Critics see Trump attacks on the ‘Black Smithsonian’ as an effort to sanitize racism in US history – Associated Press (AP) – March 28, 2025

Politics

Critics see Trump attacks on the ‘Black Smithsonian’ as an effort
to sanitize racism in US history

By BILL BARROW, Updated 9:01 PM PDT, March 28, 2025

ATLANTA (AP) — President Donald Trump’s order accusing the Smithsonian Institution of not reflecting American history notes correctly that the country’s Founding Fathers declared that “all men are created equal.”

But it doesn’t mention that the founders enshrined slavery into the U.S. Constitution and declared enslaved persons as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of the Census.Civil rights advocates, historians and Black political leaders sharply rebuked Trump on Friday for his order, entitled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”

They argued that his executive order targeting the Smithsonian Institution is his administration’s latest move to downplay how race, racism and Black Americans themselves have shaped the nation’s story.

Read more: Critics see Trump attacks on the ‘Black Smithsonian’ as an effort to sanitize racism in US history – Associated Press (AP) – March 28, 2025Source Links: Historians rip Trump attacks on the ‘Black Smithsonian’ | AP News