Smithsonian's National Museum of American History promotes 'extreme political activism,' WH report alleges
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A sweeping new White House report concluded that the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History (NMAH) has become a taxpayer-backed institution of "ideological capture" and "extreme political activism."
"The report concludes that the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of American History in particular, under its current leadership and current interpretive ideology, cannot be trusted to tell America’s story honestly and in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic," the White House Domestic Policy Council wrote in its July 4 report following up on President Donald Trump’s March 27 executive order. "By the intention and at the direction of current Museum and Smithsonian leadership, NMAH has become subject to institutional capture by a radical, activist ideology that is fundamentally opposed to telling the noble, honest story of the great country we know and love."
According to the 162-page "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" report, delivered on America's 250th birthday, NMAH treats the American story as a political tool rather than a shared national inheritance.
"At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, visitors young and old should encounter the story of the United States told with honesty, seriousness, and pride," the report's executive summary began. "In particular, it should help the American people understand where America came from, what makes it distinctive, and why it is worth preserving."
Instead, the museum has moved "away from straightforward historical education and scholarship" and toward activism, the report found.
"Anthea Hartig, NMAH’s director since 2019, has explicitly stated that she sees history as a 'prime tool of social justice' and one of her roles as connecting 'research and scholarship to activism and advocacy ,'" the summary noted.
"Hartig has also stated that 'we work to reframe the traditional celebratory narrative of U.S. history for visitors.' She claims to have had a personal head start 'propped up as I was and I am by the cushions of whiteness and the pillows of the bourgeoisie,'" the report said. "These are not the words of an objective historian, but rather those of an activist advancing an ideological agenda contradictory to the Museum’s founding purpose of fostering patriotism."
The report made five key conclusions about the museum:
- It attempted to "subvert" America's founding and cancel America's founders, with only mentioning them in the context of ties to slavery.
- It "'problematized' the 250th anniversary of America’s founding."
- It changed the words to loaded modern political activist terms and not ones from history.
- It "abandoned historical scholarship for political activism."
- It failed "obligations" to American people.
"One of the most significant findings in this report concerns what is missing," the report stated. "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."
The NMAH presented revisionist history , using terms that exist now but not then, including "a popular term-of-art to 'Critical Social Justice,'" the report found.
"The Museum is not merely neglecting America’s central story," it stated. "It is intentionally withholding and subverting it."
Noted was the political revision of "its mission statement under current leadership, which replaced the phrases 'infinite richness' and 'American history' with language about empowering people to create 'a more just and compassionate future' by exploring 'the complexity of our past.'"
"The Museum has shifted from scholarship to activism," the report read, "pointing to Museum leadership's own public statements tying 'research and scholarship to activism and advocacy,' dismantling inherited narratives, using history as a 'prime tool of social justice,' calling for American history to be 'reframed,' and describing museum work in terms of 'reparations,' 'restorative history,' 'systemic intervention, 'decolonization, 'social justice.'"
The report also criticizes the museum’s approach to race, immigration, gender and sexuality , alleging that exhibits and programming have been shaped by modern activist priorities rather than neutral historical scholarship.
The Smithsonian Institution receives more than $1 billion annually in taxpayer support and its ideology does not comport with Trump's executive order and initiatives to remove political influence in government entities, according to the Domestic Policy Council.
"As this report shows, confirmed in the words of Museum leadership, this ideological capture has moved the Museum’s mission away from straightforward historical education and scholarship toward an extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country," it wrote.
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Anthea Hartig
It is time to remove them from our institutions.
Oh, give me a fucking break. The bigots can fuck right off; they don't get to re-whitewash American history. Fuck the rightwing bigoted losers in the white house and those who support them. I trust the curators at the Smithsonian to tell the unvarnished truth 1000 times more than I trust the slimy con man who has lied about everything so far and yet his dumb fucking sycophants are still just lapping it up.
I really don't give a fuck about what this corrupt lying administration "alleges", they CANNOT and should not be trusted. I really can't wait till these fuck wads are kicked out of office, the White house will need a serious power washing after these stupid inept losers vacate.
Slander won't help anymore. Nobody is hurt by the names you call them. They are fed up with the hate and the Marxist ideology.
Slander? When is telling the truth slander? Just because weak whiny little fascists hate being called out for their fascism doesn't make it slander. No one with more than half a brain thinks this obvious attempt to rewrite history by the Trump regime is rational or needed. When this administration is thrown out of office as they will be, all their slimy disgusting white nationalist white supremacist scum bag revisionist history will get power washed off our nation, and we will stand tall again after stuffing these racist rightwing dumb fuck bigots' heads back in the toilet where they belong.
What a sick joke coming from the most dishonest administration in our history.
The only bias uncovered in the White House’s Smithsonian report is its own - The Washington Post
I went to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History website. There are 74 entries for "Benjamin Franklin". From the descriptions there were only a couple that were concerned with slavery.
This article commemorating his 300th birthday didnt mention slavery at all.
Inventing America: National Museum of American History Commemorates Benjamin Franklin’s 300th Birthday | National Museum of American History
Inventing America: National Museum of American History Commemorates Benjamin Franklin’s 300th Birthday
Scientist, inventor, writer, printer, musician and civic leader are just a few of the professions Benjamin Franklin undertook during his celebrated life and career. In commemoration of his 300th birthday, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History presents a special display on Franklin the statesman in “Benjamin Franklin: A Revolutionary Role,” open Jan. 13 through April 17, 2006.
On display for the first time in more than 30 years will be a three-piece, silk suit worn by Franklin during his diplomatic trip to Paris that resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Alliance in 1778. Because of the fragile condition of the suit, it will be displayed for only approximately one month before being replaced with a reproduction created for this display. Franklin’s ability to both invent and project a distinctive American identity helped him garner respect and support from the French for the American Revolution. The simplicity of the suit’s cut combined with the richness of the silk fabric portray Franklin’s desire for Americans, and himself, to be seen as industrious and virtuous but also deserving of political and social equality. Accompanying Franklin’s suit will be a walking cane presented to him during his trip to France, which he later bequeathed to George Washington, and “Benjamin Franklin,” the famous portrait by Joseph Siffred Duplessis that was commissioned during Franklin’s stay in Paris and is on loan from the National Portrait Gallery.
“Benjamin Franklin was an international celebrity who was instrumental in gaining support for the new American nation from one of Europe’s foremost political and military powers,” said museum Director Brent D. Glass. “By displaying Franklin’s suit for the first time in three decades, we
are allowing a new generation a glimpse into the life and times of one of America’s most influential leaders.”
This rare presentation of the Franklin suit, on long-term loan from the Massachusetts Historical Society, represents a historic undertaking by the museum due to the suit’s delicate condition. Exhibiting the suit will allow museum conservators the opportunity to study the effects of light on a more than 200-year-old textile. Conservators will study the suit’s fabric and dye to help aid future preservation projects. The suit will be displayed on a special form modeled after both Franklin’s figure and posture.
The museum also is loaning a number of items to the traveling exhibition “Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World,” premiering in Philadelphia on Dec. 15. Objects on loan include a number of firefighting-related pieces from the recently acquired CIGNA Firefighting and Maritime Collection, a printing press circa 1720 and buttons from one of Franklin’s diplomatic coats.
The museum and its Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation also will celebrate Franklin’s legacy and inventive spirit by hosting a number of public programs and events, including family activities, demonstrations and lectures, focusing on his work as an inventor and scientist. There also will be a special activity cart designed to further enhance visitors’ knowledge of Franklin’s life and work. A preliminary list of programs includes:
Jan. 21 Benjamin Franklin Birthday Celebration! — Activities for this special celebration include a visit by “Benjamin Franklin” himself, a book reading of “The Remarkable Benjamin Franklin” by author Cheryl Harness in a period costume, a birthday cake and re-creations of Franklin’s electricity experiments.
March 15 Looking American — The museum’s lecture series offers an in-depth look at Franklin’s silk suit.
March 25 Smithsonian Institution Kite Festival — In conjunction with the annual festival, the museum will offer visitors an opportunity to learn about Franklin the inventor and scientist.
The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage through exhibitions and public programs about social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Documenting the American experience from Colonial times to the present, the museum looks at growth and change in the United States. The museum, located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W., is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except Dec. 25. Admission is free. For more information, visit the museum’s Web site at or call
(202) 633-1000, (202) 357-1729 (TTY).
Melinda Machado/
Michelle Werts
(202) 633-3129
Founding Fathers at the National Museum of American History
Yes — the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian does have a section devoted to the Founding Fathers, and it will be especially prominent in 2026 as part of its “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness” exhibition.
This building‑wide exhibition, running from May 14, 2026, through the end of the year, will trace the 250‑year journey of the United States, with a strong focus on the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. It will feature 250 objects from the 1700s to the present, many of which connect directly to the Founding Fathers and their legacy National Museum of American History .
What to expect
Historical artifacts tied to the Founding Fathers, such as George Washington’s uniform, Thomas Jefferson’s lap desk, and other items from the era National Museum of American History +1 .
Interactive and immersive displays that explore how Americans have pursued the promises of liberty and equality.
Special programs in 2026, including theatrical performances, educational activities, and virtual field trips, to deepen understanding of the Founding era National Museum of American History .
Other relevant exhibits
Beyond the 2026 theme, the museum’s permanent galleries cover American political, cultural, and social history, so you may also find Founding‑era content in:
American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith (permanent exhibit)
The First Ladies of America (ceremonial and political history)
The Star‑Spangled Banner (national symbol tied to the nation’s founding ideals) kimshistorytravel.com .
Tip: If you’re visiting in 2026, plan your trip around the opening of the “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness” exhibition for the most in‑depth look at the Founding Fathers and their enduring influence.
e “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness” exhibition for the most in‑depth look at the Founding Fathers and their enduring influence.
I know nothing is more relevant to our founders than a pussy hat from the 2017 anti trump march.
Here is the actual exhibit:
Here are the topics for the more permanent exhibits: (notice the omissions from the list of topics?)
Is your complaint that the Smithsonian ignores great white achievements or that it recognizes others as well?
The topics include money, food, science, culture, and religion.
My complaint is that IN PURSUIT OF Life, Liberty, Happiness is not the story of the Declaration of Independence or the founding of the United States. That is a reinterpretation of history to serve a political narrative. Life, Liberty, Happiness are endowments that do not need to be pursued.
The identities highlighted in the list of topics have engaged in the pursuit of freedom -- by immigrating to the United States. That's what 'In Pursuit Of' actually means. But the political ideology no longer requires assimilating the principles the founders embedded into the nation at its founding. The elevation of identity in the American story is actually an attempt to establish a 'separate but equal' society reminiscent of the colonial past where Life, Liberty, Happiness were privileges granted by the ruling class.
But what of those countless Americans throughout our history who were not "endowed" with those things simply by being born on these shores? Haven't black Americans and many minorities and even women had to pursue life, liberty and happiness in an America that was essentially designed by and for white Christian males? Couldn't that be the real true story that may not have been seen at our founding but perhaps was hoped for by those who knew we were not yet a perfect union?
Just immigrating to the United States was not the end of any immigrants "pursuit of life, liberty and happiness". That was not something that was just handed to immigrants when they arrived on Ellis Island. What they received was 'opportunity'. The opportunity to pursue those things free of the religious and governmental constraints of the places they were fleeing, giving up what they knew for the hope of something greater.
Believing everyone should be forced to assimilate and abandon their language, history and culture in order to become American is simply moronic, shortsighted and frankly cringingly xenophobic. I don't think any cultural, religious or language assimilation should ever be a requirement to become an American citizen. I have no problem with proud Italian American communities and proud Greek American communities and proud Muslim American communities and proud Jewish American communities and proud Chinese American communities and proud Vitenamese American, Armenian American, Mexican American, Irish American. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with any of those identities and NONE should be required to assimilate to what could be called proud 'English Americans'. And I have no problem with proud English Americans directly, I am one of them, a white American male with English, Welsh and Scottish roots. The problem only comes when the too proud 'English Americans' think they are somehow superior for being first and think that all other cultures must bow to them and assimilate to their culture because apparently, they're too fucking self-absorbed to see the benefits of cultural diversity.
I hate to break it to you but even white Christian males weren't treated equally. And the progress of the industrial northern half of the country following the founding disproves the phony whine of malcontents. American progress has never been tied to the grandfathered disparities held over from a colonial ruling class.
Slaves did not build the United States. The south was a drag on American progress. Independent people of the industrial north used the endowment of life, liberty, and happiness to expand the United States across the continent and, more importantly, established the American Dream. All those ethnic identities were not immigrating the United States so they could own slaves. The population of the industrial north was growing by leaps and bounds while the south withered.
Assimilation is not easy. The concepts and ideals that are the foundation of America are alien around the world. Freedom from a ruling class doesn't prepare an immigrant for the responsibilities of self-government and civic duty.
You've gotten it wrong. You present the woke narrative that assimilation requires giving up something to obtain freedom. That pushes the idea that people come to the United States to practice their religions, traditions, and ethnic heritage as they choose without any obligation to the United States. They pay their taxes and follow the law and that's all that's necessary. And eventually they'll be rewarded with a privilege to vote for their own self-interest.
Assimilation does not require losing ethnic identity. But assimilation does include an expectation that ethnic identity be secondary to the responsibilities and obligations of being an American citizen.
Never said they were. I simply stated that our nation " was essentially designed by and for white Christian males". I didn't say all white males had it easy and didn't have to work hard. But it's a fact that the lion's share of opportunity was awarded to white Christian males.
Scholars "concluded that “the present value of U.S. slave labor… ranges from $5.9 to $14.2 trillion.” in 2009 dollars. Adjusted for 13 years of inflation, the range is $8.2 to $19.6 trillion in today’s money.
Blood in the Bank: Hidden Profits of American Slavery and the Call for Reparations — Hampton Institute
If they didn't 'build it' they certainly contributed a lot to it.
Well, that hasn't changed.
Most & Least Federally Dependent States in 2026
Nor is it necessary.
Of course not, but it gives them the opportunity to learn and embrace those ideals.
Is not the paying of taxes and following the laws the only obligation demanded? Why would anything else be neccesary?
What exactly is it that defines one as being "an American citizen" that immigrants aren't doing? What " responsibilities and obligations" do you think these immigrant groups aren't doing that they should be doing to assimilate? What other obligations are there other than being loyal to the country, paying their taxes and following the law? It's great when they embrace opportunities to grow businesses and be a net gain as most immigrants are to our nation, but should that be required to be an American citizen? If it was then we'd have to eject a good third of the useless low IQ no motivation no ideas poorly educated Americans, but that would gut a large portion of the rightwing conservative base.
While I think it was unconstitutional to add "Under God" in 1948, the rest demands no change in culture, demands no change in language, demands no kneeling before some other supposed ruling class. It's just simple allegiance to the Republic and an acceptance that this Republic is meant to provide "liberty and justice for all", not just for the whiny bitter white Christian bigots who claim false ownership of it.
Well I would like to see that in action.
No pursuit, no income, no food, no happiness.
Nothing is endowed to us except life from yer Momma and Daddy.
And unless you are a Rockerfeller or Musk or Trump, you better get used to working to achieve those 'endowments".
Without slaves there would have been no Civil War.
Without slavery there would not have been 180,000 black Union soldiers that helped tip the scales against the erosion of the CSA fighting forces, first by mainly supporting the infrastructure of the Army and towards the end of the fighting in the front lines.
Slaves built the White House, twice.
The Trump administration panders to their white griever constituency.
Trump made a number of speeches associated with the 250th birthday of the country, and never once mentioned civil rights, womens rights, or gay rights.
We have anti American radicals in charge of museums and education and then people wonder why pride in America keeps falling. People are taught to despise it, so they do. Propaganda works.
We have people suffering from mass hysteria that believe this.
Prove it.
Well, you are certainly trying very hard to peddle yours.
Right. In this post, you'll deny there's any anti-American bias in American history as taught by critical theorists.
In the next, you'll defend it.
Rinse and repeat.
The ugly truth is not "anti American".
The First Amendment allows free speech and that includes sentiments not in line with government propaganda.
I don't understand why people don't get that .
Stifling the truth is typical of authoritarian, fascist and communist regimes, not American ideology and freedom.
As many times as necessary
Your line after that says it all. Some people don't want freedom. Well, let me put it this way. They don't want you and me to say what we want. They want to put their fucking boots on our necks until we start screeching the same fucked up propaganda they do. How do people get that way?
No. Really. HOW THE FUCK DO YOU GET THAT WAY!!!!!!!
Radical historian "we are activists who want to subvert American history and problematize the 250th anniversary"
Progressive response "How can you say it's biased?"
Classic. They can literally advertise what they are doing and their motivations and their loyal defenders will deny it.
Brings to mind what Lennin said about non communist liberals who sympathized with his movement out of leftwing brotherhood:
h e First Amendment allows free speech and that includes sentiments not in line with government propaganda
WTF are even talking about now? This has nothing to do with the First Amendment.
I don't understand why people don't get that
I don't understand how you think criticizing radical historians is a first amendment issue. Believe it or not, free speech allows people to criticize radical anti-americans.
s many times as necessary
I'm glad we at least agree about what you are doing.
I'm glad you can have a fictitious conversation with yourself without insulting yourself... that's a start I guess.
kudos to you.
Perhaps they're trying to convince themselves that they know what they're talking about. It's pretty funny to see the conversation in their head go from 'telling the ugly truth' about American history to some plan of Lenin to spread communism around the world.
What's funny is watching a historian publicly announce "I'm an activist"
and the progressive will turn around and "They aren't an activist"
It's almost like the English language bounces off them.
What's funny is your constant, mostly shallow partisan fact free projections.
here’s what the builders thought they were creating:
heres what the radicals turned it into:
Yeah, we get why many thin-skinned bigots have wanted to leave out a lot of American history.
I do enjoy when they literally come out and prove that everything I've said is correct. They don't even try and hide it.
The web site for the Smithsonian National Museum of American History does support some of the claims of 'wokeness'.
I'm not sure why the museum's main theme and exhibitions for the America 250 celebration need be in Spanish.
I wonder if anyone can respond?
If the founding fathers were largely non- white almost of all of the hand wringing about how they are not respected enough would disappear. We all know that, so why pretend otherwise.
What strange thoughts. Why are you so race concious?
Are you going try and seriously argue that it is unfair to have Spanish language signs up at government exhibits?
By the way, Thomas Jefferson was a racist. I have moved beyond that fact, when are you going to?
America is an English-speaking country. Posts in Spanish at the Smithsonian smack of woke ideology. BTW allowing children in US schools to speak anything but English only holds them back.
By the way, Thomas Jefferson was a racist. I have moved beyond that fact, when are you going to?
By the way, Thomas Jefferson was above all else a great man. When you can admit that you can discuss his flaws, but not until you are able. If you are looking for racists, check the many in the democrat party.
LOL, I have never said otherwise. He wrote the Declaration of Independence , was one of the first presidents, and is a pre-eminent founding father. A brilliant , patriotic, man.
He also owned around 300 slaves for most of his life, and didnt even make provisions for their freedom after his death. Jefferson was a big spender and needed money for his lifestyle. The slaves were a souce of his income.
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Jefferson enslaved over 600 people during his lifetime, relied on their labor for his finances, and freed almost none of them, even at death. The historical record is unambiguous on these points.
💰 Slavery as Jefferson’s economic foundation
Jefferson’s plantations — especially Monticello — were not profitable. He was a chronic overspender, deeply in debt, and relied heavily on enslaved labor to sustain his lifestyle.
Key facts:
By the early 1800s, Virginia’s most valuable commodity was enslaved people themselves , not crops.
Jefferson discouraged tobacco because it required heavy slave labor, but he continued to use enslaved labor extensively for agriculture, skilled trades, and domestic work.
Enslaved people generated wealth for him through:
Plantation labor
Skilled labor (blacksmithing, carpentry, nail‑making)
Domestic service
Their increasing monetary value as property
Jefferson’s nail‑making operation, run by enslaved boys, was one of his most profitable ventures — a direct example of enslaved labor supporting his finances.
Ya, but your first inclination was to call him "a racist."
That also smacks of woke ideology.
When I was a kid in school in the 50's and early 60's we learned none of this. American history was my favorite subject in high school and I dont recall the subject of the Founding fathers as slaveowners coming up even once. Most general popular history books prior to the past few decades ignored the subject.
You know I really dont give a damn what you think, dont you. I have read history, and I accept it for what it is. I dont need to idolize people who lived 250 years ago.
I currently watch a podcast called "The unauthorized history of the Pacific War." The creator of that podcast said that he started it because American children were uneducated about much of American history. As he put it All they seem to know about WWII is Pearl Harbor, D-Day and the Atomic Bomb. The History Chanel had a series on "The men who built America." That also has been largely missing from the little being taught about US history.
One thing we can be sure of John, is that slavery and the westward expansion is widely taught.
Shall I credit the Teacher's unions?
No, you judge them from 21st century hindsight.
Very sad.
I am well aware they were products of their times. But history is not frozen, the world evolves and changes. I have nothing against Jefferson, Washington, or any of them. They created our country and we celebrate our freedom. That doesnt mean they are gods.
The American history classes I took in the 70's and 80's covered that. They also the African origins of the slave trade, who Anthony Johnson was (that still sets a lot of people off) and that more than just blacks were held as slaves (again, something that still sets a lot of people off).
Sounds pretty woke to me.
A lot of Americans speak Spanish?
Why do you care? Along time ago fast food restaurants and other business started putting some of their signage in Spanish (not instead of English but as an add-on.) Conservatives went nuts. I think that was about 40 years ago. The union survived.
I called to order prescriptions today and the automated voice gave a Spanish greeting along with English. Who the fuck cares?
The Smithsonian is not a fast food resuraunt.
Its less than that to you, since you disrespect it so much.
I'm an American, not a Marxist.
The pink '&' or 'and' makes the sign more than just a bilingual translation.
15% of the population is gay.
15% of the population is black
15% speak Spanish at home.
No it isn't. It's an all inclusive record of our history, all of it, not just the parts that old white men approve of showing the rest of us, dedicated to the whole polulation,
even the shrinking parts of that population.
Welcome to evolution.
You are comparing apples to oranges.
Capitalism is opposed to Marxism.
But young Americans, especialy the non competitive ones may favor socialism and Marxism.
Americans who favor marxism - Search
Really?
How So?
That does not make any sense.
'American' is a national affiliation involving citizenship, nationality, etc. 'Marxist' is an ideological affiliation dealing mostly with economic, social, and political factors.
One can be both an American and a Marxist. What is not possible (under the most fundamental definition of Marxism) is to be both a Capitalist and a Marxist.
All of the tourists from South America visiting D.C. around their soccer fetish?