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Committee member accuses American History Museum of political activism
Summary
A House Administration Committee member accused the National Museum of American History of promoting a partisan view of U.S. history, pressed museum official Miss Hartwig about changes to the museum's mission and exhibits, and sparred briefly with historian Mister Blight about the historical role of Anthony Johnson.
A committee member on the House Administration Committee accused the National Museum of American History of presenting a politically driven version of American history during a hearing, pressing museum official Miss Hartwig and historian Mister Blight for explanations.
The committee member opened by questioning the panel’s purpose and tone, saying, "Are are we really doing this?" and adding, "I just become enraged," as he urged the museum to present "a balanced story of America" rather than what he called a "leftist progressive viewpoint." He said museum leaders should present balance and not act as activists.
The committee member directed several pointed questions at the panel. He asked Mister Blight, whom the transcript identifies by that name, who the first legally recognized owner of a slave in what is now the United States was; Mister Blight replied that he could not immediately provide a name but later noted that "Anthony Johnson is in a textbook I'm a co author on." The exchange was brief and included interruptions and rebuttals by the committee member.
The committee member then asked Miss Hartwig about the museum’s mission statement, saying his notes indicated the museum had removed "rigorous research" from its mission. Miss Hartwig responded that she and colleagues "came to the museum in 2019" and began "a new strategic plan," without directly admitting the phrasing used by the questioner. When pressed if she was engaged in political activism, Miss Hartwig said, "I can honestly say to the American people and to this August committee that I am not engaged in political activism." She also said she was not aware of an exhibit framed as condemning guns, noting the institution "holds the national armament collection and gun collection" and offered to give a tour.
Throughout the exchange the committee member returned repeatedly to the theme that museum leadership and some academic figures were using cultural institutions for political ends; he named a former college president who now leads the National Trust for Historic Preservation as an example of what he described as politicized leadership. He also said certain books were "not right for kids to have" while emphasizing that restricting age-inappropriate material should not be equated with burning books or suppressing free speech.
The hearing segment ended with the committee member saying some rebalancing was necessary and yielding back to the chairman. The transcript records no formal motions or votes on the matter during the segment.
The comments recorded in the transcript include direct disputation about how the museum presents history and an on-the-record denial from Miss Hartwig that she is engaged in political activism; the hearing transcript shows the exchange was largely rhetorical and did not produce a formal policy change during the segment described.
