New-York Historical Society Teen Historians

Our Student Historians are a group of 25 teens from throughout the city who are dedicated to learning about the New-York Historical Society’s collections and resources, and in turn share them with other teens preparing for the U.S. History and Government Regents exam. In order to support them in their goal of creating a U.S….

By:  Zuhra Tukhtamisheva, Isaac Troncoso, and YueMin Chen While working all summer as Teen Leaders in the pop-up exhibition, Revolution: NYC & the War for Independence, we were frequently asked questions by visitors regarding the British military’s uniform. Based on those interactions we decided to do some research of our own to try to answer…

By Francesca, Jonathan, Natalie, Anthony, and Alexis While children are filled with wonder and curiosity, most of the time their toys have a hidden history to tell, and some are quite jarring. One doll that captures the joy of childhood and a dark history is the topsy turvy doll—a reversible, two-sided, doll featuring two characters…

By William Demaria, Mikai Johnson Harris and Kaitlyn Lucey Overseeing an exhibition has posed numerous challenges. Throughout the work day, we have to clean the floors and walls, set up the objects and activities for public programming, and assign ourselves shifts. Although these duties are equally important, one of the most crucial tasks is what…

By: Eleni Broadwell, Robert Clayton, Katherine Franco, Adenike Hickson, and Leila Silberstein “Literacy Test (This test is to be given to anyone who cannot prove a fifth grade education). Do what you are told to do in each statement, nothing more, nothing less. Be careful as one wrong answer denotes failure of the test. You…

By Randolph Higgins and Hannah Feldman A little less than 240 years ago, the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. With the completion of this document, the fight for American Independence had officially begun. Nearly 13 years later, the new country laid out a new system of laws and guiding principles for itself: the…

By Micaela Arena, Tristan Genetta, Finn Clarke, and Rosalyn Bradshaw We met Mr. Roper, history teacher at York Preparatory School, at Bowling Green outside the National Museum of the American Indian. My first impression: he’s kind of old to lead a walking tour of lower Manhattan in 90-degree summer heat. This idea was quickly dispelled…

As we wrap up our internship this week, we documented a typical day in the Student Historian Program to give you a behind-the-scenes look at our work! By Julie Effron, Evani Ricaldi, Melissa Cepeda, Fariha Jeny, and Ben Farrell 10:19 am There’s no time for rest during the Student Historians’ mornings! Luckily, we are surrounded…

Have you ever been to an amusement park and then returned home with your favorite roller coaster ride in mind? Well that is how the N-YHS Summer 2015 Student Historian program felt to me personally. Before the program, I would rarely be found in a museum, especially in the summer when I could be home…