Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s term, there have been attempts by his administration to increasingly alter the cultural fabric of America. We first saw this with attacks on DEI initiatives, which were adopted to eliminate minority discrimination institutionally, however, Trump is labeling such initiatives as discriminatory themselves. Now, Trump is moving to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. with the aim of ridding historical information he deems “un-American.” Attempting to bend the reality of American history is a gross abuse of power that has historically, had negative consequences.
Earlier this month, the White House informed the Smithsonian through a signed executive order, among other institutions, that it has 120 days to align with the “tone, historical framing and alignment with American Ideals.” Backlash from museum curators, artists and citizens question the motivations behind this decision. We share the same fears expressed by many of the artists whose works are being criticized by the Trump administration: this censorship is attempting to reach far beyond the museums and pieces themselves.
The White House argues the Smithsonian and other museums have been part of a concerted effort to “rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth. This administration feels prestigious institutions are pushing a narrative that divides our society, and erroneously emphasizes America’s faults. This is not only ironic, given the statement comes from an administration actively erasing history, but also is extremely harmful to the histories it is erasing. History is not just an abstract concept, separate from the American people– it is part of our identities, culture and everyday interactions. Removing history removes entire experiences, even those that are still happening.
Additionally, the White House states the reasoning for legislating museum efforts is to “remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity and human flourishing.” This is incredibly problematic, as the act of legislating history is to erase the heritage of oppressed people, to regress toward becoming homogeneous and monolithic, which a healthy culture never will be and to directly oppose the “liberty, prosperity and human flourishing” of everyone who doesn’t fit into an idealized culture.
Many of the art pieces and exhibits asked to be removed from museums focus on issues and perceptions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, ability and other marginalized themes. The topics of immigration, freedom, belonging, colonialism and identity are commonly enumerated. These concepts, like history, are not just abstractions, but real problems faced by Americans. Erasing and changing history is extremely harmful because it creates a state of ignorance that becomes prone to repeated injustices.
Furthermore, the phrasing of “extraordinary heritage” conjures troubling imagery of race purity and white supremacy. In a country that is not and will never be completely uniform, the federal government utilizing dog whistles to marginalize various groups in an attempt to change history is abhorrent and embarrassing to witness.
While American schools haven’t always been great about teaching honest history, there has been a recent effort to circumvent this erasure, and better acknowledge our history as it actually happened. Now, we are back to square one, possibly worse. If future generations don’t have an objective understanding of our colonial history or slavery, we are, as the old adage goes, prone to repeat ourselves.
Trump, on the other hand, views this accurate attempt to amend history as a “national shame,” simply because institutions like the Smithsonian are willing to tell the honest and often difficult truth of American history. Yet, it is specifically because our history is shameful that it must be taught, so that it is never repeated by future generations. He further discounts these efforts as a shallow understanding of our history and any American progress, yet this administration’s attempts to simplify history to something digestible are far shallower than a holistic understanding of how historical, cultural issues impact society today.
Winston Churchill was among a myriad of writers, philosophers, politicians and historians to echo this sentiment. In April 1948, Churchill addressed the House of Commons, famously stating, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Churchill, reflecting on five years commanding a nation against the Axis powers, knew what he was talking about. Fascist leaders have notoriously erased and altered histories in their efforts to oppress. Now, nearly 80 years later, we are dangerously close as a nation to exhibiting the same behaviors. Altering the work of the Smithsonian is an act of blatantly lying to the American public. The complete erasure of history is just handing over the keys of fascism.
The list of changes to museums the White House published is heavily based on specific political views and ideology, which should not impact how American history is presented to the people. While America’s past does still impact the nation’s perception, our current actions also count, both today and tomorrow.
