From the renaming of Denali in Alaska to Mount McKinley, to reviving a program for 'patriotic education, over the past several months, President Donald Trump has issued numerous executive orders and public statements that seek to rework how America tells the story of itself.
The Smithsonian Institution has now become a new focus for the administration.
In a social media post, the president stated that the Smithsonian was "out of control" and where "everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was."
Thursday on the "Sound of Ideas," we'll talk with some area history experts about how their field has become a new target of the Trump administration.
How should museums display controversial works and educate the public about difficult times in American history? And will the rhetoric out of The White House have a chilling effect of area museums, especially if funding is threatened?
Guests:
- Kenneth Ledford, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Hiram C. Haydn Chair of History, Case Western Reserve University
- Woodrow "Woody" Keown Jr., President & Chief Operating Officer, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
- Charles Peterson, Ph.D., Professor of Africana Studies, Oberlin College
