{"id":2642370,"date":"2026-08-09T11:42:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T15:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/left-treats-history-as-assertion-of-power-in-smithsonian-ideological-takeover-professor\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T11:43:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T15:43:36","slug":"left-treats-history-as-assertion-of-power-in-smithsonian-ideological-takeover-professor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/left-treats-history-as-assertion-of-power-in-smithsonian-ideological-takeover-professor\/","title":{"rendered":"Left Treats History as &#8216;Assertion of Power&#8217; in Smithsonian &#8216;Ideological Takeover&#8217;: Professor"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fleft-treats-history-as-assertion-of-power-in-smithsonian-ideological-takeover-professor%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2642370&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dei-disaster-petition-circulating-within-secret-service-community-warns-of-potential-insider-threats\/\" title=\"DEI Crisis: Secret Service Petition Raises Concerns About &#039;Insider Threats\">article discusses concerns raised<\/a> by Dr. Matthew Spaulding, a Hillsdale professor, regarding the Smithsonian Museum of American History. He states that the museum has undergone an &#8220;ideological takeover,&#8221; shifting from showcasing America\u2019s true history to promoting relativism and nihilism. A White House report corroborates this view, criticizing the museum&#8217;s departure from American heritage and accusing leadership of using history as a political tool to divide and discourage citizens. Spaulding highlights that the museum no longer presents a genuine American narrative but rather includes controversial and inappropriate content, replacing past facts with unsubstantiated speculation. there are broader concerns about the influence of critical theory, postmodernism, and Marxist ideas infiltrating national institutions like museums, which traditionally serve to educate and unify Americans. The article emphasizes the importance of preserving an accurate portrayal of American history, especially amid efforts to rewrite or distort it for ideological reasons.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Smithsonian Museum of American History has suffered a complete \u201cideological takeover,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QFix3CiJmD0\">warned<\/a> Hillsdale professor Dr. Matthew Spaulding on \u201cWashington Watch.\u201d \u201cThere\u2019s really nothing there about America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the museum in America\u2019s capital that should tell America\u2019s story has replaced that story with one \u201cbased on absolute relativism and nihilism, and [the notion that] politics is merely an assertion of power. In this case: \u2018history is an assertion of power, and so we\u2019re going to rearrange it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Spaulding\u2019s assessment aligns with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Smithsonian-Report-Saving-Americas-Story.pdf\">162-page report<\/a> released by the White House on July 4, which found the same concerning departure from America\u2019s heritage. \u201cOur central finding is not that the Museum has simply added overlooked stories, corrected perceived errors, or broadened its historical scope,\u201d the report summarized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRather, it is that Museum leadership has explicitly adopted an ideological framework that no longer treats the American story as a d national inheritance to be taught or celebrated, but as a political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That report was compiled in accord with President Donald Trump\u2019s March 27, 2025 executive order \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/03\/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history\/\">Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The order directed a full review of the narratives at America\u2019s national history sites, citing multiple examples of egregious wokeness in the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian Museum of American History did not make the initial list, but its subtlety failed to pass closer inspection.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just strikingly odd and deeply disturbing what is there and [what was] replaced,\u201d said Spaulding. \u201cYou can\u2019t go there and learn about America. \u2026 Everything about America that we would think you would find in a history museum of national American history is gone, or at least so downplayed and decentered [to the point] that it\u2019s meaningless.\u201d People \u201cgo there, and they\u2019ll learn nothing about the narrative or chronology of this history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn its place, they have all sorts of other things which are \u2026 very disturbing: a little girl\u2019s diary about wondering whether she\u2019s going to have grown male sexual parts, there\u2019s drag queens, there\u2019s all sorts of outfits used for odd sexual practices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust what I need to know about American history,\u201d FRC President Tony Perkins interjected facetiously. \u201cExactly,\u201d Spaulding replied, \u201cand that\u2019s what\u2019s replaced it. So it\u2019s a one-two punch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While people will learn nothing of the overall American story, \u201cthey will learn that Benjamin Franklin had indentured servants and slaves,\u201d Spaulding said, \u201cand [the exhibit] ponders whether he actually did electrical experiments on his slaves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, \u201cthey don\u2019t know that,\u201d and there is no evidence that he did, but the museum replaces history with uncharitable speculation, Spaulding argued. \u201cIndeed, both Franklin and Hamilton \u2014 unmentioned in the museum \u2014 actually both became heads of abolitionist organizations in their home states. But that\u2019s not there.\u201d It \u201cdoesn\u2019t fit the narrative,\u201d Perkins agreed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can get caught in the weeds of the particulars,\u201d Spaulding advised. \u201cThe particulars are shocking. But, [when] you put the particulars together and see what it\u2019s replaced, it doesn\u2019t tell American history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Washington Stand has sounded the alarm about wokeness at the Smithsonian Museum of American History since its inception in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>On September 2, 2022, contributor Claire Gatzke highlighted\u00a0\u201can exhibit called \u2018Girlhood: It\u2019s Complicated,\u2019\u201d which \u201cnot-so-subtly reflects critical theory\u2019s rejection of authority itself and its division of people into categories of oppressed and oppressor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gatzke also reported, \u201cIn the \u2018Wellness\u2019 section of the exhibit, Jazz Jennings is highlighted. The exhibit describes Jennings (a biological male) as a girl who was one of the youngest publicly documented people to identify as transgender.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir own documents lay out very clearly what they\u2019re doing,\u201d Spaulding continued. \u201cThis is a postmodern theory of history, which is not about history. Everything\u2019s about a struggle. It\u2019s about oppression and oppressed peoples.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture provoked outrage for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/smithsonian-race-guidelines-rational-thinking-hard-work-are-white-values-1518333\">chart<\/a> attacking \u201cself-reliance\u201d; \u201cthe nuclear family\u201d; \u201cobjective, rational linear thinking\u201d; the \u201cJudeo-Christian tradition\u201d; \u201chard work [as] the key to success\u201d; \u201cdelayed gratification\u201d; \u201cprotect[ing] property\u201d; \u201cdecision-making\u201d; and \u201cbe[ing] polite\u201d as aspects of \u201cwhite culture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Such products should have generated stricter oversight of Smithsonian narratives even then. But \u201cthe right people weren\u2019t paying attention. That\u2019s how they wanted it,\u201d Spaulding suggested. \u201cWe could have seen it coming, but now we\u2019re seeing the fruits of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was \u201cnew leadership at the Smithsonian in general, then the director of the Museum [of American History] in particular, and then they\u2019ve been putting out, every year, various interpretive plans, various annual reports,\u201d Spaulding continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey changed the mission statement. They removed \u2018history\u2019 itself; now [it] merely refers to \u2018our past\u2019 \u2014 but removed the word \u2018American.\u2019 But it also added the word \u2018empowerment.\u2019 So, the objective is to \u2018empower\u2019 people by essentially using history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The White House report also notes the change in mission statement, \u201cwhich replaced the phrases \u2018infinite richness\u2019 and \u2018American history\u2019 with language about empowering people to create \u2018a more just and compassionate future\u2019 by exploring \u2018the complexity of our past.\u2019 In the words of Director Hartig, this was done in order to \u2018get out of the \u201cAmerica First\u201d mentality\u2019 when telling history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But American history is America first, second, and only. \u201cThis is their view of history \u2026 replace history with what they think it ought to be,\u201d Spaulding rejoined.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis goes back to what\u2019s called critical theory, postmodernism \u2026 connected to \u2026 ideas in the academic world \u2026 that there are no permanent truths. It\u2019s completely based on absolute relativism and nihilism, and politics is merely an assertion of power. In this case, \u2018history is an assertion of power. And so we\u2019re going to rearrange it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Politically, this worldview has \u201cgiven rise to \u2026 among other things, these socialist movements,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Perkins observed that the Marxists\u2019 \u201cLong March through the Institutions\u201d appears to now be reaching the museums. \u201cAll this stuff that we\u2019ve been fighting, that we\u2019ve been talking about [on] college campuses we\u2019re funding right here,\u201d Perkins protested.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re paying for it,\u201d Spaulding confirmed. \u201cTheir budget\u2019s about $1 billion a year. And about two-thirds comes from Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe alarming thing about this is that the Smithsonian has long been a trusted institution that has been a part of the curriculum in America\u2019s public schools,\u201d said Perkins. \u201cWhen kids come here \u2026 they go to all of these museums when they come here on school trips.\u201d Spaulding agreed, \u201cIt\u2019s the number one institution that people go to: schools, students, scholars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Marxists have now turned a trusted American institution into a propaganda weapon to slander America\u2019s character.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnder this historical revision, our Nation\u2019s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed,\u201d Trump stated in his executive order.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRather than fostering unity and a deeper understanding of our d past, the widespread effort to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/army-estimates-10-million-price-tag-for-restoring-confederate-statue\/\" title=\"Army estimates  million price tag for restoring Confederate statue\">rewrite history deepens societal divides<\/a> and fosters a sense of national shame, disregarding the progress America has made and the ideals that continue to inspire millions around the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If ever, now is the time to address this issue, Spaulding suggested. \u201cThis Smithsonian question [is] so pertinent and immediate \u2014 of all times \u2014 when we\u2019re spending the 250th anniversary of America.\u201d Perkins concluded by citing George Orwell, a socialist critic of socialism, who understood both its aims and its shortcomings: \u201che who controls the present controls the past.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><em>Joshua Arnold is a senior writer at The Washington Stand.<\/em><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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