Historians are acting to defend the Smithsonian Institution and its mission of providing historical research and education to United States citizens through research, publications, and museum exhibitions.

The American Historical Association (AHA), the flagship academic association of professional historians in the United States, has already taken actions to defend the Smithsonian Institution.

The AHA reports that “The American Historical Association has released a statement in support of the Smithsonian Institution, the target of the recent executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” This order ‘egregiously misrepresents the work of the Smithsonian Institution’ and ‘completely misconstrues the nature of historical work.'”

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has been particularly targeted by the Trump administration. However, the executive order clearly targets other Smithsonian museums that have historical exhibits, including the American History Museum, American Indian Museum, Asian Art Museum, National Museum of the American Latino (in development), and the American Women’s History Museum (in development).

The AHA statement argues that “The Executive Order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” issued on March 27 by the White House, egregiously misrepresents the work of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian is among the premier research institutions in the world, widely known for the integrity of its scholarship, which is careful and based on historical and scientific evidence. The Institution ardently pursues the purpose for which it was established more than 175 years ago: “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” The accusation in the White House fact sheet accompanying the executive order claims that Smithsonian museums are displaying “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology.” This is simply untrue; it misrepresents the work of those museums and the public’s engagement with their collections and exhibits. It also completely misconstrues the nature of historical work.”

The AHA website indicates that “AHA executive director Jim Grossman was quoted in the New York Times and appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition on the work of the Smithsonian and its importance to the public.”

For the full statement, see the American Historical Association website.