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The control of official history, especially by and through State organs, remains an important and necessary political prize. This is neither news nor something confined to certain societies or social orders. Every collective constitutes itself through ts own self-construction. A collective must be what it says it is; it follows that saying what one is acquires a substantial politics with core cultural characteristics. The Chinese tend to put effort into the study of that politics.
In the United States, that project of official history in the service of the state (or at least in the service of factions--usually tied together by bonds of race, religion, ethnicity, and sometimes politics, then and now) tends to expose the political-cultural projects of those factions now projected onto the state Thus projected, it is served up as some sort of inevitable rationalization of amalgamations of carefully selected and valued facts. These then are sculpted to produce meaning which then suggest the only (approved) way in which the past can be made sense of in the present and projected onto the future. The political work of history of this sort is thus exposed for what is is--the normative political project of inculcating specific values and judgments by a group given or taking the power to manage (and control) public perceptions of good and bad, right and wrong, threat and aid. The object is not the correctness of such norms and judgments but the power to control their production and to turn it into political and social power. When projected out of the collective, this becomes a powerful weapon that can turn or destabilize the collective ordering of rival states.The United States is hardly unique. "From this, one might understand that from a conceptual perspective among leading scholars in China, the problem of history, then, is actually the realization of a dialectics of interpretation. That is, that history is itself the rationalization of facts which must, to be authoritative, align precisely with the logic of history. And the logic of history is in essence, the manifestation of the political economic model in time." (Historical Materialism--邓野 “没有共产党就没有中国”口号的提出 [Deng Ye; on the Origins of the Slogan "Without the Communist Party, there is no China"] Discussed in 虞和平, 2008年中国近代史研究综述 [Yu Heping, A Review of the Research on Modern Chinese History in 2008] )
Americans tend to be less direct, appearing, at least at the political level to bury history within whatever asses for ideological purity of the day. That involves a two part process. The first is focused on the way in which "facts" are harvested and valued and thus used. The second is focused on the application of the appropriate ideological ordering lens. The irony, of course, is that this ideological lens is justified by reference to the facts which themselves become authoritative when deployed in accordance with the value and objectives of the lens applied. At its extreme, the ideology becomes the ultimate "fact" from out of which other bits of pieces of historical data acquire significance.
For the Americans, the great fighting over the 1619 Project--championed by and through a mouthpiece media organ of certain American factions and their useful allies--against the 1776 Project, championed by their political enemies, provides a very nice example of this type of contest for the soul of official history as a dominant form of not merely political expression, as a a means of capturing the normative foundations for such political projects and of reimagining the structures of dominance and hierarchy in American society. It is for that reason that they are each extraordinarily controversial as history--neither is really history in the academic sense; neither follow the conventions of academic historians because that is not their purpose. The each deliberately choose their facts and center their analysis driven by normative politics and in furtherance of its project to reshape the future by reconcieving the past (see, e.g., academic criticism of the 1776 Project HERE; the 1619 Project HERE). Each s a vessel of normative and political projects into which convenient facts are poured and the rest carted off to the trash heap of irrelevance or into the societal punishment of normative apostasy (see, e.g., here). ("Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century" [中共中央关于党的百年奋斗重大成就和历史经验的决议（全文）] Text and Thoughts)
In every system or for every collective with systems of power to protect authoritative self-remembering/constructing the problem is the same--to produce a way of approaching history (as object and instrument) that is grounded in fixed premises and approaches that make historical revision more difficult and permit the development of structures of historical purity based on the application of the proper analytical lens.
Ultimately, the problem of historical nihilism is at its core, the problem of history, in the way that mimics the problem of nihilism in Catholic thinking, which is that of the problem of "relativism". In both cases the foundation must be grounded in the embrace of a firm structure of meaning--and to invest that meaning with a faith in its certainties.* * * Fixity, in this sense, references the idea that something is unalterable, and as unalterable can serve as solid basis for the rationalization of the world around us, derive principles and ordering premises, objectives, and build authoritative structures of social collectives in politics, religion, morals, etc. A faith in the fixity of a core object provides the basis for the rationalization of the collective order and a means for understanding its relation to everything else. (In Search of Fixity--Historical Nihilism and the Dictatorship of Relativism in 王瑾 "1949～1989年《人民日报》对历史虚无主义的解析 " [Wang Jin, Analysis of Historical Nihilism in the People's Daily from 1949 to 1989]: Text and brief analysis)
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It is also no surprise then that the Trump Administration would turn its attention to the "curation of the self" that the Smithsonian system represents. This time the process is quite remarkably transparent. In his March 27, 2025 Executive Order, President Trump described the project of history to be undertaken:
Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth. This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light. Under this historical revision, our Nation’s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed. Rather than fostering unity and a deeper understanding of our shared past, the widespread effort to rewrite history deepens societal divides and fosters a sense of national shame, disregarding the progress America has made and the ideals that continue to inspire millions around the globe. The prior administration advanced this corrosive ideology. (Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History)
Among the institutions identified n that Executive Order as vessels of a contested ideological lens were the Smithsonian system. In a letter authored by Lindsey Halligan, Vince Haley, and Russell Vought, this "Letter to the Smithsonian: Internal Review of Smithsonian Exhibitions and Materials" have started that process of challenge with what appears to be an innocuous bureaucratic request deploying the banalities of organization internal review. Yet a careful reading of that requests suggests the broader purpose--to replace the ruling vision of prior administrations, especially its apotheosis of a specific way of understanding the Republic's "self" with something different. The scope of review goes to the heart of the presentation of authoritative accounts of the Republic's self to the masses:
The review will focus on several key areas:
- Public-facing Content: A review of exhibition text, wall didactics, websites, educational materials, and digital and social media content to assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals.
- Curatorial Process: A series of interviews with curators and senior staff to better understand the selection process, exhibition approval workflows, and any frameworks currently guiding exhibition content.
- Exhibition Planning: A review of current and future exhibitions, with particular attention to those planned for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
- Collection Use: Evaluation of how existing materials and collections are being used or could be used to highlight American achievement and progress, including whether the Smithsonian can make better use of certain materials by digitizing or conveying to other institutions.
- Narrative Standards: The development of consistent curatorial guidelines that reflect the Smithsonian’s original mission.
The Letter follows in full below.
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The Honorable Lonnie G. Bunch III
Secretary, Smithsonian Institution
1000 Jefferson Dr SW
Washington, DC 20560
Subject: Internal Review of Smithsonian Exhibitions and Materials
Dear Secretary Bunch,
We wish to begin by expressing our appreciation for the brief tour you gave us recently of the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and by acknowledging your work on behalf of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as the Institution’s role in shaping public understanding of American history and culture. We are completely aligned with your statement that the Smithsonian is “a welcoming place of knowledge and discovery for all Americans.” We are grateful that you and the Board of Regents have expressed your commitment to the non-partisan, educational mission of this great institution.
As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Nation’s founding, it is more important than ever that our national museums reflect the unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story. In this spirit, and in accordance with Executive Order 14253, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, we will be leading a comprehensive internal review of selected Smithsonian museums and exhibitions. This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.
This review is a constructive and collaborative effort — one rooted in respect for the Smithsonian’s vital mission and its extraordinary contributions. Our goal is not to interfere with the day-to-day operations of curators or staff, but rather to support a broader vision of excellence that highlights historically accurate, uplifting, and inclusive portrayals of America’s heritage.
The review will focus on several key areas:
- Public-facing Content: A review of exhibition text, wall didactics, websites, educational materials, and digital and social media content to assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals.
- Curatorial Process: A series of interviews with curators and senior staff to better understand the selection process, exhibition approval workflows, and any frameworks currently guiding exhibition content.
- Exhibition Planning: A review of current and future exhibitions, with particular attention to those planned for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
- Collection Use: Evaluation of how existing materials and collections are being used or could be used to highlight American achievement and progress, including whether the Smithsonian can make better use of certain materials by digitizing or conveying to other institutions.
- Narrative Standards: The development of consistent curatorial guidelines that reflect the Smithsonian’s original mission.
Initially, our review will focus on the following museums. Additional museums will be reviewed in Phase II.
- National Museum of American History
- National Museum of Natural History
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- National Museum of the American Indian
- National Air and Space Museum
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- National Portrait Gallery
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Materials Request
To initiate this process, we respectfully request that each of the museums listed above designate a primary point of contact and provide the following materials to our team (including for online content):
- 250th Anniversary Programming
- Exhibition plans, draft concepts, and event outlines related to America 250.
- Supporting materials such as proposed artwork, descriptive placards, exhibition catalogs, event themes, and lists of invited speakers and events.
- Current Exhibition Content
- Catalog and programs for all current and ongoing exhibitions, including budgets.
- Digital files of all wall didactics, placards, and gallery labels currently on display.
- Traveling and Upcoming Exhibitions
- Full index of scheduled traveling exhibitions (2026-2029).
- Proposals, projected schedules, and preliminary budgets for upcoming exhibitions over the next three years.
- Internal Guidelines and Governance
- Curatorial and staff manuals, job descriptions, and organizational charts.
- Documentation outlining the chain of command for exhibition approvals, scheduling, and content review.
- Internal communications or memos pertaining to exhibition or artwork selection and approval processes.
- Index of the Permanent Collection
- Access to an inventory of all permanent holdings.
- Educational Materials
- Teacher guides, student resources, and supplementary educational content linked to current exhibitions.
- Digital Presence
- URLs and descriptions of official museum websites and exhibition-related microsites.
- External Partnerships
- A list of active partnerships with outside contributors including artists, historians, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations.
- Grant-Related Documentation
- Copies of grant applications and funding agreements tied to past or current exhibitions, particularly those that influence content or presentation.
- Current artists featured in museum’s galleries that received a Smithsonian grant.
- Surveys and other evaluations of visitor experience
- Responses to surveys and other forms of evaluating the experience of visitors to the Smithsonian’s museums and users of digital content.
Timeline
To ensure clarity and coordination across all parties involved, we have developed the following implementation timeline:
Within 30 days of receipt of this letter, we anticipate:
- Each museum to submit all requested materials outlined in the first four bullet points above, including current exhibition descriptions, draft plans for upcoming shows, America 250 programming materials, and internal guidelines used in exhibition development.
- Review of America 250 exhibition and program planning and connect with curators and staff about their specific proposals.
- A staff liaison from each museum will be designated to serve as the primary point of contact throughout the review process.
- Our team will begin on-site observational visits, conducting walkthroughs of current exhibitions to document themes, visitor experience, and visual messaging.
Within 75 days:
- Museums are asked to submit the remaining requested documentation (items 5 through 10), including promotional literature, grant data, educational materials, and guided tour content.
- Our team will begin scheduling and conducting voluntary interviews with curators and senior staff. These conversations will help us better understand each museum’s goals and the broader curatorial vision guiding the institution.
- Each museum should finalize and submit its updated plan to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary and ensure coordination with the White House Salute to America 250 Task Force to align messaging and public engagement.
Within 120 days:
- Museums should begin implementing content corrections where necessary, replacing divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions across placards, wall didactics, digital displays, and other public-facing materials.
If all benchmarks are met on schedule, we anticipate completing our review and preparing a final report for your review in early 2026. This report will include museum-specific assessments, institutional trends, and constructive recommendations for future exhibition strategy.
We view this process as a collaborative and forward-looking opportunity—one that empowers museum staff to embrace a revitalized curatorial vision rooted in the strength, breadth, and achievements of the American story. By focusing on Americanism—the people, principles, and progress that define our nation—we can work together to renew the Smithsonian’s role as the world’s leading museum institution.
We look forward to working alongside you and your team to ensure these iconic institutions remain vibrant, trusted, and inspiring for generations to come.
Lindsey Halligan
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Associate Staff Secretary
Vince Haley
Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Russell Vought
Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Click here to view the signed letter.
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