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The New York State Museum, State Library, and State Archives will commemorate New York State History Month in October by offering a variety of engaging programs and resources for children, families, and adults alike. These offerings, both online and in-person, will focus primarily on themes related to the approaching 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and American Revolution, explore the subsequent 250 years of continuing revolutions for all New Yorkers, and celebrate the rich and diverse history of the state. In addition, the New York State Library will host a new temporary exhibition, New York During the American Revolution which will open on Sunday, October 1 and be available until the end of the month. The exhibit will display documents from the collections of historical relevance to the American Revolution and New York State.
Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said, “New York State History Month serves as an essential reminder of our rich, diverse heritage and the pivotal role our state played in shaping our nation during the American Revolution. As we approach the 250th Anniversary of this transformative conflict, it is important that we celebrate and educate the public about our State’s significant contribution to the birth of our nation through special programming and by sharing the collection of artifacts, documents, and photographs curated by public historians, librarians, curators, archivists, and countless others who work together to preserve New York’s history for future generations.”
State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said, “As a center of political activity and a place where critical decisions influenced the outcome of the Revolutionary War and the future of the United States, commemorating New York State History Month inspires a deeper appreciation of the sacrifices and triumphs that have helped to define our great State and country. I encourage New Yorkers of all ages to participate in the various statewide programs, events, and opportunities to learn about not only our State’s complex history, but the diverse peoples who helped make our state what it is today and our remarkable journey towards democracy, freedom, and independence.”
New York State Historian Devin Lander, “As we approach the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and American Revolution, it is important for us to remember that this was in many ways an unfinished revolution and that women, enslaved people, Indigenous peoples, and the poor were not included. However, over the past 250 years, New York has been the battleground for a variety of struggles to reach the ideals of freedom and equality outlined in the Declaration for all people. From the struggles for Indigenous sovereignty and gradual emancipation, to the birth of the U.S. women’s suffrage movement; from the underground railroad and abolition movement to the uprisings at the Stonewall Inn and Attica Prison, the ongoing fight for basic equality and human rights has taken center stage across New York State. New York State History Month allows us to reflect on this history and appreciate the work of the historians, curators, educators, archivists and librarians who work to uncover our shared past and preserve it for our shared future.”
In recognition of New York State History Month, the Office of Cultural Education, which includes the New York State Museum, the New York State Library, and the New York State Archives, has curated educational materials and organized the following programs, events, and resources. The following is a schedule of enriching programs, resources, and events that are open to the public. In-person programs will be held throughout October at the Cultural Education Center located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany.
All programs listed below are free and open to the public.
New York State Museum:
Sunday, October 1 | 11 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | 1st Floor NYS Museum
1st Annual Family History Day
· This inaugural family event offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in New York’s vibrant history, particularly the significant roles played by New Yorkers during the American Revolution. Experience a day filled with interactive engagements led by knowledgeable historians and a range of engaging activities tailored for both children and families. Additionally, you will be able to explore various vendor booths representing diverse cultural organizations from communities from across the state. Learn more about Family History Day here.
Sunday, October 1 | 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. | Huxley Theatre
Jack Kelly Presents: God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America’s Most Hated Man
· Explore the history behind Benedict Arnold’s treason and the events leading up to the capture of Major John André with historian Jack Kelly. Kelly goes beyond Benedict Arnold’s most famous act, treason, to explore his psychology and character, arguing that Arnold was essential to the patriots’ victories before he was a traitor. Stop by and see The Fidelity Medal: Treason at West Point Exhibition, featuring the rare Fidelity Medal, three links from the Great Chain, and images of the André Papers, which opens on Friday, September 29. Learn more about Jack Kelly’s presentation on Benedict Arnold’s treason here.
Sunday, October 15 | 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. | Huxley Theatre
Dr. Christopher Minty Presents: Unfriendly to Liberty: Loyalist Networks and the Coming of the American Revolution in New York
· Discover the complicated history of New Yorkers who remained loyal to Britain during the American Revolution with author Dr. Christopher Minty. Dr. Minty will explore the local politics, factions, institutions, and behaviors that governed Loyalists’ political activities in the buildup to the American Revolution. Minty analyzes these factors to show how New York Loyalists came together to form an organized, politically motivated, and diverse political group. Learn more about Dr. Minty’s presentation on Loyalist Networks here.
Sunday, October 22 | 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. | Huxley Theatre
Panel Discussion: The Continuing Revolution for All New Yorkers
· Not all New Yorkers experienced the freedoms promised by the American Revolution. Join panelists Paul and Mary Liz Stewart of the Underground Railroad Education Center (UREC), New York State Museum Chief Curator Dr. Jennifer Lemak, and Senior Historian of Social History Ashley Hopkins-Benton as they discuss the ongoing work needed to bring equal rights to all communities. Learn more about the panel discussion here.
Sunday, October 29 | 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. | Huxley Theatre
Dr. Scott Manning Stevens Presents: Paths Forward: Native America and Museums
· Rethink the complicated issues around Native American nations, their histories, and their relationships with museums with Dr. Scott Manning Stevens. Professor Stevens considers the many challenges for museums in overcoming the legacy of misappropriation and misrepresentation of Indigenous cultures. Learn more about Professor Stevens’s presentation on Native America and Museums here.
For more information about other history-related events happening this month in New York, visit the Office of State History website.
New York State Library:
Sunday, October 1 – Tuesday, October 31 | Open: Tuesday – Sunday 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
New York During the American Revolution Exhibition
- As part of the New York During the American Revolution Exhibition, the New York State Library is featuring primary source documents from the collections during that era of New York State history. The premise of this exhibit is based upon the New York State Library Educator Guide for the American Revolution, 2022. Highlights of documents include Benedict Arnold’s manuscript to the inhabitants of America for his reasons of committing treason, and John André’s drawing on the eve of his death in Haverstraw on the Hudson River. Visit the New York State Library’s website to learn more.
Thursday, October 5 | 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. | New York State Library
Onsite Walking Tour of the Local History and Genealogy Resources
- The New York State Library is a treasure chest of resources for those tracing their family histories. Join us for an onsite tour highlighting published genealogies, local histories, church records, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) records, United States and New York State Census records, newspapers on microfilm, city directories, and more. Cara Janowsky, an Associate Librarian at the New York State Library, will lead the tour. The tour is limited to 12 individuals and registration is required.
Thursday, October 12 | 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. | Webinar
Dr. Marisela Martinez-Cola Presents: The Bricks before Brown
- In her book, The Bricks before Brown (University of Georgia Press, 2022), Dr. Martinez-Cola identifies over 100 cases filed before the famed Brown v. Board of Education and specifically examines the contributions of Chinese Americans, Native Americans, and Mexican Americans to the struggle for education equality. She will be sharing the stories of three history-making families who took a stand against inequality. Learn more and register for the The Bricks before Brown webinar here.
Tuesday, October 17 | 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. | Webinar
Professor Adam Benforado Presents: A Minor Revolution: How Prioritizing Kids Benefits Us All
- Advances in psychology, neuroscience, sociology, and public health have provided us with an ability unparalleled in human history to understand and protect children. But we have not seized the moment. This is a moral problem, but it’s also an economic and social one: by failing our children today, we doom ourselves in the years ahead. The root cause of nearly every major challenge we face—from crime to poor health to poverty—can be found in our mistreatment of children. But in that sobering truth is also the key to changing our fate as a nation. We must reform our world—our institutions, our laws, our business practices, our parenting—to put children first. Learn more and register for the webinar, “A Minor Revolution: How Prioritizing Kids Benefits Us All,” here.
Wednesday, October 18 | 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. | Webinar
Professor Michael Witgen Presents: Unthinkable History: The American Settler State and the Political Economy of Plunder
· The American Republic was founded as a nation of settlers struggling to colonize Native North America. This project began as an extension of the original European colonial project in the western hemisphere, imagined as the discovery of a New World. Both the original colonial scheme, and the one undertaken by the United States, imagined North America as unsettled wilderness, and imagined colonization as a civilizing mission. Framed in this way, the expansion of the republic beyond the original thirteen states into the western interior could be imagined as a benign conquest of nature, when in fact it was an audacious colonial project—a grandiose scheme to steal a continent. However, a theft this bold would require more than merely a plan for colonial subjugation, it would require a colonial power willing to organize itself around a political economy of plunder. It would require a totalizing colonial project that would make an Indigenous history of North America unthinkable. Learn more and register for the webinar, “Unthinkable History,” here.
Friday, October 20 | 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. | New York State Library
Onsite Walking Tour of the Local History and Genealogy Resources
· The New York State Library is a treasure chest of resources for those tracing their family histories. Join us for an onsite tour highlighting published genealogies, local histories, church records, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) records, United States and New York State Census records, newspapers on microfilm, city directories, and more. Cara Janowsky, an Associate Librarian at the New York State Library, will lead the tour. The tour is limited to 12 individuals and registration is required.
Wednesday, October 25 | 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. | Webinar
Professor Carp Presents: The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution
· New York City, the strategic center of the Revolutionary War, was the most important place in North America in 1776. That summer, an unruly rebel army under George Washington repeatedly threatened to burn the city rather than let the British take it. Shortly after the Crown’s forces took New York City, much of it mysteriously burned to the ground. This is the first book to fully explore the Great Fire of 1776 and why its origins remained a mystery even after the British investigated it in 1776 and 1783. Uncovering stories of espionage, terror, and radicalism, Benjamin L. Carp paints a vivid picture of the chaos, passions, and unresolved tragedies that define a historical moment we usually associate with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Learn more and register for the webinar, “The Great New York Fire of 1776,” here.
New York State Archives:
During American Archives Month and New York State History Month, learn about our state’s role in the American Revolution.
Resources:
Tools for Teachers: American Revolution. John André Capture
Online Exhibit: Treason During the American Revolution
Wednesday, October 25 | 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.| Webinar
Retired New York State Archivist Presents: Fun Finds in the Archives
- Join us for this “Archives Month” special as we peer into New York State government records and locate surprising, unexpected, and just-plain-fun finds. While many government records may appear dry or dull, some items transferred to the New York State Archives from other State Agencies might startle you as they have the archivists on staff. Learn more and register for the webinar, “Fun Finds in the Archives,” here.
The Museum’s Office of State History webpage offers information about historical research, news, grant opportunities, and events happening around New York State. It is a useful resource for historians throughout the state to learn about the work of fellow historians, identify opportunities for increased coordination and collaboration, and share and learn about public programs for the communities statewide throughout the year. Cultural institutions are encouraged to register and submit additional events and programs for listing on the Office of State History website. New York State has also designated the annual Path Through History Weekends to promote the state’s rich and fascinating history and to increase participation from other organizations. Share events here.
In 1997, the New York State Legislature established November as New York State History Month with the goal “to celebrate the history of New York state and recognize the contributions of state and local historians.” To better align with the Statewide initiative, Path Through History, in 2019 the month-long observance was changed to October by the New York State Legislature. New York State History Month provides historians, museums, and cultural institutions with a platform to share the significance of New York State’s rich history through public programs, exhibitions, and various educational experiences.
The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission is free. For additional information, visit the New York State Museum website.
The New York State Library is part of the Office of Cultural Education within the New York State Education Department. Visit the New York State Library website for a complete list of upcoming programs. To receive news, resources, and other updates, please subscribe to the quarterly newsletter.
The New York State Archives holds many of the oldest and most important archival treasures in the nation. The Archives preserves and makes accessible over 250 million records of New York’s State and colonial governments dating from 1630 to the present. The State Archives provides free access to photographs, artifacts, documents, manuscripts, and other materials that tell the story of New York’s history via its Digital Collections on the Archives website.
The Archives Partnership Trust was founded in 1992 to build an endowment and provide project support to enhance humanities programs, increase access to these outstanding treasures, and continue the preservation of New York’s historical records. Since its founding, the Partnership Trust, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has supported exceptional projects and programs. These include the Research Residency Program, the Student Research Awards Program, history conferences, special exhibitions, public education programs, book signings and lectures, publications, teacher training institutes, preservation projects, and more.
The State Museum, State Library, and State Archives are programs of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or by visiting the Office of Cultural Education website.
