New York City was in turmoil when [Aaron] Burr set up his office on Wall Street. The British army had occupied the city for seven years, and two devastating fires had reduced sections to rubble.... In 1783, Burr was part of a mass migration into the city, which doubled the population from 12,000 to 24,000 in two years. Many were former residents, others were ambitious newcomers, battling to reestablish New York as a prosperous mercantile city in the new republic.
American Roots • American Meaning ® | The Colonial Revolt in British North America