Why does democracy matter? What does it look like in action? Art, artifacts, and documents from The New York Historical collections explore the original promise of and continuing progress toward American Revolutionary ideals of liberty and equality.

Why does democracy matter? What opportunities does it offer? What does it look like in action? Whom does it represent? These and other questions structure Democracy Matters, a dynamic visual conversation presented at The New York Historical on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Drawing primarily from the permanent collections of The New York Historical, the exhibition 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.

Families visiting Democracy matters will 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 will provide entry points and add developmentally appropriate layers of interpretation onto the objects on view for the general public.

Join us at The New York Historical—both in person and online—for a suite of exhibitions, programs, and a digital project called On Our 250th that has a nationwide coalition of history museums inviting Americans to share their hopes for our democracy.

Lead support for Democracy matters is provided by the David Berg Foundation and 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.