WASHINGTON — The leader of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History stood her ground Tuesday before a congressional oversight panel, pushing back against criticism from President Donald Trump’s White House by arguing that the museum is at its strongest when patriotism is “not instructed but inspired.”
Earlier this month, a White House Domestic Policy Council report took aim at the museum, labeling it as guilty of “thinly veiled anti-Americanism” and “extreme political activism.”
Museum Director Anthea Hartig appeared before a House of Representatives oversight subcommittee and described the broad spectrum of American history that visitors encounter when they walk through the museum’s doors.
“They find the inventions that changed the world and the ordinary Americans who built it. I have watched 10-year-olds with their families stand in front of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ with their hands over their hearts. No one told them to,” Hartig told the subcommittee.
“That is the National Museum of American History at its most powerful: patriotism, not instructed, but inspired,” she added.
President Trump has made targeting U.S. cultural and historical institutions a central part of his agenda. Civil rights advocates warn that these efforts could roll back decades of social progress and diminish recognition of important chapters in American history.
His executive orders and declarations have resulted in the dismantling of slavery exhibits, the restoration of Confederate statues, and reviews of museum operations. Trump has stated his goal is to eliminate what he calls “anti-American ideology.”
Hartig also explained that the museum’s mission includes amplifying voices and stories from communities that had long been overlooked in the historical record.
“When historians talk about reframing a traditional narrative, we do not mean erasing it. We mean adding the evidence, the voices and the objects that earlier tellings left out, so that more Americans can see themselves in the national story,” she said.
Hartig echoed comments previously made by Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch, saying the White House report — released on July 4 — did not accurately represent what the museum actually does. She did acknowledge, however, that “there is always room for improvement.”
The Smithsonian Institution, which celebrated its 180th year, is one of the nation’s most prominent museum and research complexes. It encompasses 21 museums and galleries as well as the National Zoo.
