‘It’s a completely different place’: Historian shocked at Smithsonian’s change over last decade

HISTORIAN SAYS SMITHSONIAN HAS TRADED HISTORY FOR ACTIVISM

Historian and museum professional Dr. Jody Edward Ginn says a recent visit to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History convinced him the institution has drifted dramatically from its original mission.

“It’s a completely different place than when I was there in 2012,” Ginn told Fox News Digital. “Its mission is clearly exactly what they changed it to be. It is a museum for activism.”

After reading a White House Domestic Policy Council report accusing the Smithsonian of promoting ideological activism instead of objective history, Ginn traveled from Texas to Washington to see the exhibits firsthand.

What he found, he says, confirmed his concerns. “From the moment I walked in, it’s a very different experience,” Ginn said. “I’ve been watching this evolution in my field for over a decade.”

According to Ginn, modern museum exhibits increasingly attempt to guide visitors toward particular social or political conclusions rather than presenting evidence and allowing people to make up their own minds.

“It became this goal… to turn museums from institutions of education… into institutions to encourage activism,” he said. “You could also say indoctrinate.”

Perhaps his sharpest criticism wasn’t about what visitors see. It was about what they don’t.

“The biggest problem is in what they leave out,” Ginn said. He also criticized exhibits he described as sexually explicit or inappropriate for children, arguing they are out of place in a museum marketed to families.

The comments come just weeks after Smithsonian National Museum of American History Director Dr. Anthea Hartig defended the institution before Congress during contentious hearings examining allegations that the museum has embraced political activism.

Republicans questioned Hartig about exhibits involving gender identity, sexuality and race, as well as changes to the museum’s mission statement after she became director in 2019. Rep. Lauren Boebert asked Hartig, “Who gave you the authority to turn the National Museum of American History into a vehicle for progressive political activism?”

Hartig rejected the characterization. “The Smithsonian is a nonpartisan institution,” she responded. “We’re very proud of that.”

In separate testimony, Hartig defended the museum’s work, telling lawmakers it strives to represent the full breadth of the American experience while maintaining scholarly independence.

“Our work is governed by the Smithsonian standards of scholarship, accuracy, independence, and nonpartisanship,” she said. “The museum does not take sides in America’s political debates.”

The dispute follows a sweeping White House report released on Independence Day titled “Saving America’s Story,” which accused the National Museum of American History of “extreme political activism” and argued it has failed to present history in a manner that inspires national unity. The Smithsonian has rejected those accusations.

Spokeswoman Julissa Marenco said the institution remains committed to “nonpartisan, independent scholarship,” while Hartig has argued that broadening historical narratives is not the same as replacing or erasing traditional American history.

For Ginn, however, the changes reflect what he believes is a deeper transformation inside the museum profession. “It is my opinion as a public historian that the mission we’ve always had is to educate the public and provide scholarly information,” he said.

“To me, that’s what the National Museum of American History should be.”

DBS WIRE SOURCES: