Trump just signed an executive order to “restore truth and sanity to American history.” Since taking office, he’s signed over 100 executive orders, some more controversial than others. Recently, he signed an order on American elections that faced heavy criticism.
This latest one, signed on March 27, focuses on “restoring Federal parks, monuments, memorials, statues, and markers” and ensuring The Smithsonian “celebrates American history” and “greatness.”
The new order aims to restore historical monuments
The order tells Vice President JD Vance, a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, to remove “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology” from the Smithsonian.
The Smithsonian isn’t just one museum; it’s a network of museums, research centers, and even the National Zoo.
Federal parks, statues, and memorials will be restored
This isn’t just about museums. The order also directs the administration to work with Congress.
The goal is to ensure future Smithsonian funding doesn’t go to exhibits or programs that “degrade shared American values,” “divide Americans by race,” or promote ideas that clash with federal law.
It also says the American Women’s History Museum will honor women’s achievements but won’t recognize men as women.
The order affects more than museums
The order doesn’t stop at museums. It also directs the Secretary of the Interior to restore any Federal parks, monuments, memorials, statues, or markers removed or changed in the last five years. The claim is that these changes distorted history or minimized certain figures or events.
This directive means that statues of Confederate generals like Robert E. Lee and Albert Pike — removed nationwide after the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 — could be reinstated.
Many of these monuments were taken down due to their ties to slavery, racism, and the Confederacy’s role in the Civil War.
The Smithsonian is being targeted for a reason
Why go after the Smithsonian? The order says the previous administration pushed a “divisive ideology” that changed how America’s liberty was viewed.
It claims this ideology infected institutions like the Smithsonian and national parks with false narratives about American history.
The Smithsonian is accused of promoting divisive ideology
Once respected as a symbol of American excellence, the Smithsonian is now accused of promoting ideas that portray American and Western values as harmful.
The executive order cites several examples of what it calls “divisive ideology” in exhibits. One at the American Art Museum allegedly links sculpture to “scientific racism,” while another at the American Women’s History Museum plans to celebrate male athletes in women’s sports.
It also specifically calls out the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for allegedly suggesting that “hard work,” “individualism,” and “the nuclear family” are aspects of “White culture.”
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However, this claim originates from an online infographic the museum posted in 2020, which was quickly removed — not from an actual exhibit.
Trump wants to celebrate ‘American greatness’
Trump is pushing this order to “celebrate American greatness” and build “a sense of national pride.”
He believes it’s necessary to ensure history is celebrated “accurately, fairly, and with pride,” honoring the “remarkable progress, liberty, and ingenuity” that define the nation.
Critics say the order whitewashes history
Trump’s critics argue that the order attempts to rewrite history by prioritizing a sanitized, one-sided version of events.
Historians and civil rights advocates have expressed concerns that reinstating Confederate statues is a step backward, erasing the struggles and injustices tied to these figures.
“Attacking the idea that telling the whole story of the United States is an ideological plot to cast the United States in a negative light testifies to a stunningly brittle insecurity about our nation and its past,” Georgetown University history professor Chandra Manning told The Washington Post.
The order fits with Trump’s other executive actions
Since taking office, Trump has signed over 100 executive orders. Some, like the one on American elections, have faced backlash.
He also pushed to rename the Gulf of Mexico, eliminate the Department of Education, and made moves expected to impact medical patients.
Trump’s critics are already reacting, especially over his claim to have brought back free speech. The debate over this executive order is just beginning.
