It is said that a nation tends to take on the personality of its leaders. We have seen that tendency in America over the years when national figures like Eisenhower, Kennedy, Reagan, Bush and Obama successfully captured the presidency. And now we have a new regime in the form of Donald Trump. Of all his history and all the “unprecedented” actions he has either caused or supported the present attack on the Smithsonian Institutions in Washington DC may be the most revealing. When James Smithson bequeathed his fortune to the United States his stated intention was that the fund provide for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge”. As such, Mr. Smithson must have seen some flavor of honesty, justice and objectivity in our fledgling country. He wrote his Last Will and Testament in 1826 when America was only 50 years old. Since he was a British citizen it is a strong possibility that Mr. Smithson admired the courage of a relatively small colony to rebel against what was then a formidable British Empire. We remember the saying “The sun never sets on the British Empire.” Fast forward to the current controversy surrounding the removal of exhibits from the Smithsonian. First, the details about the two Trump impeachment trials were taken down. It was considered offensive by Mr. Trump. Now we have the references to slavery under attack. Apparently, Mr. Trump finds anything negative about America offensive must be eliminated. Are all the “underground Railroad museums” in “red states” next for demolition? Are we a nation so full of itself that we refuse to admit mistakes of the past? Is this both a sign of arrogance and ethnicity cleansing? Recall the words of Mr. Smithson’s Will. The fund was to be used for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge”. How faithful are we being to the charter of that intention? Isn’t growing above and beyond our past failures a sign of maturity? If it is—then what signs are we spreading when we squelch those past sins? Is this the America we have become proud of or is this someone’s whitewashed world that cannot accept imperfections?
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