In a world where facts seem to be picked and pieced together to fit narratives, President Trump’s recent plan to review the Smithsonian’s museum exhibits is like a breath of fresh air. A focus on celebrating American exceptionalism and removing divisive narratives is in order. It’s about time museums address history accurately and not paint our great nation with a brush dipped in perpetual guilt. After all, historical education should elevate collective confidence in our cultural institutions, not erode it with skewed perspectives.
It seems some folks on panels, like those on CNN, would rather gasp in dramatic horror at such a notion. It’s astonishing how widespread ignorance has led to a culture of selective outrage. The truth, painstaking as it might be for some to accept, is that slavery, while an inexcusable blight, was a universal institution spanning continents and centuries. This reality might be too much for some to handle, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
One would think that anyone with a minimal grasp of world history would understand that slavery wasn’t conjured up by Americans out of thin air. It was an institution practiced by many cultures, often more brutally and for much longer than it was in the United States. Yet modern discourse seems to revel in portraying only white Americans as the architects of this aged institution. This conveniently fuels the narrative of white guilt, an instrument brandished far too often without consideration for historical context or completeness.
The fact is, America had abolished slavery by the mid-1800s, long before many other regions even thought to do so. Yet, today’s narrative frequently presents America’s experience with slavery as uniquely heinous while ignoring the brutal methods and the prolonged acceptance of slavery elsewhere.
As frustrating as it may be, it’s clear that the narrative of unique American guilt persists because it provides a convenient storyline for those who wish to exploit it. Meanwhile, the genuine historical narrative, with all its complexities and blemishes, remains out of reach for those who refuse to look beyond the surface. So, while certain media panels and educational institutions continue to castigate America, it is crucial to pursue a more balanced truth. A truth that doesn’t shy away from acknowledging wrongs but also doesn’t inflate them for the sake of ideological convenience.
