The Smithsonian's Attempt to Undermine America

Congress chartered the Smithsonian to tell the story of American progress. Its current stewards have chosen a different story.

As Americans flocked to Washington, D.C. in celebration of the nation’s semiquincentennial, the White House Domestic Policy Council was assembling an analysis on the Smithsonian. The group of museums and research centers were established in 1846 and have an annual budget of roughly $1.25 billion, a majority of which comes from federal funding. Spanning 47 states and housing 157 million of America’s most valuable historical assets, the Smithsonian should be a shining testimony of our country’s history, ingenuity, and excellence.

Unfortunately, the White House report exposed the sinister truth that the Smithsonian had been captured by radical liberal ideology. Over the course of the last few years, the museum has neglected to preserve American history in favor of pursuing activism. Exhibits frequently slander some of America’s greatest heroes, including Ben Franklin, Christopher Columbus, and the Pilgrims. Plaques ignore the valuable contributions of great Presidents like Lincoln and Washington, instead choosing to label white, Christian males as symbols of oppressive power structures. In contrast, several exhibits advocate for transgenderism and the rights of illegal aliens. The further you dig into the report, the more you realize just how radical the Smithsonian has become. It is no longer merely a fun chain of museums and zoos, proudly committed to serving the American people. Instead, it is publishing guides criticizing aspects of “Whiteness and White Culture” and proudly displaying photos of prominent drag queens.

Many conservatives have developed a unique ability to ignore aspects of woke culture. In recent years, movies, television shows, celebrities, and much of the mainstream media have increasingly leaned into progressivism. Between 2018 and 2022, the number of LGBT characters appearing on screen increased by 35 percent. Musicians like Bruce Springsteen and John Legend have turned their concerts into something more akin to a political rally, while other major celebrities like Ben Stiller have tried to score social justice points by starting feuds with the Trump administration. Major films, ranging from Supergirl to Barbie, have embraced feminist themes in their storytelling. Book stores will flaunt Jill Biden’s autobiography while quietly stashing away the highly-demanded books of the late Charlie Kirk.

However, the Smithsonian should act as a bulwark against the radical progressivism that is infecting modern culture. The Museum of American History has a specific mandate from the federal government to preserve our nation’s history. During hearings to deliberate the approval of the museum in 1955, then-Smithsonian Secretary Leon Carmichael testified that the Museum would “tell the story of American national progress” and “instill in each citizen a deepened faith in our country’s destiny as champion of individual dignity and enterprise.”

The Museum of American History hasn’t fulfilled its intended purpose, but has been captured by radical powers. Under the leadership of its current director, Anthea Hartig, the museum has chosen to view history as a “prime tool of social justice.” She has also pushed initiatives that would utilize the museum’s collections to push progressive narratives. For example, she intentionally selected artifacts about the American Founding that would push away from an “Anglo-centric” focus. Instead of providing an even-handed, honest, and intelligent approach to American history, she has hijacked it in pursuit of activism. Hartig has chosen to rewrite America’s founding to be viewed as a racist, xenophobic, homophobic, misogynistic country rather than being a champion of life, liberty, and happiness.

The ideological capture of the Smithsonian should be a wake up call to U.S. citizens. It is our duty to not let our past be rewritten by those who despise America, its history, and its people. Just as we don’t allow foreign nations to bully or vilify us, so too should we prevent radical activists from holding our history hostage.

The sad state of the Smithsonian is part of a broader attempt for the left to ideologically capture academia. It’s no secret that the collegiate system has been hollowed out by left-wing professors, DEI applications processes, and curriculum promoting far-left manifestos. At Harvard, 80 percent of staff identified as liberal, while only 1 percent of the staff identified as conservative. Despite crackdowns on diversity-focused admissions quotas, many Ivy League schools have come up with creative ways to disproportionately favor racially diverse applicants. Degrees in Women’s Studies and Gender Studies have increased by 300 percent, while degrees in topics like “racial justice” and “decolonization” have suddenly burst onto the scene.

It is critical that we don’t secede academia or history to the left, but make a conceited effort to preserve and protect them. The story of America is the story of virtue, democracy, and strength. We have become a global superpower, a cultural juggernaut, and a defender of freedom. We were one of the first countries to abolish slavery, pass child labor laws, and adopt a bill of rights for its citizens. Americans created airplanes, cotton gins, and telephones, they gave us jazz and Hemingway and Hollywood. As the Smithsonian tries to undermine America, it is more important than ever that we lift her up in glory.

Brooke Brandtjen is a writer and journalist from Wisconsin who focuses primarily on culture, politics, and religion. She is a Chesterton Media Fellow and Senior Contributor at New Guard Press, a publication she joined while attending Hillsdale College. She has been published at a variety of conservative outlets including The Daily Wire, The Federalist, and The Blaze.