Democracy Matters, a New Exhibition Illustrating Democratic Rights through Art and Historical Objects, to Open the New Tang Wing for American Democracy at The New York Historical

Johannes Adam Simon Oertel (1823–1909). Pulling Down the Statue of King George III, New York City, ca. 1852–1853. Oil on canvas. New-York Historical Society, Gift of Samuel Verplanck Hoffman, 1925.6

On view June 18 – November 1, 2026

The New York Historical presents Democracy Matters, the inaugural exhibition of the new Tang Wing for American Democracy. Drawn primarily from The Historical’s renowned collections of art and historical objects, the exhibition brings the idea of democracy into vivid focus through pivotal moments spanning American history. On view from June 18 – November 1, 2026, it explores how the concept of democracy has stretched, contracted, and shifted through key moments in the history of the nation; how competing understandings of it have come into conflict; and how those conflicts have reshaped its boundaries. Opening just ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary, the Tang Wing is dedicated to the history and future of the nation’s founding principles.

“As our nation approaches its semiquincentennial, The New York Historical, with its collections spanning the entire length of the American Revolution as well as key earlier events, is uniquely positioned to facilitate important conversations around the evolution of the American experiment begun 250 years ago on our shores,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO, The New York Historical. “Democracy Matters invites visitors to learn about the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of our democratic government through extraordinary artifacts and art, as well as through the stories of those who have sought to sustain our democracy in the face of adversity and attack. We hope to inspire visitors to see themselves in this important new show, as well as enjoy the beauty of the Klingenstein Family Gallery of our new Tang Wing for American Democracy.”

The inaugural exhibition in the Tang Wing for American Democracy, Democracy Matters is organized around core expressions of democratic rights and what it means to be American. Central to the exhibition are Norman Rockwell’s World War II-era Four Freedoms posters portraying ideals that Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced as universal rights needed “everywhere in the world,” and ones the nation was willing to defend: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. Displayed in Democracy Matters on the new gallery’s central columns, they represent pillars of American democracy.

The opening exhibition section, Right to Protest, explores the right to dissent, from the American Revolution to the abolitionist movement, Selma-Montgomery marches, and Stonewall Uprising. The section begins with Johannes Oertel’s painting Pulling Down the Statue of King George III (1852-53), depicting New Yorkers toppling the monarch’s statue following a public reading of the freshly written Declaration of Independence. While celebrating the birth of democracy, the work also points to its exclusions—represented by a Native family pushed to the margins, women sidelined, and a Black man lying in the path of the statue’s fall. Other objects explore democracy’s radical challenge to traditional power structures. A New York printing of the Declaration of Independence, for example, is juxtaposed with a rarely-exhibited document, the so-called “Declaration of Dependence” signed by 547 Loyalists affirming their allegiance to the Crown. Nearby, contemporary artist Betye Saar arms a Jim Crow-era “mammy” caricature with an assault rifle to fight the very systems of race- and gender-based oppression that led to her creation. 

The exhibition’s next section examines the meaning of “We the People,” the preamble to the Constitution, tracing the long history and continuing struggle to define citizenship and belonging in the United States. Highlights include a 1976 print by Luiseño artist Fritz Scholder depicting a Native man wrapped in an inverted American flag and a bird brooch carved by Yoneguma and Kiyoka Takahashi, American citizens interned at Poston Internment Camp for their Japanese ancestry during World War II. Together, these works illuminate tensions surrounding citizenship: Scholder’s print reflects the contested legacy of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the US without their consent, while the Takahashis’ brooch expresses resilience in the face of the race-based abridgement of civil liberties. Other highlights include a rare portrait of Dred Scott, whose landmark 1857 case denied citizenship to people of African descent, revealing the profound exclusions embedded in the nation’s history. 

In the Right to Vote section, objects reflect both the promise of enfranchisement and the vigilance required to sustain it. Highlights include George Washington’s inaugural armchair, representing the first US President and his radical decision to relinquish power to the people, and a 19th-century clear glass ballot box designed to quell concerns over election tampering. Also featured is Lady Pink’s Vote (2014), a graffiti mural commissioned by the League of Women Voters and created during a live session on National Voter Registration Day outside of New York’s City Hall. Through its imagery—Revolutionary symbols, the Liberty Bell, chained suffragists, 1970s feminists, and a defiant modern-day “tough girl”—the work traces a lineage of activism that continues to shape the fight for voting rights. 

The objects in Freedom of Religion explore religious liberty as a cornerstone of American democracy and its role in shaping a spiritually diverse nation. Highlights include a singed Torah, owned by Congregation Shearith Israel since the 1730s, that was partially burned in 1776 during the seven-year British occupation of New York City and has been preserved as a testament to both persecution and perseverance. Also featured is Kent Monkman’s Compositional Study for Sacred Fire (2025), honoring the resilience of Native children who sustained their spiritual traditions despite the assimilationist programs of Indian Boarding Schools.

The exhibition concludes with Thomas Cole’s The Course of Empire (ca. 1834-36), newly unveiled after ten months off view: a monumental five-part series depicting the rise and fall of an imagined civilization, from its inception in the midst of wilderness to its expansion into a glistening metropolis, and finally its fall to ruin in a scene that nevertheless hints at the possibility of renewal. The presentation invites visitors to reflect upon the question at the heart of the series as well as their own place within it: what course are we following, and what does the future of the nation hold?

The exhibition is curated by Wendy Nālani E. Ikemoto, PhD, vice president and chief curator. 

Membership and Programming
Members of The New York Historical will have early access to the exhibition during the invitation-only Preview Day on Wednesday, June 17 as well as Members-only Morning Hours on Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21. An evening opening celebration for Friend+ members will also take place. To learn more about Membership, visit nyhistory.org.

On June 25, filmmaker Ken Burns joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss the recent PBS series, The American Revolution. Livestream tickets are available. On June 28, historian and author Doris Kearns Goodwin sits down with David M. Rubenstein for “Leadership for a More Perfect Union: Lessons from America at 250.” In-person and livestream tickets are available. 

Families visiting Democracy Matters can explore both the big idea of democracy and the themed threads of protest, speech, symbols, and petitioning in five areas of engagement throughout the gallery. These multi-sensory interactives provide entry points and add developmentally appropriate layers of interpretation onto the objects on view for the general public. At each interactive, a label prompts kids to make connections, try out the engagement, and explore nearby related objects. 

Throughout the exhibition’s run, specially-themed family programs will take place, including summer socials on Sunday, June 21 and Sunday, June 28, celebrating the new Tang Wing for American Democracy. Young visitors will have the opportunity to participate in artmaking, games, live music, singing, dancing, and more. Visit the family calendar for details. 

Private group tours can also be arranged throughout the exhibition.

Support
Lead support for Democracy Matters is provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Major support is provided by the Neubauer Family and Sy and Laurie Sternberg. Important support is provided by the Stonbely Family and the Wyeth Foundation for American Art.

Exhibitions at The New York Historical are made possible by the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.

About The New York Historical 
New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; peerless collections of art, documents, and artifacts; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better. Connect with us at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.