The Smithsonian Under Fire

Why speak again about the Smithsonian as I did briefly before? Because it represents the issues that every other museum has, i.e., the President says to toe the line. The Smithsonian represents the American People as a country.

Why do I say that? The Smithsonian includes 21 museums and galleries plus the National Zoo and, as important, 14 education and research centers. These include The National Portrait Gallery, The National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Museum of the American Indian and the Archives of American Art. Two more museums are in development: the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women’s History Museum. From the Museum of African American History and Culture, here is an exhibit from the Slavery and Freedom Gallery. A set of wrought iron leg shackles dated before 1860.

Most of these institutions are in the Capital of our country, Washington, D.C., which attracts many tourists from this country and abroad. I would venture that at some time in their lives most Americans have visited.

In March of 2025, the President, Donald J. Trump, signed an Executive Order titled, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History”. It turns out that by which he meant just the opposite. If you doubt this, read the Executive Order for yourselves: 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/

For one thing, he wanted any DEI offices shuttered. What was he scared of? Black people, Hispanics, Native Americans, Latinos, Women? He asked for a comprehensive review of eight Smithsonian museums to ensure they align with a focus on “American Exceptionalism”. Even if you believe in American Exceptionalism, that can only be ascertained by showing all our faults as well … the massacres of Native Americans, slavery, and the denial of the right to vote to women until 1920. What about the mistreatment of the African Americans after the Civil War? I remember being told by my father when I was a small boy, and we visited Florida, that I was not allowed to go into the public toilet or drink from the fountains marked “Colored” or (“For Colored Only”). I had to use the one marked "Whites" (or "Whites Only"). I can still visualize where I was standing and the confusion I felt. How can we become exceptional if we do not understand where we came from?

With approximate statistics from the web, over 40% of this country consists of non-white ethnicities, and 50% of the people in this country are women. Why should we fear the other when the other made this country the most powerful in the world, not just militarily but by innovation and creativity? Just watch a financial channel on television and listen to CEOs of the top companies in this country and note the foreign accents you hear of immigrant Americans. Even Elon Musk, possibly the richest man in the world, is an immigrant from South Africa. No matter what you think of what he has done for good and bad, he has brought about technological innovation that can be admired.

Claiming that the past decade has cast America’s “founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light,” the Executive Order proclaims that museum visitors should “not be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history.” It promises additional actions to remove such “improper ideologies” from federal museums, parks and monuments.

Following the Administration’s misogynistic, whitewashed narrative, Pete Hegseth is “clearing out the debris” in the military. In his purge, he denies the contributions of African Americans and women by selectively removing their names from the vetted list for one-star generals, claiming they were recommended by people who were “too woke.”

Trying to rewrite history can only do harm by building a cocoon from which everyone loses except for the very few who have created it.