By The Editorial Board
As students, our introduction to U.S. history came from sitting crisscross applesauce while flicking through the pages of a new “Who Was…?” history picture book. From that introduction to book reports on heavier issues before graduation, history was a critical part of our education. Unfortunately, the tone surrounding history is changing as hot-button issues impact the next generation.
In the last decade, at least 20 states have passed laws or policies to restrict how history is taught in schools. Unbiased, balanced, neutral history education is waning in private and public schools, only worsened by the rise of technology and heated discussions around political policy.
From elementary school to master’s level college courses, history departments in the U.S. are not trying to indoctrinate; they are trying to educate. And, yes, not all that history shines a golden light on America. But by neglecting to teach and remember the country’s whole history, we are doing something more dangerous: rewriting it.
In March, President Donald Trump passed the executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” In the order, Trump referenced several museums and monuments that had “advanced corrosive ideology.” When talking about the Smithsonian Institution, the order read “in recent years, [it has] come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology,” further stating that it “promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
The Trump administration sent a letter to the Smithsonian five months later calling for a “comprehensive review” of eight of its museums to “ensure alignment with the President’s directive.” In a Truth Social post the following week, Trump doubled down on his review.
“The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been … This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE,” Trump wrote on the platform. “We have the ‘HOTTEST’ Country in the World, and we want people to talk about it, including our Museums.”
In the months following the orders aimed at museums, artifacts have rotated out of the African American History Museum and the Pentagon removed then restored a webpage on Jackie Robinson’s military career, neither of which were confirmed to have any connection to Trump’s orders. In September, however, the administration ordered several National Park Services to take down materials related to slavery and tribes.
History is not “woke,” and the nation is treading a dangerous path by continuing to limit the reach of history. Students need to learn about slavery, the Civil War, racism and “divisive” concepts as well as the good parts.
Woke might whisper, but indoctrination shouts. North Korean history classes are devoted to learning about the Korean revolutions against Japanese and Western forces, and the only biographies children read are those of the Kim family dictatorship. In Iran, research has shown that the Islamic Revolution is taught as a “model” and “ideal world” in textbooks, effectively radicalizing an entire generation.
We are fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue balanced and accessible education, but when we start censoring national history in the same way our declared global enemies do, are we truly a trailblazer?
In July, the White House announced plans for a 90,000 square foot ballroom to be built near the East Wing. When the plans were announced President Trump claimed construction would not touch the existing structure. The East Wing was constructed in 1902 during President Theodore Roosevelt’s first term, and underwent significant renovations 40 years later. For decades tourists would enter through the East Wing, which is home to an office for the first lady and a movie theater.
Earlier this week photos of the East Wing being demolished were posted online, contradicting the president’s earlier claim. There have been numerous renovations and additions to the White House over the years, but aside from the time the British burnt it to the ground in 1814, an existing structure had not been demolished. By destroying an entire wing, the Trump administration is actively erasing a part of American history.
The opportunity to attend renowned academic universities in America is a privilege, but the removal of unbiased K-12 history education is a tragedy. The people who change the world are those who know and learn from history. If we continue with this standard, we risk reliving and rewriting it.
