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Trump wants to rewrite US history: museums under pressure!
The US government reviews museums for historical narratives; Trump's decree calls for revisionism before the 250th birthday of the USA.
Trump wants to rewrite US history: museums under pressure!
The examination of American history is becoming increasingly bizarre. President Donald Trump recently called on museums in Washington to review their exhibition plans and texts for any “divisive or partisan” narratives. This comes ahead of the 250th anniversary of the United States, which will be celebrated next year. As nordkurier.de reports, several important museums are affected, including the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Trump already issued an executive order in the spring aimed at promoting historical displays in museums in line with the spirit of his administration. He is accused of attempting to rewrite the narrative of American history, promoting a revisionist movement that he blames on the previous Democratic administration. Trump himself has made accusations that in recent years the nation's heritage has been portrayed as racist and oppressive, which he vehemently rejects. In a decree he announced that there was an attempt to replace facts with distorted narratives, as Deutschlandfunk further explains.
Control over narratives
The government is focusing on the Smithsonian Institution, which is responsible for reviewing the contents of its museums. Trump criticizes the trustees of this institution and denounces that it promotes a divisive ideology. This runs through the entire collection of museums belonging to the Smithsonian Institution. In his decree, Trump points out that the way history is told is important and that the focus must be on “common American values.”
Particular attention is paid to the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the American Women’s History Museum, whose portrayal of history and particularly “hard work” and “individualism” has come under criticism. Trump demands that his deputy J.D. Vance calls for changes to be made in museums to banish "inappropriate ideology" and ensure that money is no longer spent on exhibitions that degrade American values, which is also supported by n-tv.
A foray into the culture war
In the midst of this dispute, it is clear that Trump's plans are part of a larger culture war. In his remarks, the president spoke of “concerted and widespread attempts” to distort the truth of American history. As noted, the Smithsonian Institution is a key target, and the museum has been accused of promoting an ethnically biased perspective. This means that numerous exhibition texts, websites and educational documents have to be examined before they can be checked.
The affected museums that must comply with their review within 30 days include:
| museum |
|---|
| National Museum of American History |
| National Museum of Natural History |
| National Museum of African American History and Culture |
| National Museum of the American Indian |
| National Air and Space Museum |
| Smithsonian American Art Museum |
| National Portrait Gallery |
| Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden |
The coming dispute over the representation of American history in museums is likely to stay with us for a long time. The question remains whether this political interference actually contributes to a better understanding of the past or whether it does not represent a censorship of history, which is not in the spirit of an open and diverse society.