New-York Historical Society Teen Historians

“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…

Almost everyone has seen Titanic at one point. Whether it’s the music or the iconic romance, Titanic pulls us all in and illuminates a part of history that only our great-grandparents would remember. While the team behind the movie took a few artistic liberties-most notably Jack and Rose’s famous whirlwind relationship- many aspects of the…

1950s Brooklyn gang called The Jokers A project by Bruce Davidson, who engaged in a photographic study of troubled teenagers in the 1950s.  The photographs show the dark side of what was thought of as a innocent time period.  Davidson followed the gang around for several months.  Their “turfs” were Prospect Park, Helen’s Diner, and…

Pedagogy of the Oppressed is the central work of Brazilian philosopher and educator Paulo Freire. The Pedagogy is centered on the realization of an oppressive reality and the development of a method to change that reality, or as he calls it the pedagogy of the oppressed. Freire deeply discusses the traits and behaviors of a…

“A house divided against itself cannot stand”         This is perhaps one of my favorite speeches or quotes made by Abraham Lincoln. Many Americans are familiar with this name. The name probably rings a bell to most people due to his significant role in the civil war. I believe once the Emancipation Proclamation is mentioned,…

  A visiting speaker at my school claimed that women in the 1950’s were more powerful than women today. In his view, 50s icons like the dainty Audrey Hepburn had beauty and elegance that put them on a pedestal, elevating them from the crass world of men. While I can understand the admiration or affinity…