[Image source: The Washington Post ]Over the last twelve months, the Trump Administration demonstrated its desire to exert strict editorial control over the museum displays and related work of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846 as the result of a willed charitable bequest to the United States, creating it as a trust instrumentality. The second letter , sent about nine months after the first, chastised the Smithsonian Institution for its insufficient compliance with the requests laid out in the March letter. In the 150+ years since the Smithsonian Institution was founded, there have been a few other external reviews of Smithsonian content. The American Historical Association, for example, argued that to remove unflattering aspects of American history would undercut one of the most critical functions of historical education and engagement.

Source: New York Times April 09, 2026 16:08 UTC