Trump's Plan to Change Smithsonian's Story

The Smithsonian Institution, a large network of museums and research centers, is in the spotlight. The Trump Administration has set its sights on changing what is taught and displayed there. President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday. This order aims to remove what the administration calls "woke ideology" from cultural institutions. The Smithsonian and the Department of the Interior are the main targets. The order is called "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. " It wants to "revitalize" these institutions and stop what it sees as divisive ideas. The order claims that the Smithsonian promotes ideas that paint American and Western values in a negative light. However, Jim Grossman, the head of the American Historical Association, disagrees. He argues that the Smithsonian is a top research institution. He believes the order misrepresents the Smithsonian's work and accuses it of being unpatriotic, which he says is false. The order gives Vice President JD Vance, who is on the Smithsonian's board, a big task. He must remove any "improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology" from the museums. The order also tells the Department of the Interior to restore memorials and statues that were changed or removed in the past five years. This includes statues that were targeted during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Many of these changes were made to give a more complete picture of American history. This includes the darker parts, like slavery and the treatment of Native Americans. The Smithsonian is not a federal agency. It is a public-private partnership that receives federal funds. Its board includes high-ranking officials and citizens. The executive order suggests that the administration could influence who is on this board. This could tie future funding to compliance with the order. It is unclear how much power the administration has over the board. But the order makes it clear that changes are expected. The Smithsonian has not yet responded to this latest order. However, it did close its diversity office after a previous order from President Trump. That order banned federal funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. This shows that the Smithsonian has had to make changes before. It remains to be seen how this new order will affect the institution and its mission to educate the public about American history.