to the editor: The recent White House report claiming that the revered National Museum of American History engages in “extreme political activism” in depicting the nation's past is another example of attempted government censorship and revisionist history (“White House report calls Smithsonian leaders radical activists who cannot be trusted,” July 6).
Instead of celebrating how brave Americans overcame the injustices associated with slavery, the administration wants us to believe that the United States lived up to its ideals from the beginning of the constitutional republic. Smithsonian scholars, curators, and researchers do not seek to distort or misrepresent the American experiment; seek an honest and illuminating account of the struggles throughout history that required constitutional amendments, a devastating Civil War, and the consent of a citizenry committed to guaranteeing fundamental rights and freedoms.
Without a recognition of the legislative, judicial, presidential, and social measures taken to protect and preserve our democracy, we do a disservice to the work product of those who exposed our shortcomings and celebrated our hard-fought freedoms through measured, unique, factual, and historical displays. As we examine history, raw politics should not limit us from understanding what makes America so enviable to the world.
The pressure campaign against the Smithsonian must be rejected, especially as we celebrate America's 250th birthday.
Anthony Arnaud, Laguna Niguel
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to the editor: President Trump loves to revise, rebrand, and of course, change the name. I've had a vision: coming soon, let's all give a big round of applause for the grand reopening of what is now the National Museum of American Propaganda. If we're going to redact large portions of our sometimes confusing history, we'd better be honest about it.
John Knox, Costa Mesa
