Dear Editor:

Throughout history, authoritarian regimes have feared an educated and informed public. From slaveholders banning literacy to dictators burning books and silencing the arts, the aim has always been the same: control not just actions, but thoughts. Sadly, we are seeing echoes of this in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to rewrite our nation’s history.

Trump’s recent attack on the Smithsonian Institution is part of a broader campaign to undermine five pillars of democratic thought: education, science, the media, the arts, and historical truth. His proposed executive order—ironically titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History”—threatens to strip the Smithsonian of over a billion dollars in federal funding unless it conforms to his narrow, revisionist view of America.

The Smithsonian represents the best of our national memory. Its museums—free and open to the public—tell the whole story of our country: our triumphs and our failures, our progress and our injustices. They offer vital truths about slavery, colonization, gender inequality, and the struggles of marginalized communities.

To demand that these institutions erase or distort such truths is not patriotic—it is dangerous. If we allow political pressure to reshape historical facts, we fail our children and their children. We deny them the opportunity to learn from the past, thereby hindering their ability to build a more just and inclusive future.

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch has rightly committed to “the best scholarship, free of partisanship.” The responsibility now lies with the Smithsonian Board of Regents—including Chief Justice John Roberts, Vice President J.D. Vance, members of Congress, and private citizens—to uphold that commitment and resist political coercion.

History should not be censored to serve any ideology. It should be preserved so that all Americans can understand where we’ve been—and where we still must go. I urge readers to contact the Board of Regents and stand up for the truth.

If we allow our history to be whitewashed, we risk losing more than just funding—we risk losing who we are.

Cliff Thaell

Boothbay Harbor