Iñupiaq men in qayaqs, Noatak, Alaska, circa 1929. Edward S. Curtis Collection, Library of Congress Digital Collections.
Crossing the Chilkoot Pass, circa 1898. Courtesy Candy Waugaman and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.
The Gold Rush boomtown of Nome on the Seward Peninsula, 1900. Courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library.
Below is a letter sent to U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Representative Nick Begich, and U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan on August 20, 2025 in response to Trump administration changes to the Smithsonian Institution.
Dear Senators Murkowski and Sullivan and Representative Begich:
The Alaska Historical Society, the principal statewide advocacy organization for the preservation and education of Alaskans about our history, urges you to oppose and speak out against the Trump administration’s illegal attempt to dictate its view of American history to the Smithsonian Institution.
For nearly two centuries the Smithsonian has served as renowned model of scholarship and public engagement across the world. It is one of the foremost storehouses of accurate American history and its museums are broadly beloved and trusted by Americans and other visitors to them. Here in Alaska, the Anchorage Museum’s Living Our Cultures exhibition, a long-term loan from the Smithsonian, displays more than 600 Alaska Native cultural heritage pieces from their homelands and provides access for hands-on study by Alaska Native elders, artists, educators and scholars.
In March, President Trump issued an executive order which targets funding for Smithsonian programs that advance “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.” Then and several times since, Trump has claimed a “concerted and widespread” effort over the past decade to rewrite American history by replacing “objective facts” with a “distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth,” adding that it casts the “founding principles” of the United States in a “negative light.”
This is an affront to our country’s cultural crown jewel, to historians everywhere and to the American people. The administration is maligning the expertise and autonomy of an institution that represents the pinnacle of museum and scholarly practice. We fear this initiative, as America nears its 250th anniversary, delegitimizes the work of the history field. Sound historical practice depends upon meticulous research of a wide array of sources, open-minded embrace of complexity and ambiguity, and a willingness to update history as new information arises.
Americans have repeatedly said that they want our country’s full story. Censoring and manipulating content to fit a predetermined and biased narrative is the antithesis of historical practice and a disservice to us all.
Furthermore, this effort is illegal. Established by Congress in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution is not, and has never been, under the authority of the Executive Branch. It is an independent agency, led by the Secretary and governed by a bipartisan Board of Regents as established by law. The White House’s effort to assert control over the Smithsonian’s staff, archives, donors, public-facing content, curatorial processes, exhibition planning and collection use constitutes an alarming infringement on the autonomy and integrity of the institution.
We urge you to oppose any effort by the Trump administration to slash funding for the Smithsonian, to oppose mass layoffs of Smithsonian staff motivated by politics and to speak out against these Trump initiatives so Alaskans and all Americans can continue to cherish and rely on the Smithsonian Institution as it presents an honest telling of our shared American story.
Sincerely,
David Ramseur
President
