Throughout my many years of taking history in elementary, middle, and high school, there is one lesson that has always stayed the same: This lesson naturally became more nuanced as my education progressed and I enrolled in higher level courses, but its core message has stayed the same, which is:
We learn about history so that we do not repeat it.
It seems that this lesson, which is taught to students at elementary levels, has not been retained by the Trump administration.
Since President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025, his administration has made several actions to dismantle American historical monuments: Independence Hall, the Kennedy Performing Arts Center, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and more.
I find these actions unacceptable.
History must be preserved to learn from our past mistakes, and neglecting to share American history with the public is a great educational disservice to American citizens.
In January 2026, nine panels each detailing the lives of George Washington’s slaves were removed from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, according to Wider Horizons for You and Yours (WHYY), a Philadelphia media outlet affiliated with NPR and PBS. In doing so, the Trump administration did not say if, or what, the exhibit would be replaced with, according to NPR.
Trump addressed this removal by saying, “We want the museums to talk about the history of our country in a fair manner, not in a woke manner or in a racist – not all of them, but many of them – are doing,” according to NPR.
Slavery, the most horrific racist event in the history of our country being recognized at an important historical location is not “woke.” It is an educational necessity. Trump also claims that his administration does not aim to be racist, however taking down exhibits that memorialize slaves and not making an immediate effort to restore them is racist in itself.
Similar actions have been taken at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The White House issued a letter to the Smithsonian saying that it should focus on making visitors justifiably proud of the United States’s accomplishments and record, implying that the institute could jeopardize approximately $ 1 billion in funding if it fails to comply, according to The Wall Street Journal. The White House specifically took issue with an exhibit on Benjamin Franklin that mentioned the enslaved people he had owned.
This letter insinuated that Americans need to ignore our country’s past faults in order to be proud of its history. But to be proud should not mean to be ignorant. Patriotism and pride should include recognizing our past faults and learning from them. We should be proud of the Americans who improved our country and made it a better place.
This sense of pride cannot come from turning a blind eye to any struggles throughout our history, including the more troubling and heavier issues.
Along with problems with museums, the Trump administration has also found issues with the Kennedy Performing Arts Center, which is considered a living historical memorial to former President John F. Kennedy. The administration took control over the center just at the beginning of Trump’s second term and declared an end to its “woke” programming, specifically a drag show at the center that Trump claimed was targeting youth, according to People magazine.
These actions have real consequences that affect some American citizens’ everyday lives.
Overall, ticket sales for events at the center have been dropping, with one week this year recording a stark 70 percent decrease, according to The Wall Street Journal. Additionally, the Kennedy Center will be closing for two years for renovations which will cost approximately $ 300 million in tax payer funds and is expected to result in some employee layoffs, according to an overview on these changes done by The Wall Street Journal.
These measures will objectively affect Kennedy Center employees by putting their jobs at risk, and American citizens by using their tax payer dollars. It is not worth it to put American citizens’ finances at risk just to get rid of “woke” entertainment that visitors have complete freedom to choose whether or not they want to see.
Kennedy is not the only former president whose memorials have been altered by Trump. Trump has reestablished the West Wing Walkway at the White House as his Presidential Walk of Fame. Throughout this walkway, he has added several partisan and subjective plaques to past president’s displays, according to ABC News. In these plaques, he called former President Joe Biden “the worst president in the history of America,” former President Barack Obama a “divisive political figure,” and criticized former President George W. Bush for beginning wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to ABC News.
The White House has traditionally been a place of great historical significance and honor for all past presidents, regardless of their political standing. Evident in the Presidential Walk of Fame, Trump has swiftly ignored this White House standard and has demanded that his own, biased, view of history should dominate.
With the 250th anniversary of our country coming up, we are reminded of the foundations of our country and its history. It is important that these roots are not forgotten, whether they serve as moments of celebration or memorial. Pretending that bad things did not happen in our country will not make them cease to exist.
