Fireworks in Washington, D.C., were not reserved only for the 4th this July. Just last week, there were fireworks in some Capitol hearings related to controversy at the Smithsonian Institution.
- Is there “woke nonsense” at America’s prestigious museum in Washington, dedicated to our nation’s history?
- Is Mickey Mouse somehow racist?
- Is politeness a sign of “white supremacy”?
- Is it appropriate to have an entire transgender display for children?
These were some of the allegations that came out during the hearings at the House of Representatives last week, entitled, “Rewriting American History: Examining the Smithsonian’s Efforts to Reshape the Past.”
Dr. Anthea Hartig is the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, who had to answer questions from members of Congress. With a straight face, she declared, “The museum does not take sides in America’s political debates.”
The Trump administration holds that the museum has undergone an “extreme makeover” under her leadership, promoting DEI, a woke view on American history and culture.
In March, the administration released a report entitled, “SAVING AMERICA’S STORY: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage.”
The bigger sin of the Smithsonian is not so much a sin of commission, but of omission. This “Saving America’s Story” white paper begins, “One of the most significant findings in this report concerns what is missing. It notes that a visitor to the Museum today will find no major exhibit dedicated to America’s Founding era, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, other Founding Fathers, the Continental Congress, the Pilgrims, the Puritans, or major moments of the American Revolution, such as Washington’s crossing of the Delaware. Instead, visitors will find Founders, such as Benjamin Franklin, introduced chiefly through their connection to slavery while their decisive roles in building the Republic and their anti-slavery efforts are minimized or ignored.” [Emphasis added.]
This is astonishing when you think about it. Our leading American history museum, sometimes called “America’s Attic” because it contains the artifacts of the nation through the centuries, is accused of ignoring “America’s Story” – and of all things, during the year of our 250th celebration.
And the report adds: “George Washington and Abraham Lincoln appear in didactics that say next to nothing about who they are, let alone why they matter. The Pledge of Allegiance is treated as a tool for instilling nationalism without serious engagement with its rich meaning.”
No Washington, no Lincoln, but there is space to promote the transgender ideology. When Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., asked Hartig, “Can a man become a woman?,” she responded that it is irrelevant. Mace counter-argued that it is very relevant, given the pro-transgender display at the museum, which could even be viewed by children.
Rep. Bradon Gill, R-Texas, weighed in the Smithsonian’s woke displays. He told Fox News, “We need an actual objective telling of American history, not [looking] back on the American story and grouping different people into racial or ethnic groups or groups based on their gender or their sexuality or their immigration status. … We are one American people, and I think that’s what we need to see.”
In his End of Day Report, July 22, Gary Bauer, former Reagan administration official, opined on the whole scenario: “Cultural barbarians have hijacked the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of American History. Thankfully, President Trump and congressional Republicans are fighting back, trying to save our history from the cultural barbarians.”
In one sense, this topic is not totally new. The last time I visited the museum was in 2018, and I was shocked to see how biased the display was. It was really anti-America. You would think this is one of the worst countries in the world.
I even wrote a column about the overall message of the museum; it was during a time before Trump closed the border.
I began, “Those poor people at the southern border. So many of them are risking their lives to try and get what they think is a better life here in America. They don’t realize how bad things are here. They haven’t been exposed to the constant America-bashing message coming from the liberal institutions that dominate our schools, our culture, our entertainment and even our museums.” And I went on to describe my visit to the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
