House Subcommittee Examines Museum Exhibits on Founding Principles

Anthea M. Hartig, director of the National Museum of American History, testified July 21 before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency that a recent White House report did not fairly characterize the museum's work. The White House Domestic Policy Council released the report on July 4.

It stated that the museum has refused to celebrate the nation and its history and has not created exhibits presenting a general narrative of American history or the stories of Founding Fathers, the Second Continental Congress, the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolutionary War, or the establishment of constitutional rule of law.

Hartig said the institution does not take sides in America's political debates. She added that reframing a traditional narrative means adding evidence and voices that earlier tellings left out so more Americans can see themselves reflected in the national story.

The museum opened an exhibit in May titled In Pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness that displays 250 objects, including Thomas Jefferson's desk used to draft the Declaration of Independence, a Revolutionary War-era gunboat, and the Star Spangled Banner. Rep. , said the museum's current telling presents history as an ongoing power struggle between oppressors and the oppressed.

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, said references to the Declaration of Independence were hard to find during a recent visit. Hartig, the first woman to serve as director of the museum, responded to a question about why she should continue in her job by saying overseeing the museum is the honor of her career.