Exhibiting Slavery at the New-York Historical Society

“for Americans, a people who see their history as a freedom story and themselves as defenders of freedom, the integration of slavery into their national narratives is embarrassing and can be guilt-producing and dis-illusioning. It can also provoke defensiveness, anger and confrontation,” wrote James Oliver Horton, the chief historian for the Slavery in New York exhibition held in the New-York Historical Society (N-YHS). ¹ With that groundbreaking exhibition held in 2005, the N-YHS plunged into the contested arena of interpretation of slavery. The result has been change in museum's practices, which since then have had an enduring impact on what is collected, how it is organized, and what visitors see both in person and on the Internet. These initiatives in exhibitions, collections development, public programs, electronic new media, and education have made the history of slavery in the North much more visible in the public space, anchoring public debates and legitimizing curriculum changes, as well as altering the way the history of the city is viewed.