War on History Education

War on History Education

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Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restores Truth and Sanity to American History - March 27
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restores Truth and Sanity to American History - March 27

Although this is not even named an Executive Order, This White House order outlines an ideological makeover of the Smithsonian and directs the Secretary of the Interior to restore monuments and modify the presentation of Independence Hall in furtherance of ideological aims.

David Blight described this as "The order is nothing less than a declaration of political war on the historians’ profession, our training and integrity, as well as on the freedom — in the form of curious minds — of anyone who seeks to understand our country by visiting museums or historic sites."

claims that the United States has “used race to establish and maintain systems of power, privilege, and disenfranchisement.”
eliminate improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology from the Smithsonian and its museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.
Secretary of the Interior restore Federal parks, monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties that have been improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events
National Garden of American Heroes.
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restores Truth and Sanity to American History - March 27
Disciplinary Teacher Organizations Urge Federal Coordination of Public Education
Disciplinary Teacher Organizations Urge Federal Coordination of Public Education
Although this joint statement of the NCTA, the NCSS, NCTM, and NSTA notes "concerns" about recent efforts to dismantle public education , it does not include the words "Department of Education"
We are profoundly concerned by recent federal efforts to dismantle public education, which has long been a cornerstone of American society, a pillar of democracy, and a primary vehicle for opportunity.
State and local education institutions cannot independently compete with global education systems—this is precisely why federal coordination and support through the US Department of Education remains vital.
Disciplinary Teacher Organizations Urge Federal Coordination of Public Education
March 21st Statement from the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association Strongly Opposing the Abolishment of the U.S. Department of Education March 20, 2025
March 21st Statement from the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association Strongly Opposing the Abolishment of the U.S. Department of Education March 20, 2025
The NJPSA urges Congress to reject any efforts to destroy the DOE
Abolishing the USDOE will create instability, widen disparities, narrow access to the research that supports best practices in education, and undermine the progress that has been made in advancing public education over several decades.
March 21st Statement from the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association Strongly Opposing the Abolishment of the U.S. Department of Education March 20, 2025
A Statement by Teachers College, Columbia University Faculty - March 19th
A Statement by Teachers College, Columbia University Faculty - March 19th
In a strong statement of support for education and academic freedom, the faculty of Teachers College provides social studies teachers and public school administrators with effective language to engage others in their schools and community in defending education
We see the attack on Columbia as part of a larger offensive by the Trump administration and the Republican party against education at all levels. An attack on academic freedom and the First Amendment is taking place on multiple fronts, all of which impact the basic human activity of learning in all of its forms and meanings.
The intention of the Trump administration is clear. By gutting important systems of education, they can shape our thoughts and words, creating a new generation without the skills required to actively participate in our democracy and push back against oppression.
We recognize that Columbia, like many institutions, has much ongoing work to do to ensure campus is a place that can foster and support everyone’s learning, by actively addressing antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of discrimination and hatred. Yet the disproportionate response to anti-war protest on our campus must be acknowledged. We take note of the “Palestine exception,” which blocks discourse by treating Palestine and Palestinians as topics beyond First Amendment and academic freedom protections. Such a pattern has barred necessary speech and difficult dialogues on our campuses, causing division and fear amongst students, staff, and faculty members.
As experts on teaching and learning, we know that the most profound moments of learning are usually uncomfortable, as they may lead people to question taken-for-granted assumptions about themselves and the society they inhabit.
The goal of good teaching is not to eliminate that discomfort, but to give it a productive use.
We call on university leaders, on our campus and beyond, to use all of the tools at their disposal, including collective efforts across the sector and litigation, to stand for academic freedom, and for First Amendment rights of free speech, inquiry, and debate, and thus to stand for our democracy.
A Statement by Teachers College, Columbia University Faculty - March 19th
Researchers advised not to respond to US questionnaire - Leiden University - March 19
Researchers advised not to respond to US questionnaire - Leiden University - March 19

The administration of Leiden University in the Netherlands is advising researchers and organizations to not respond to letters of inquiry they've received from the United States Geological Survey and other American funders.

UNL president, Caspar van den Berg, says the questionnaire is emblematic of ‘the worsening climate’ for free science in the US. ‘This is also affecting Dutch universities and researchers, which makes it crucial to stand together for free science.’

UNL president, Caspar van den Berg, says the questionnaire is emblematic of ‘the worsening climate’ for free science in the US. ‘This is also affecting Dutch universities and researchers, which makes it crucial to stand together for free science.’
Researchers advised not to respond to US questionnaire - Leiden University - March 19
Oklahoma Education Social Studies
Oklahoma Education Social Studies
This is Oklahoma's Department of Education site, which centerpieces PragerU Kids videos, joining Arizona, Florida and Texas in promoting an ideologically based interpretation of US History
Oklahoma Education Social Studies
Proposed Oklahoma social studies standards suggest ‘discrepancies’ in 2020 election • Oklahoma Voice
Proposed Oklahoma social studies standards suggest ‘discrepancies’ in 2020 election • Oklahoma Voice
The most important element of this story as of the morning of March 16th, is the Social Studies Standards are not public for review.
The agency didn’t share the new version on its website for public view as it has with past standards updates, and state Superintendent Ryan Walters declined to speak with reporters afterward.
Proposed Oklahoma social studies standards suggest ‘discrepancies’ in 2020 election • Oklahoma Voice
National Council for Social Studies - Statement on "Executive Order Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling"
National Council for Social Studies - Statement on "Executive Order Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling"
The NCSS states that "The teaching of U.S. history should invite discussion, encourage inquiry, and reflect the diverse people, places, and events that shape our shared human experience. "
Concerns about what is being taught in social studies classrooms have also grown, often driven by misinformation.
social studies instruction is rooted in helping students think critically about history, government, and society—not in advancing any specific ideology.
The teaching of U.S. history should invite discussion, encourage inquiry, and reflect the diverse people, places, and events that shape our shared human experience.
National Council for Social Studies - Statement on "Executive Order Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling"
U.S. Dept. of Education "Dear Colleague" Letter | Rutgers University
U.S. Dept. of Education "Dear Colleague" Letter | Rutgers University
The President of Rutgers tells the University community that Rutgers considers diversity necessary to foster cultural competencies
Rutgers considers diversity to be necessary to foster the cultural competencies, resilience, and openness to dialogue that promote the intellectual growth and intergroup understanding that are essential for success in the classroom, the university community, and society at large.
U.S. Dept. of Education "Dear Colleague" Letter | Rutgers University
Civil War Battlefields Are Under Threat. Where is the American Battlefield Trust? March 11
Civil War Battlefields Are Under Threat. Where is the American Battlefield Trust? March 11
This essay calls on the ABT to make a public statement regarding the gutting of the National Park Service.
If you agree with this assessment than you have to wonder why the American Battlefield Trust (ABT) has yet to issue a public statement adding their voice to the growing chorus of concern surrounding the future of our National Park Service sites, especially our Civil War battlefields.
I understand that the ABT may not want to upset its Republican donors or board members that support President Trump, but this is an issue that can and should bring us all together. Every member of the ABT, who cares about the preservation of our most important historic sites, should be able to support a clear statement highlighting the important work that the National Park Service does to protect our most important and cherished Civil War sites. If not now, when? How bad does it have to get before the ABT speaks out?
Civil War Battlefields Are Under Threat. Where is the American Battlefield Trust? March 11
Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy - March 14th
Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy - March 14th

Closing libraries by cutting the Institute of Museum and Library Service and the Wilson International center for Scholars is a direct attack on history and education. Notice the phrase in the first section, these programs are being eliminated because the "President has determined are unnecessary"

This map will shows the libraries affected by this action https://www.imls.gov/map

the Institute of Museum and Library Services;
This order continues the reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary.
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution
Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy - March 14th
Mahmoud Khalil and the Repression That Was, Is, and Will Be
Mahmoud Khalil and the Repression That Was, Is, and Will Be
This essay is a longer read than most of what is collected here, but well worth it. Learn of the details of Khalil's arrest, the use of the McCarren Act and the historical context of government repression.
Days after Khalil’s arrest, administrators at Columbia University warned an assembled group of students and faculty from the university’s journalism school that students who are not U.S. residents should avoid publishing pieces on Gaza, Ukraine, and protests related to Khalil’s arrest. Stuart Karle, a First Amendment lawyer and adjunct professor told those present, “If you have a social media page, make sure it is not filled with commentary on the Middle East.”
Jelani Cobb, the dean of Columbia’s school of journalism,
Nobody can protect you. These are dangerous times.”
Green Card holder and permanent resident, Khalil
An alien whose presence or activities in the United States the Secretary of State has reasonable ground to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States is deportable.”
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
McCarran-Walter Act, became law in 1952.
President Trump’s sister when she was a federal district-court judge, in 1996.”
alestinian activist and University of Chicago professor Eman Abdelhadi
“It is clear this administration is testing what we are willing to tolerate, what we are willing to sit through. If Mahmoud Khalil has no rights, none of us do.”
General A. Mitchell Palmer and J. Edgar Hoover
Secretary of Labor Louis F. Post.
The repressive tendencies of U.S. history are being weaponized by right-wing fanatics in an era of automated repression, when many people’s lives and politics are well catalogued on the internet. With a president who the Supreme Court has placed above the law and a cabinet that Elon Musk has characterized as “revolutionary,” it appears that all bets are off in the pursuit of Trump’s agenda, and of those he perceives as his enemies.
This is the strongest section of the piece
Habitat for Humanity
Citibank r
Any association with a cause the administration disapproves of may be twisted into a violation of the law, or a threat to the safety and security of the United States. We must treat each of these efforts as an attack on all of our communities, and as an attempt to silence every voice of dissent, because those are the actual stakes.
We are faced with an all-out assault on our very ability to speak out, protest, and otherwise pursue justice in the United States.
Mahmoud Khalil and the Repression That Was, Is, and Will Be
Organization of American Historians & American Historical Association Issues Statement Condemning Federal Censorship of American History
Organization of American Historians & American Historical Association Issues Statement Condemning Federal Censorship of American History
Endorsed also by the National Council of Social Studies, these organization are condemning the federal government's "systemic campaign to distort, manipulate, and erase significant parts of the historical record."
National Council for the Social Studies
The American Historical Association (AHA) and the Organization of American Historians (OAH) condemn recent efforts to censor historical content on federal government websites, at many public museums, and across a wide swath of government resources that include essential data.
Words matter. Precision matters. Context matters. Expertise matters. Democracy matters. We can neither deny what happened nor invent things that did not happen. Recent executive orders and other federal directives alter the public record in ways that are contrary to historical evidence. They result in deceitful narratives of the past that violate the professional standards of our discipline. When government entities, or scholars themselves, censor the use of particular words, they in effect censor historical evidence. Censorship and distortion erase people and institutions from history.
Organization of American Historians & American Historical Association Issues Statement Condemning Federal Censorship of American History
OAH | Records at Risk Data Collection Initiative
OAH | Records at Risk Data Collection Initiative
The attacks on history education extend beyond school to the destruction of historical evidence itself. The Organization of American Historians has launched the Records at Risk Data Collection Initiative to track ongoing changes to the accessibility of historical sources and how history is presented to the public.
OAH | Records at Risk Data Collection Initiative
U.S. Department of Education Initiates Reduction in Force
U.S. Department of Education Initiates Reduction in Force
March 11th press release announcing a reduction in force (RIF) impacting nearly 50% of the Department’s workforce.
This is a significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system.”
When President Trump was inaugurated, the Department’s workforce stood at 4,133 workers. After today’s actions, the Department’s workforce will total roughly 2,183 workers.
U.S. Department of Education Initiates Reduction in Force
Federal Education Funding Data Dashboard
Federal Education Funding Data Dashboard
As school districts are threatened with the withdrawal of federal funding, this University of Michigan tool lets you easily find that number for any district in the United States (using data from 2020-2021)
Federal Education Funding Data Dashboard
Superintendent of Schools Tony Sanders Weekly Message
Superintendent of Schools Tony Sanders Weekly Message
This message to educators in Illinois addresses the Federal "Dear Colleague" letter with clear support for curricula and instruction that has students "learning about the contributions of all races and cultures to our country"
Black history is American history. The study of events related to the forceful removal and illegal deportation of Mexican-American U.S. citizens during the Great Depression is American history. The study of the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people is American history.
Now, more than ever, is the time to show appreciation to our teachers, administrators, and staff for everything they do.
Superintendent of Schools Tony Sanders Weekly Message
Lexington Public Schools Response to Executive Order _02-04-2025
Lexington Public Schools Response to Executive Order _02-04-2025
Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts provides support to administrators, teachers, students and the community that "nothing has changed in our schools and educators should continue their inclusive practices"
Lexington Public Schools Response to Executive Order _02-04-2025
Superintendent's Message: Updated Thoughts on Federal Orders - Pasquale Scuderi of Alameda Unified School District
Superintendent's Message: Updated Thoughts on Federal Orders - Pasquale Scuderi of Alameda Unified School District
This unqualified defense of education was published the day after the Executive "Ending Radical Indoctrination Order.
the consistency and content of these orders does, in my view, warrant some comparable level of general reassurance, response, and a reminder that our team will follow these developments closely and stay in continuous contact with our colleagues across the county and state to ensure we continue to educate in line with our local values and commitments.
But advancing an educational agenda is absolutely in my job description, as is ensuring that our community knows that we will do everything we can to contest the notions that some students should be invisible, or unprotected, or that honest explorations of the past and present are un-American.
Superintendent's Message: Updated Thoughts on Federal Orders - Pasquale Scuderi of Alameda Unified School District
DOJ, HHS, ED, and GSA announce initial cancellation of grants and contracts to Columbia University worth $400 million
DOJ, HHS, ED, and GSA announce initial cancellation of grants and contracts to Columbia University worth $400 million
Although the General Services Administration states this cancellation is in response to harassment of Jewish students, many people and organizations see this retribution for pro-Palestinian protests. it is important to note that the Columbia University's endowment exceeds $14 billion
Today, the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Education (ED), and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the immediate cancellation of approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.
DOJ, HHS, ED, and GSA announce initial cancellation of grants and contracts to Columbia University worth $400 million
Open letter to the University of Chicago administration from the University of Chicago American Association of University Professors
Open letter to the University of Chicago administration from the University of Chicago American Association of University Professors
Four main points demanded of the University of Chicago signed by over 200 faculty members. These include non-cooperation with federal authorities except when strictly required by law.
The actions taken by the new Trump administration represent a clear political intrusion on the academic autonomy of our research and teaching activities.
We ask that the university publicly confirm that it will not cooperate with immigration authorities or with requests for information about students, faculty, and staff that are not strictly required by law.
We ask that the university publicly commit to providing stopgap funding for federally-funded grants that may be blocked, frozen, cut, or canceled by the Trump administration, especially in instances where faculty, staff, contractors, and/or students will not be paid.
We ask the university to publicly commit that it will reject any efforts to equate political disagreement with religious, racial, or national discrimination, and that it will also not share the names or contact information of students, staff, or faculty based on their perceived or actual political opinions or affiliations.
We ask that the university commit to refuse all pressure to disinvest from or otherwise disavow or stigmatize these units in any way.
Kalven Report
Open letter to the University of Chicago administration from the University of Chicago American Association of University Professors
New Jersey Multistate Guidance for schools on diversity equity inclusion and accessibility initiatives (March 6)
New Jersey Multistate Guidance for schools on diversity equity inclusion and accessibility initiatives (March 6)

NJ Dept of Education memo noting that the US Dept. of Education's Feb 14th "Dear Colleague" letter and Feb 28 FAQ DOES NOT change "existing law and well-established that encourage – and even require – schools to promote educational opportunity for students of all backgrounds.”

Furthermore, "State law and regulations continue to require school districts to implement curricula that promote inclusivity"

This document references a multi-state response to the Dept of Education Memos and Executive Orders - https://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases25/2025-0305_Updated-Joint-Guidance-re-School-Programs-Multistate.pdf

New Jersey Multistate Guidance for schools on diversity equity inclusion and accessibility initiatives (March 6)
Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants
Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants
Nature magazine reporting how research grants are being cancelled because of political ideology
“It’s extremely alarming that grants that have been vetted by the scientific community and deemed important and impactful to understand the world are now being cancelled because of political ideology,” says Lisa Fazio, a cognitive psychologist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, who studies misinformation. “For all this talk about free speech, this is direct censorship of scientific research.”
Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants
Secretary McMahon: Our Department's Final Mission
Secretary McMahon: Our Department's Final Mission
March 3rd - Secretary of Education's first statement to the public and staff of the Department of Education
The Department of Education’s role in this new era of accountability is to restore the rightful role of state oversight in education and to end the overreach from Washington.
Millions of young Americans are trapped in failing schools, subjected to radical anti-American ideology, or saddled with college debt for a degree that has not provided a meaningful return on their investment.
Secretary McMahon: Our Department's Final Mission
‘Final Mission’ for Education Dept. Begins Now, McMahon Says
‘Final Mission’ for Education Dept. Begins Now, McMahon Says
This article is only useful for the quotes from the first email message sent by McMahon to the 4,000+ employees of the Dept of Education
Ms. McMahon was sworn into office by Jacqueline Clay, the department’s chief human capital officer. By 9:29 p.m., she sent her first email to the department’s roughly 4,200 workers with the subject line, “Our Department’s Final Mission.”
“Restoring patriotic education and classes” was among her top priorities, she wrote. The department would “restore the right role of state oversight in education,” she added. This restoration, she said, would mean significant changes for the agency’s staff, budgets and operations. “We must start thinking about our final mission at the department as an overhaul — a last chance to restore the culture of liberty and excellence that made American education great,” she wrote.
Some agency officials said privately that the email seemed like an attempt to undermine morale within an agency already reeling from the administration’s aggressive overhaul. These officials, who requested anonymity out of fear of retribution, said they believed their new boss was delivering a not-so-subtle message to retire early or simply resign.
‘Final Mission’ for Education Dept. Begins Now, McMahon Says