Mike Carey Grills Smithsonian Chief Over 2024 Mission Change as 250th Anniversary Nears
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 25
Mike Carey Grills Smithsonian Chief Over 2024 Mission Change as 250th Anniversary Nears
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 25
Summary
At a House hearing this week, Rep. Mike Carey pressed National Museum of American History director Anthea Hartig over why the museum removed the phrase “American history” from its mission statement.
Carey centered on Hartig’s 2024 remark that the change was meant to help people get out of an “America First mentality,” asking what she meant and why “American history” should be erased.
Hartig defended the museum’s approach, saying it does not take sides in political debates and that reframing history means adding omitted voices and evidence, not erasing the traditional narrative.
Republicans have turned the dispute into a broader fight over national identity, citing the Trump administration’s “Saving America’s Story” report as the country approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.