Theodore Roosevelt on the Political Battle for the Soul of the Smithsonian

My friends, there is nothing more essential to the character of a robust, self-governing republic than an honest, clear-eyed understanding of its own past. Yet, we find ourselves watching a downright shameful spectacle on Capitol Hill, where politicians of all stripes are attempting to reduce our national heritage into a cheap weapon for partisan warfare. Leave it to the desk-bound bureaucrats and the hand-wringing ideologues to turn the grand, sprawling saga of the American experiment into a fragile political football! It is a thorough disgrace to the strenuous spirit of this great nation.

Consider the recent dust-up in Washington, where Dr. Anthea Hartig, director of the National Museum of American History, was hauled before a congressional subcommittee to answer for the museum's alleged "ideological capture." This hearing followed a blistering report from the White House Domestic Policy Council, issued under the banner of Executive Order 14253, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History." The administration accuses the Smithsonian of peddling a cynical narrative of "American wickedness" and omitting our founding heroes. On the other side, defensive partisans claim any criticism of their curation is an assault on scholarship. Both sides are playing a wretched game. One seeks to wallow in a defeatist self-flagellation that saps our national vitality, while the other seeks to sanitize our past through executive decree, treating our citizens like fragile children who cannot handle the full, rugged truth of our triumphs and our blunders.

The remedy for this malaise is not political censorship, nor is it the coddling of delicate sensibilities. We must restore the Smithsonian’s absolute independence from the whims of whatever administration happens to occupy the executive mansion. To do this, Congress must enact legislation that shields the institution's funding and leadership from retaliatory political maneuvers. Furthermore, we must reject the false choice between blind myth-making and bitter cynicism. A great democracy does not fear its own shadow. Our museums must present a muscular, honest patriotism—one that celebrates our unparalleled achievements in expanding human liberty, while unhesitatingly confronting the instances where we fell short of our high ideals. People must remember that American history is not a fairy tale to be sanitized by executive order, nor is it a weapon of division to be wielded by committee chairmen. It is a vital, living inheritance meant to inspire courage and civic duty in every citizen.