Fragments of an equestrian statue of King George III, toppled in 1776 and now partially melted into musket balls, open “Democracy Matters,” the inaugural show at the New York Historical. Curated by Wendy Nālani E. Ikemoto for America’s 250th anniversary, the exhibition explores the nation's contradictions through art and historical objects.

The flag serves as a battleground: Mel Chin’s Flag of America (2020) with its divided stars above documents from the Declaration of Independence and a petition by loyalists, suggests the ongoing tug-of-war over American identity. The Thomas Cole’s Course of Empire series, originally an allegorical warning, now critiques cultural homogeneity and warns about the dangers of singular national identities.

A smaller but equally powerful juxtaposition pairs John J. Audubon prints with brooches by Yoneguma and Kiyoka Takahashi, produced while interned during World War II. This highlights how American iconography has a complex past, often excluding those who contribute most deeply to it.

The exhibition resists simplistic readings of left versus right, instead capturing radically different approaches to struggles for justice through photographs, etchings, and sculptures. A section on voting rights implicitly stages our current moment as part of a long-standing struggle. However, it stops short of addressing the critical distinction between earlier moments focused on expansion and today's challenge of staving off curtailment.

The inclusion of George Washington’s inaugural Bible and a Torah scroll from 1730 underscores religious freedom commitments, yet the absence of other religious texts reflects broader constraints or curatorial choices. The show ultimately stages America as a nation in perpetual flux, a work-in-progress where the struggle for democracy continues to define its identity.