The White House has released a scathing report on the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, concluding that it has become a taxpayer-backed institution of "ideological capture" and "extreme political activism."
The report, titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," states that the museum has moved away from straightforward historical education and scholarship, and toward activism. The report asserts that the museum treats the American story as a political tool rather than a shared national inheritance.
According to the report, the museum's current leadership has explicitly stated that history is a "prime tool of social justice." The director of the museum, Anthea Hartig, has also stated that she sees it as her role to connect research and scholarship to activism and advocacy.
The report highlights five key conclusions about the museum, including that it has neglected to dedicate major exhibits to America's Founding era, and instead focuses on the negative aspects of the Founding Fathers' connections to slavery.
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, yet its ideology does not comport with the current administration's initiatives to remove political influence in government entities.
The report concludes that the museum's ideological capture has moved its mission away from straightforward historical education and scholarship toward extreme political activism, which seeks to transform the country.
