The White House is ordering a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions ahead of the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, after US President Donald Trump earlier this year accused the institution of spreading “anti-American ideology.”
In a letter sent on Tuesday to Smithsonian Institution secretary Lonnie Bunch III, the White House laid out in detail the steps it expects the organization to take as part of the announced review.
The examination would look at all public-facing content, such as social media, exhibition text and educational materials, to “assess tone, historical framing and alignment with American ideals,” the letter said.
Photo: Reuters
“This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions,” it said.
Trump in March issued the “Restoring Truth and Sanity To American History” executive order, saying the Smithsonian had come under the influence of a “divisive, race-centered ideology.”
That raised concerns of political interference, as well as fears that his administration was undoing decades of social progress and undermining the acknowledgment of critical phases of US history.
The Smithsonian said it remained committed to “scholarly excellence, rigorous research and the accurate, factual presentation of history.”
The institution receives most of its budget from the US Congress, but is independent of the government in decisionmaking.
The museums should begin replacing “divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions” where necessary within 120 days, the letter said.
Civil rights leaders have criticized the administration’s particular focus on the National Museum of African American History and Culture as efforts to minimize black Americans’ contributions to the country and to recast the obstacles they faced throughout history.
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