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Home – American Heritage News – What Should the Smithsonian Do?

What Should the Smithsonian Do?

A recent White House report put the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History under fire. The report details historical distortions and egregious omissions in how the museum depicts the national narrative. There are no exhibits on George Washington or the Declaration of Independence, even as America marks its 250th birthday. 

Concerns over the museum raise a real question: What is the purpose of the National Museum of American History? One side argues for restorative justice and transformation, the other for civic education and preservation. 

The first view shows up in statements by Smithsonian leaders Lonnie Bunch and Anthea Hartig, and in the creation of a Center for Restorative History. According to Hartig, history should serve as a “tool of social justice,” and institutions should promote “activism and advocacy.” In practice, this means outsized attention on historically oppressed groups and America’s failings—as if that attention could make up for past wrongs.  

The ultimate aim is to undermine the American regime by tainting its principles, erasing shared memory, and diminishing goodwill between citizens.  

Fostering disdain for Thomas Jefferson, for example, isn’t simply about fairly noting the faults of a flawed man. It’s about undermining the truth of the principles in the Declaration of Independence: human equality, consent of the governed, and inalienable rights. Those republican principles are at odds with the postmodern ideology Smithsonian directors promote. 

The Case for Civic Education 

The alternative to museum advocacy is civic education. Both whitewashing history and fixating on past shortcomings are antithetical to that education. Museums should depict the........

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