Museums: Why We Must Defend Honest History

Why We Must Defend Honest History

History is a complex tapestry of the ugly and the wonderful. It's often uncomfortable, difficult to reconcile, and yet, at its core, it is profoundly amazing. The most important thing we can do, in my opinion, is to continue telling history in an honest and truthful way.

Museums aren't meant to be Hollywood movies. They shouldn't embellish or dramatize stories just to make their exhibits more interesting. While some may find museums "boring," for history enthusiasts like me, they are some of the most exciting places on earth.

A quick look at the Smithsonian's website shows that it's "the world's largest museum, education, and research complex." The Smithsonian dates back to British scientist James Smithson, who left his estate to the United States to found "an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." This vision, brought to life by James K. Polk, has grown to include 21 museums, the National Zoo, and nine research facilities.

And it's not just the Smithsonian. Across the country, thousands of institutions are dedicated to this same mission. Pennsylvania alone boasts over 1,000 museums, with The Franklin Institute—founded in honor of Benjamin Franklin—being the most visited. Of these, 36 hold accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), "the highest national recognition afforded to museums." This accreditation, held by only the top 3% of museums nationwide, signifies a commitment to excellence in areas like collections stewardship, education, and public trust.

Given their vital role, it’s deeply concerning that museums in Washington D.C. and across the country have recently been targeted by the current administration for a sweeping review of their programming. This political scrutiny is a direct challenge to the core standards AAM lists on its website: public trust and accountability, mission, collections stewardship, and intellectual integrity.

A 2020 survey by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) found that a stunning 81% of Americans considered history museums and historic sites to be trustworthy. This placed them on par with general museums and well ahead of history textbooks (74%), high school teachers (65%), and the Internet (64%).

I have to wonder: if that same survey were conducted today, what would the results be? Do a majority of Americans now agree with the administration's apparent distrust of our museums? If so, why? Just five years ago, an overwhelming majority had complete faith in our institutions. What changed?







https://www.si.edu/

https://statemuseumpa.org/smaccreditation/

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115056914674717313

https://www.aam-us.org/programs/ethics-standards-and-professional-practices/core-standards-for-museums/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reintroducing Jeremiah Miley Spahr, Sr

Image
Reintroducing Jeremiah Miley Spahr, Sr. For years, I've been searching for a photograph of Jeremiah and haven't been able to find one until today!  Looking through a drawer full of pictures, I found a photograph of Jeremiah amongst pictures of his daughter, Amanda.  Jeremiah Miley Spahr Sr 19 Jul 1840 – 26 Nov 1926 3rd great-grandfather Jeremiah Miley Spahr was born on July 19, 1840, in Warrington Township . Jeremiah Miley Spahr joined the military on September 19, 1861, in York, Pennsylvania, when he was 21 years old. Unfortunately, after the Third Battle of Winchester, Jeremiah's story takes a dark turn. https://a.co/d/40ArEsU https://yorkblog.com/cannonball/a-murder-in-warrington-townshi/ ARREST ON THE CHARGE OF MURDER. On Friday last, Jeremiah Spahr, Henry Spahr, Levi Reirer, Lewis Spaht, and Lewis Rester, of Warrington Township, York County, were arrested and brought to this Borough, charghed with killing a certain colored man whose name is unknown, but who came into t...
Read more

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 30

Image
  Week 30: The theme for Week 30 is “Religious Traditions.” Have you explored religious records for any of your ancestors? Do you have an ancestor who was active in his/her place of worship? I am the only practicing Catholic in my family. My mom comes from a long line of Protestants and United Methodists. When she married my father they agreed that their children would be baptized into the Catholic Church.  Despite that agreement, we didn’t attend Catholic Mass while I was growing up. Instead, we found ourselves in various Methodist congregations throughout the years. It wasn’t until I turned 20 that I made the personal decision to be Confirmed in the Catholic Church—a step that marked the beginning of my own faith journey. Anthony / Antoni Achenbach  Born: 15 September 1749 Dorf Eisen Eisendorf, Schleswig Holstein, Allemagne, Germany Died: 09 March 1813 Mannheim Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania 5th great-granduncle   Anthony Achenbach, my 5th great-grandunc...
Read more

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 6

Image
  Week 6: The theme for Week 6 is “Surprise.” What ancestor dealt with a surprising thing in their life? Any stories of surprise birthday parties? How about the most surprising thing you’ve found or something in a surprising place? I am the creator of the Facebook group, Preserving the History of Newberrytown. My family has ties to Newberrytown dating back to the 1700s, which was way before it was even called Newberrytown. My grandparents knew everyone. My parents knew everyone. I grew up knowing everyone. The joke was always, "Be careful who you date because you might be related!". A few years ago I attended a presentation at the Red Land Community Library. Scott Mingus, renowned Civil War author, was giving a talk on murder mysteries, based on his book Marauders & Murderers: Civil War Mysteries of York County, Pa.  Scott started recounting the story of  Jeremiah Miley Spahr , a soldier from Company H of the 87th Pennsylvania who had walked back to his home following...
Read more