New York Times columnist Thomas Byrne Edsall recently described President Trump’s “mind-boggling intrusiveness ” Unlike any other 21st century president, Trump has inserted himself into every nook and cranny of American life.
His executive orders rewrite the Constitution so that presidents make laws, not Congress. His tariffs reshape the international economic order. His intrusions into university affairs disrupt scientific research. And his control of the Kennedy Center elevates artists who conform to his vision of America.
One of Trump’s most dangerous actions is his control of the Smithsonian Institution.
On Aug. 12, Trump aides sent an ominous letter to the Smithsonian’s secretary, demanding the “restoring of truth and sanity to American history.” A week later, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the Smithsonian is “OUT OF CONTROL.”
On Aug. 21, the White House issued a statement titled “President Trump Is Right about the Smithsonian.” It identified seven museums whose exhibits were deemed to be offensive. These included the history of the gay and transgender movement, a portrait of Dr. Anthony Fauci, an exhibit on voting rights and the depiction of slavery as “bad.”
PBS filmmaker Ken Burns calls Trump’s removal of these exhibits “terrifying.”
What makes Trump’s moves so dangerous is his opportunity to rewrite his version of U.S. history on a blank slate.
Consider: In 2024, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni surveyed some 3,000 college and university students on their knowledge of American history and government.
Less than one-third understood that Congress has the power to declare war. Only one-quarter knew that the 13th Amendment freed the slaves. Only 23 percent could identify the Gettysburg Address phrase, “of, by, and for the people” and 63 percent could not name the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
The general public doesn’t fare much better. A 2023 U.S. Chamber of Commerce study found that 1 in 3 Americans did not know there were three branches of the federal government. More than 70 percent failed to pass a basic civic literacy quiz.
The lack of civic education is a serious problem.
A 2023 Rand study found that only three hours per week were set aside for Social Studies from kindergarten through grade five. An earlier report from the Council of Chief State School Officers finds that Social Studies consumes just 10.6 percent of instructional time in the elementary grades.
Congress can do something. Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) have introduced the Civics Secures Democracy Act, which would allocate $1 billion annually to support teaching civics in public schools.
As political scientist Matthew Kerbel writes, it would “prepare educators to teach civics, assess the effectiveness of elementary and secondary school civics programs, and reward outstanding civics teachers from underrepresented communities.”
Should Congress fail to act, the consequences would be devastating. As Daniel Bessner writes, “If there are no historians to reflect meaningfully and accurately on the past, then ignorance and hatred are sure to triumph.”
The former Soviet Union is a prime example.
In 1989, I was part of a delegation of Catholic University faculty paying a good will visit to Lithuania. The country had been occupied by the Soviet Union at that point since 1940.
During that long period of occupation, schoolchildren were indoctrinated in Soviet history and the virtues of communism. Candid discussions were guarded and often monitored as people censored themselves.
But when I arrived, a revolt against Moscow’s grip was underway. Some churches were reopened and filled to capacity. Writers and intellectuals were leading an independence movement with widespread popular support.
Two years later, Lithuania regained its independence and joined the United Nations as a free, sovereign nation.
During years of communist oppression, Lithuanians were determined to reclaim and celebrate their past. Meeting with university professors and young students, I quickly discovered their thirst for understanding their country’s story.
Statues of Lithuanian heroes were bedecked with flowers while monuments to communist idols lay bare. Notably, the art museums were crammed with visitors because that was one of the few places where those who suffered under Soviet domination could find the story of their country.
We need to have that same thirst for history.
We are approaching the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which Walter Isaacson writes contains “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written”:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
As we near this historic milestone, we cannot allow Trump to rewrite our history. We must reclaim and embrace it. That begins with robust civic education programs.
Knowing the bad and good of our country’s past, and our unending quest to fulfill the promises contained in the Declaration of Independence, however imperfect, honors our nation’s founders.
If we fail to meet our civic obligations, our country will be lost. And the few remaining who seek to reclaim our history will be, like the Lithuanians under Soviet domination, on an unending mission.
When you lose your history, you lose your country.
John Kenneth White is a professor emeritus at the Catholic University of America. His latest book is titled “Grand Old Unraveling: The Republican Party, Donald Trump, and the Rise of Authoritarianism.“
