New-York Historical Society Teen Historians

                HIV/AIDS is a topic which people discuss so that it can be prevented. We know enough about this disease due to the help of organizations that try to inform teens and the general public on how to protect themselves. However, this was not the case when the epidemic started to spread like wild fire;…

I go to school in Lower Manhattan. During the school year, I spend more time in Tribeca and Battery Park City than I do in my own neighborhood. So when I found out we would be taking a walking tour of the historical landmarks in this area that I thought I knew so well, I…

During these next couple weeks, my research will focus on a “Confederate Palmetto Flag” from the Civil War in 50 Objects exhibit:  If you recognize the design, it’s probably because it is very similar to the contemporary South Carolina state flag: These flags have two common elements: the crescent moon, and the palmetto tree. The crescent…

This photograph, and many others in the collection at the New-York Historical Society, was taken by Claire Yaffa. It is a part of the AIDS in New York: The First Five Years exhibition. Claire Yaffa is a famous photographer whose work has been featured in The New York Times and many other major publications. Yaffa…

John James Audubon was born on April 26th 1785 in Haiti. He was the son of a French captain and a Spanish creole. He was taken to Paris where he studied with the French painter Jacques-Louis David. Audubon escaped from France in 1803 to prevent being drafted into the Napoleonic wars. He settled on a…

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”                                                       -Franklin Delano Roosevelt Many Americans have heard of this quote at one point or another. Stemming from the…

The question of an American identity is very dynamic and dates back to the original colonies. The struggle many historians encounter is distinguishing between European settlers and American. However, many of the first English colonists still embodied traditional “American values.” The Massachusetts Bay Puritans, led by the charismatic John Winthrop, adhered to different principles than…

Reginald Marsh was an American painter born in Paris on March 14, 1898. Both of Reginald Marsh’s parents were painters. When Marsh was two years old his family moved to Nutley, New Jersey. He attended Yale University and graduated in 1920. After college, Marsh settled in New York in 1920 and began working as a…

This month the United States of America, and the world, have lost a true friend and fighter for freedom. Margaret Thatcher, a strong-willed, impactful woman left the world more open than before, and more prosperous. Strong connections with the United States, especially with Ronald Reagan allowed for the ‘freedom duo’ to influence the world, in…