Press Release: Revolutionary New York: Then & Now

Museum of the City of New York Presents “Revolutionary New York: Then & Now,” a New Public Program Series Exploring the Enduring Legacy of the American Revolution 

NEW YORK, NY (May 1, 2026) — Inspired by and presented in conjunction with The Occupied City: New York and the American Revolution, opening May 1, 2026, and as part of the nationwide America250 commemoration, the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) announces Revolutionary New York: Then and Now, a new six-part public program series examining how the American Revolution continues to shape New York City and the nation today.

Extending themes of the exhibition, Revolutionary New York: Then and Now is moderated by author and MS NOW Emmy- and Peabody Award–winning journalist and anchor Antonia Hylton. The series brings together leading historians, public thinkers, and cultural leaders to explore the Revolution as both a historical event and an ongoing civic project—examining its impact on colonial-era New Yorkers, its role in shaping the city, and its continued relevance today.

“Revolutionary New York: Then & Now invites audiences to consider how the ideals and contradictions of the Revolution continue to shape civic life in New York today,” said Nick Martinez, Vice President, Education and Engagement. “By bringing together a range of voices, the series creates space for reflection, dialogue, and a deeper understanding of the city’s role in that history.”

“I’m honored to moderate this series at the Museum of the City of New York,” said Antonia Hylton. “The American Revolution is often treated as settled history, but its meanings are still contested. These conversations create space to examine whose stories have been centered, whose have been overlooked, and how the past continues to inform the challenges we face today.” 

“With The Occupied City, we set out to recenter New York in the Revolutionary story,” said Elisabeth Sherman, Robert A. and Elizabeth Rohn Jeffe Chief Curator and Deputy Director. “Revolutionary New York: Then & Now extends that work beyond the walls of the exhibition, bringing historians, journalists, and artists in dialogue to examine the extraordinary resonances this history has for contemporary civic life.”

Spring 2026 Programs 

A Divided City: Revolutionary-Era New York and the Politics of Polarization 
Friday, May 15, 6:30 p.m.

New York City was among the most politically divided places in Revolutionary America, where allegiance to the rebellion or the British Crown fractured families, friendships, and communities. Antonia Hylton is joined by Peter Aigner, Director of The Gotham Center for New York City History at CUNY Graduate Center and co-director of The Occupied City: New York and the American Revolution, Christina Greer, Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University, and Mike Duncan, Creator and Host of Revolutions Podcast, for a conversation examining how political loyalties were shaped not only by ideology, but also by social class, commerce, ethnicity, rivalry, and the demands of survival. Drawing parallels to contemporary New York, the discussion explores how economic inequality and debates over power and leadership continue to shape competing visions of the city’s future.

Revolution Remembered, Stories Forgotten 
Tuesday, June 23, 6:30 p.m.

The American Revolution remains one of the most studied periods in U.S. history, yet its stories are continually reinterpreted and reshaped. In this program, Antonia Hylton is joined by Sarah Botstein, Director and Co-Producer of the PBS docuseries The American Revolution; Christopher Brown, Professor at Columbia University; and Jonathan Gandelsman, violinist and composer. Together, they explore how the Revolution has been memorialized in public history and media, what narratives are elevated or omitted, and who ultimately shapes collective memory.

Additional programs in the Revolutionary New York: Then & Now series will be announced later this year.

About The Occupied City: New York and the American Revolution 

A signature contribution to America250, The Occupied City—presented by the Museum of the City of New York in partnership with the Gotham Center for New York City History—is a sweeping 7,000-square-foot exhibition spanning the Museum’s entire third floor. Centering New York City in the story of the nation’s founding, the exhibition immerses visitors in the Revolutionary era, when the city became the strategic heart of the conflict and faced the greatest crisis in its history. Through original artifacts, artworks, manuscripts, and interactive experiences, The Occupied City brings the Revolution to life through the perspectives of the New Yorkers who lived through it. 

About the Museum of the City of New York

The Museum of the City of New York celebrates and interprets the city’s history, art, popular culture, and civic life, highlighting how New York has shaped—and been shaped by—broader currents in American life. Founded in 1923 as a private, nonprofit corporation, the Museum serves hundreds of thousands of visitors annually from around the world through exhibitions, school and public programs, publications, and collections. 

Visitor Information

The Museum is located at 1220 Fifth Avenue. Public hours are Monday–Friday, 10:00 am–5:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 am–6:00 p.m. Learn more at mcny.org.

For media inquiries, please contact the Museum’s Press Office via pressoffice@mcny.org, or by phone at 917.492.3482. 

Image: Evacuation Day, Edmund P. Restein, 1870–1880, date depicted November 25, 1783, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division