The director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History has stated she has no regrets regarding the museum's exhibits, despite facing scrutiny from Republican lawmakers and a critical White House report. The report accused the museum of ideological capture and advancing a "radical activist ideology" using taxpayer funds.
During a House hearing, Mike Gonzalez, an expert from the Heritage Foundation, presented a display from the "The Electric Dr. Franklin" exhibit that he described as a "shocking smear" against Benjamin Franklin. Gonzalez testified that the exhibit suggested Franklin may have used indentured servants or slaves for electrical experiments without presenting evidence. He questioned why a founding father would be subjected to such a "bizarre" insinuation.
In response, museum Director Anthea Hartig told lawmakers that while the museum is "imperfect" and has made mistakes, she does not regret the exhibits under her tenure, which began in February 2019. When pressed on specific errors, Hartig mentioned a mislabeled coin in the American Presidency exhibit that had since been corrected.
The White House Domestic Policy Council's report, titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," asserts that the National Museum of American History, under its current leadership and interpretive approach, cannot be trusted to present American history accurately. The report, released around America's 250th birthday, contends that the museum treats American history as a political tool rather than a shared national inheritance.
Hartig addressed the White House report, stating that the Smithsonian takes its concerns seriously. However, she asserted that the report does not fairly or accurately characterize the full scope of the museum's work. She added that while there is always room for improvement, she remains proud of the inspiration and expertise found in the museum's collections and programming.
The "The Electric Dr. Franklin" exhibit opened in 2021 and is scheduled to remain on display through 2025. An expanded online presentation of the exhibit notes that researchers used people as conductors to test electrical charges and that Franklin wrote about using family and friends in these experiments. The exhibit's text also states that "indentured servants and enslaved people in his household could also have been used, although we may never know for certain."
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