The Founders Museum - White House
Erasmus said "it takes a nail to drive out another nail" - this is the White House's attempt to shape an alternate understanding of the past, adding to attacks on historians, scholarship, research and education.
Theft or civil disobedience? | News From The States
The War on History is not just books taken out of the Naval Academy library or exhibits out of Smithsonian, it is continuing across the county in many ways large and small.. https://ministrywatch.com/ky-church-supports-theft-of-library-books-as-civil-disobedience/
ACLS Statement Regarding the White House Review of Smithsonian Institution Museums
ACLS stands in firm opposition to the latest directive by the White House forcing Smithsonian Institution museums to subject their presentation of American history to government review.
#79 in Simon v. Ivey (N.D. Ala., 2:25-cv-00067) – CourtListener.com
Federal court refuses to block Alabama’s “divisive concepts” law, says university faculty classroom speech is government speech with no First Amendment protection
A Message to Students at Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas
This open letter from a Civil War historian to students at a high school in Texas shows the a confrontation between the record of the past and the desire of some to change other's understanding of the past despite that record
OAH | Statement on Executive Order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History”
The AHA's explanation of the Executive Order attacking the Smithsonian a grave disservice to future generations.
OAH | Statement on the White House Review of the Smithsonian
Letter to the Smithsonian: Internal Review of Smithsonian Exhibitions and Materials
The Honorable Lonnie G. Bunch III Secretary, Smithsonian Institution 1000 Jefferson Dr SW Washington, DC 20560 Subject: Internal Review of Smithsonian
Historians Respond to Federal Actions - AHA
AHA members are providing important historical context and insight to the public on the recent actions by the federal government.
Books sold at Charleston historical sites flagged for review
Teachers should get copies of this book for a lesson woth this article
H.R. 8931 | U.S. Department of the Interior
This is just one example of the many regarding the work to change long-held understandings of the past - a bill on Congress to change the word "Historic" to "Battlefield" in the official name of the park
National Council of History Educators - A Message of Support
Every professional history education organization should echo this message of support, many do - making the absence of voice in other organizations stand out in shame even more
Indiana public colleges cut almost 20% of degrees
Did My Father’s World Die with Him? Grieving the Incalculable Costs of “STEM.” - The Scholarly Kitchen
Academic Freedom Under Fire as States Advance Higher Ed Curriculum Laws | Insight Into Academia
In a wave of legislation reshaping the landscape of public higher education, Republican-led states like Texas, Ohio, and Florida are advancing efforts to exert greater political control over university curricula and campus governance.
In Defense of Academic Freedom - The Atlantic
Help Save the California Digitial Newspaper Collection
Historians and history teachers have had the experience of searching and stumbling across primary sources like digital newspaper collections. Executive Orders and the Harvard pushback gets most attention, but there are countless collections and primary source archives in danger of disappearing. The destruction of access to sources is an important part of the war on history
This State University Has a Plan to Take on Trump - The New York Times
418TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST LANDING AND THE RAISING OF THE CAPE HENRY CROSS – The White House
This commemorative Executive Order doesn't reference history education, yet references history with language laden with references Christian nationalism
Brown University cuts Choices Program after 35 years
One by one resources that teachers took for granted are disappearing
Letter sent to Harvard April 11 2025
This 5 page letter from the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services and the General Services Administration listing demands of Harvard University related to the withholding of federal funding.
The legal filing of the ensuing litigation can be found here https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69921962/president-and-fellows-of-harvard-college-v-us-department-of-health-and/
American Association of Colleges and Universities - Public Statement: A Call for Constructive Engagement (April 22)
College and University presidents have signed on to this statement speaking against unprecedented government overreach and political interference in public education and calling for constructive engagement
We Took on Book Bans in Our Small Conservative Community — and Won
The documentary Banned Together tells the story of three high school activists in South Carolina.
History Perception - 2022 Research showing Americans agree on how history should be taught
2022 Research that shows a “perception gap” on either side of the political spectrum, in that both sides agree on how to teach history more than is often assumed, but they also tend to think the other side is more extreme than they actually are.
In 2025 however, these misconceptions are driving devoted conservatives to using legal and financial resources of the federal government.
This research should be considered alongside the AHA's "America's Lesson Plan" report, a detailed study of the reality of what is taught in American classrooms. https://www.historians.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/American-Lesson-Plan-1.pdf
State of New Jersey's response to US Dept of Education's April 3 request for certification
New Jersey responds with letter that says the state continues to be in compliance with Title VI while noting the certification letter does not define "illegal DEI programs"
Freedom to Learn | American Historical Association
Copies of letter sent by the AHA to states as part of the Freedom to Learn Project
The AHA’s Freedom to Learn initiative educates historians and others on how to advocate publicly for honest history education, responds directly to the bills themselves, and creates resources.
“The Past is Never Dead”: U.S. Perspectives on History, Memory, and Current Challenges / Discussion - March 28
Almost two hours of panel conversation about attacks on history education as part of project of teachers and scholars exploring how Germany and the United States understand their past. Panelists include leaders of the AHA, Southern Poverty Law Center, Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice for the United States State Department, and Chief Program Officer for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.
This is part of the project “Building a Critical Memory: Transitioning from Denial to Collective Responsibility in Germany and the United States.”
Celebrate America! - National Endowment for the Humanities
What's left of funding for the NEH is being directed to what's being billed as a "Celebrate America!" program for the 250th
Harvard’s Decision to Resist Trump Is ‘of Momentous Significance’ (April 15)
First day's reporting of Havard's resistance to the Trump Administration. Take note of the background of the lawyer's representing the University, and see how the University changed it's website https://www.harvard.edu/
The Early Republic Tracker of removed facts and stories from public historical sites, museums, websites, and executive agencies (Journal of the Early Republic)
The Early Republic Tracker is dedicated to documenting instances where the federal government is removing facts and stories essential to the public’s understanding American history from public historical sites, museums, websites, and executive agencies.