The White House’s latest, most concerted effort yet to bend the Smithsonian Institution to its will through a “comprehensive review” of content and policies—starting with its foremost museums of history, culture, and art—is an affront to our country’s cultural crown jewel, to history practitioners everywhere, and to the American people.
For nearly two centuries, the Smithsonian has served as a globally renowned model of scholarship and public engagement. Smithsonian museums and sites are beloved, trusted destinations for millions of visitors annually looking to gain knowledge, spark curiosity, and find connection. The administration is maligning the expertise and autonomy of an institution that represents the pinnacle of museum and scholarly practice.
This pressure on Smithsonian history museums, in particular, reveals the administration’s ambition to delegitimize the work of the history field and to rob the public of its ability to learn from the past. Sound historical practice depends upon meticulous research of a wide array of sources, open-minded embrace of complexity and ambiguity, and a willingness to update understandings as new information arises. Time and again, Americans have said that they want our country’s full story. Censoring and manipulating content to fit a predetermined, triumphalist narrative is the antithesis of historical practice and a disservice to us all.
The administration claims that its interference at the Smithsonian, National Park Service, and other federal cultural agencies is rooted in a commitment to “historical accuracy.” This is false. Through speciously worded executive orders, incendiary speeches, mass layoffs, funding cuts, and more, the White House has launched a steady campaign to break down our nation’s historical infrastructure and remake it in service of an exclusive, inaccurate vision of America’s past and present. We urge both our field and our audiences to reject this effort and stand up for a full and honest approach to our shared story.
