(B) Culture, Character and Ideology

By William A. Galston July 28, 2026 – the White House Domestic Policy Council this July 4 issued a 162-page report accusing the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and its director, Anthea Hartig, of adopting an ideological framework that treats the American story as a “political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens.”……A lesson from the administration’s assault on higher education is that…it exposed the weakness of many elite universities when confronted with antisemitism and disruptive protests and prompted some of them to change their policies. …Ms. Hartig, …has infused the National Museum of American History with a new sense of mission. … “history. . . is for me a prime tool of social justice.” … The museum in 2021 adopted an “Interpretive Plan” to guide its work. “Whatever the topic,” … “we ask questions that speak to the core issues of our time.” … “race and identity,” “gender and sexuality,” “environmental change,” “immigration and migrations” and “economic inequality.” Read More