Education

“Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life.”

–John F. Kennedy

What does it mean to become an American? Created in partnership with CUNY’s Citizenship Now!, the Citizenship Project is a major initiative to help the more than one million immigrants in the New York region who are eligible for U.S. citizenship.

Applications for American citizenship have dramatically increased in the past several years. Through free civics and history classes, the New-York Historical Society offers a unique avenue for addressing this growing demand. By using art and objects from our collection to put American history in context, the Citizenship Project creates a personal and dynamic educational experience beyond rote memorization.

Join us all year long for free classes, public programs, exhibitions, and family activities that examine the basic principles of our American Constitution and democratic institutions.
 

FREE CLASSES FOR GREEN CARD HOLDERS

Led by expert Museum educators, civics and history classes are available to help green card holders prepare for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization exam. Through these courses, which take place at the New-York Historical Society on Saturdays and weekday evenings, participants learn about pivotal moments in U.S. history by examining objects and documents from our collections. In addition, New-York Historical offers off-site classes at community organizations and schools across the five boroughs.

NEW FILM FROM NETFLIX: “OUT OF MANY, ONE”

True to its founding identity, the United States is still a nation of immigrants. Inspired by New-York Historical’s Citizenship Project, this new Netflix documentary short film depicts some of the many threads that continue to weave the tapestry that is America through the lens of five immigrants who are on their journey to U.S. citizenship. It is a reminder of its national motto E Pluribus Unum—Out of Many, One.  Watch it on Netflix.
 

ONLINE QUIZ: THINK YOU COULD PASS THE NATURALIZATION EXAM?

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization exam comprises 10 random questions chosen from a total of 100—can you answer just six correctly? Take our online quiz to find out! 

This quiz features questions from the naturalization exam paired with objects from our Museum and Library collections to create key connections and context in American history using object-based learning.
 

EXPLORING CITIZENSHIP AT THE MUSEUM & LIBRARY

The New-York Historical Society is committed to telling the American story and fostering a community of learners to consider what it means to be an American, past and present.

Join us to ponder what it means to be an American through a series of exhibitions, installations, public programs, and family activities that explore American history and civic engagement. Along with our Center for Women's History, we're proud to lead the way in spotlighting the vital role that women and immigrants have played in shaping the United States. Plus, for more than a decade, New-York Historical has hosted naturalization ceremonies at the Museum, celebrating new American citizens as they become part of the fabric of our nation.

In 2017, we introduced the New Americans Children's History Book to recognize literature that share the personal stories of immigrants throughout American history. The inaugural winner, It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas, is a unique portrait of a young Iranian girl’s adjustment to life in this country as she and her family face prejudice.