September 26, 2006

Slavery exhibit to expose NYC's tarnished history

"None of us learned this in elementary school," Richard Rabinowitz, president of the American History Workshop, said of the NYC slavery exhibit set to open in November at the New-York Historical Society.

Far from being the good guys up north, New York City not only provided the capital for that "peculiar institution," but it was so tightly engaged that on the eve of the Civil War, the mayor of NYC proposed secession from the United States.

Cotton, the oil of its time, accounted for 66 percent of all U.S. exports before the Civil War. Of every dollar earned from cotton, 38 cents went to shippers, traders and insurers in New York City.

New York City was also home to the Draft Riots of July 1863, in which African-Americans were hunted down and killed in the streets and a mob burned down the Colored Orphans Asylum.

But at the same time, New York City had a strong abolitionist movement, which will also be documented in the exhibition, called "New York Divided: Slavery and the Civil War." It's the follow up to last year's Slavery in New York, which racked up record attendance of 175,000. That's twice as many as the museum drew to Alexander Hamilton, the second-biggest show in the Society's century-long history, NYHS President and CEO Louise Mirrer told NewYorkology.

The upcoming exhibition, which is made up of many items from the Historical Society's permanent collection, is costing $3.5 million to produce, excluding marketing, Mirrer said. It will be on display November 17 through September 3.

Picture of James McCune Smith provided by New-York Historical Society.

Earlier: NY Historical Society opens slavery art show
NYHS extends 'Slavery' exhibit, reports record draw
'Slavery in New York' explores city's forgotten past

September 26, 2006 05:28 PM in History, Kids, Museums, Sightsology

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