Terri Sewell compares Trump’s scrutiny of Smithsonian to ‘fascism’
A house Democrat compared the White House’s investigation into the Smithsonian Institution’s portrayal of American history to an Orwellian takeover by a fascist government.Rep. Terri Sewell criticized President Trump’s executive order aimed at “restoring truth” to the Smithsonian’s narratives, accusing the administration of attempting to control thoght and free speech, reminiscent of fascism.during a GOP-led hearing, Sewell described the effort as dangerous and perilous, expressing concern over the oversight of exhibits that many view as reflecting a liberal bias. Democratic witness Dr.David Blight compared the Trump administration’s actions to an authoritarian regime and Nazi Germany, emphasizing that history is inherently revisionist and evolves as new information emerges. Sewell and Blight argued that attempts to influence museum narratives threaten democratic values and suppress free inquiry.Additionally, Sewell expressed difficulty feeling pride in America due to its historical treatment of Native Americans, suggesting that indigenous leaders founded the nation rather than colonists. The hearing followed a White House report accusing the Smithsonian of ideological bias and pushing a narrative emphasizing systemic injustice and white supremacy, amidst debates over the content and direction of American historical education and depiction.
A House Democrat likened the White House’s investigation into the Smithsonian Institution’s alleged left-wing rewriting of American history to an Orwellian takeover by a “fascist” government.
Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) attacked President Donald Trump’s executive order to “restore truth” to the Smithsonian’s telling of American history at its National Museum of American History during a GOP-led hearing on Wednesday discussing the museum’s “radical revisionism.”
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“This administration’s crusade to take control of the American History Museum, I think, is not only dangerous, it’s perilous,” Sewell said.
The House Administration Committee hearing followed the publication of a White House report on the “ideological capture” of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, which found that various exhibits at the museum retold key aspects of U.S. history through a liberal lens.
“What they are really doing is trying to control thought, free speech,” Dr. David Blight, the Democrats’ witness, said of the Trump administration’s oversight efforts.
“That sounds reminiscent of fascism,” Sewell said.
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Blight agreed with Sewell’s use of the term and compared the Trump administration to an “authoritarian regime” similar to the totalitarian dictatorship of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany.
“You used that word. That’s fine. There have been plenty of other examples,” Blight continued. “What do authoritarian regimes do first? They assault libraries, archives, schools, universities, [and] cultural institutions. This is an old, old record, and we don’t have to just go to the 1930s to find it.”
Blight, previously president of the Organization of American Historians, then argued that history itself is intrinsically revisionist and is continually revised as historians learn new information about historical events.
“All history is revision,” Blight said. “The first revisionist was Herodotus, 250 years ago. Would you prefer your doctors not to be revisionist? Do you want to go to a pediatrician who is not revisionist, who hasn’t learned anything new since his or her first training? We revise because it’s our job. It always will be.”
In opening remarks, Sewell said that America still needs to work toward achieving a more just society. “I can tell you that the arc of the universe does bend toward justice; it just doesn’t bend by itself,” Sewell said.
Smithsonian officials are accused of reshaping museum programming and infusing their work, including exhibits unrelated to slavery and racial discrimination, with “anti-racist” theory that teaches museum-goers that America’s past is purely defined by white supremacy and systemic injustice.
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Sewell, at one point, said she struggles to feel pride for America because of its past treatment of Native Americans and appeared to suggest that the nation was actually founded by indigenous tribal leaders, not colonials.
“I, too, love this country unconditionally. But I can tell you that it is hard sometimes when you hear and read how we treated the fore-founders of this country, who were Indians,” claimed Sewell.
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