lower Manhattan, later called New Amsterdam () in 1626. The first fort was built at The Battery to protect New Netherland. Soon thereafter, most likely in 1626, construction of Fort Amsterdam began. Later, the Dutch West Indies Company imported African slaves to serve as laborers; they helped to build the wall that defended the town against English and native attacks.