Power, Politics, and the Smithsonian: Who Decides the Nation's Story?
Published 8 days agoΒ β’Β 8 min read
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Hello, Reader!
Who decides how the United States tells its story?
Recent scrutiny of the Smithsonian raises a question as old as the institution itself: What is the Smithsonian for, and who guides its mission? β
πΌοΈ The Big Picture
What's Happening: The Smithsonian Institution, the United States' national network of museums and research centers, is facing federal review over how it presents U.S. history. [1]
β οΈ Why It Matters: With 21 museums and over 155 million objects, the Smithsonian is often called the "nation's attic." Its exhibits shape how Americans and international visitors understand the nation's past.
π What History Reveals: Debates over the Smithsonian's role and independence are hardly new. They began before the first museum opened its doors.
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π Historical Deep Dive
The Smithsonian's Origins
James Smithson never visited the United States. But when the English scientist died in 1829, he left his entire fortune to the United States for "an institution for the increase and diffusion of knowledge."
Congress was baffled by this bequest. What did Smithson's mandate mean?
Should the United States create a library? A university? A research lab?
Early lawmakers worried about scope: What knowledge should this new institution spread?
They also worried about control: Would government oversight risk turning scholarship into propaganda?
The debates dragged on for more than a decade. Some favored a national university. Others proposed an institution for agricultural research. A few wanted to create a massive library to rival those in Europe. [2]
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Congressional Debate, 1836-1846
The debate within Congress became heated.
Opponents, like Senator John C. Calhoun, argued the Constitution gave the federal government no authority to create such an institution.
Supporters, like John Quincy Adams, contended that Congress did have the power. In the end, this view prevailed.
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The American People Weigh In
Once Congress accepted Smithson's bequest, Americans shared their ideas about what the Institution should be.
Many initially assumed Smithson intended a national university, but proposals expanded to include an observatory, a scientific research center, a library, a publishing house, and a museum.
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An Act to Establish the Smithsonian Institution
In 1846, Congress passed "An Act to Establish the 'Smithsonian Institution' for the Increase and Diffusion of Knowledge among Men," which President James K. Polk signed into law on August 10, 1846.
An Act to Establish the Smithsonian Institution
Be it Enacted By the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled. That the President and Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, the Postmaster General, the Attorney General, the Chief Justice, and the Commissioner of the Patent Office of the United States, and the mayor of the city of Washington, during the time for which they shall hold their respective offices, and such other persons as they may elect honorary members, be and they are hereby constitututed an "establishment," by the name of the "Smithsonian Institution" for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men, and to that name shall be known and have perpetual sucession, with the powers, limitations, and restrictions herewith contained, and no other.
This Act created the Smithsonian as a unique federal establishment:
It was not part of any single branch of government
Its governance rested with a Board of Regents, including public officials and private citizens.
The Regents were left to determine how best to fulfill Smithson's mandate.
This compromise allowed the Smithsonian to take on any form of institution, except a national university.[3]
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The Smithsonian's Governing Structure
The Board of Regents oversees the Smithsonian, with responsibilities such as:
Electing a Secretary (the Institution's chief executive officer) and evaluating their performance.
Approving budgets, policies, and strategic priorities.
Overseeing fundraising, financial reporting, and legal compliance.
Working with Congress on funding and staffing.
The Smithsonian's Chancellor, traditionally the Chief Justice of the United States, presides over the Board of Regents' meetings and ceremonies.
The Chancellor may also appoint an acting Secretary should the office become vacant or the Secretary become unable to perform their duties.
The Chair of the Board of Regents functions as the Board's leader. They set meeting agendas and lead deliberations.
The Board of Regents meets at least three times each calendar year, while executive and specialized Board committees meet more often. [4]
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The Smithsonian's Evolution
Joseph Henry, 1879
Joseph Henry, Smithsonian Secretary, 1846-1878
Joseph Henry, a physicist, served as the Smithsonian's first Secretary. He believed the Smithsonian should advance knowledge through research. Under his leadership, the Smithsonian:
Published groundbreaking scientific papers
Launched the Weather Bureau (now the National Weather Service)
Built the first national network for sharing meteorological data.
Spencer Baird, a naturalist and ornithologist (scientist of birds), established the Smithsonian as a museum by shifting the institution's work toward collecting and presenting exhibitions.
By the 1880s, the Smithsonian was acquiring everything from Civil War artifacts to Indigenous-made pottery. [5]
Baird's work created a new challenge for the Institution: How do you display the United States' history fairly? Which stories should the Smithsonian tell?
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The Smithsonian Over Time
The Smithsonian's dual mission of advancing knowledge and serving the public has always produced tension.
World War II: Smithsonian exhibits celebrated American victories in the war while the Institution quietly collected artifacts confiscated from Japanese Americans during their internment.
Civil Rights Era: The National Museum of American History opened in 1964, the same year as the Civil Rights Act became law. But its early exhibits barely mentioned slavery or the United States' history of segregation.
Recent Decades: New museums, such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture (2016), have broadened the nation's telling of its history. Yet these additions have also sparked debates among Americans about which of the nation's stories should receive prominence. [6]
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π¬ Final Thought
The Smithsonian has always been an institution that has evolved alongside the American people. As American society changes and values different aspects of its national history, so too do Smithsonian museums and exhibits.
The Smithsonian Institution's founding structure, which makes it independent from the United States government but accountable to it, was designed to balance competing pressures of preserving the nation's past, reflecting societal change, and presenting the United States' history and accomplishments to the world.
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π§ Go Deeper
The history of the Smithsonian spans beyond the era of early American history. But I do think the early American past is always relevant.
Here are a few episodes that will help you go deeper with Americans' historical memories over time.
Paul Revere's Ride Through Historyβ βEpisode 130β Explore how historical memory works and why some stories stick in the national consciousness while others fade.
First Martyr of Libertyβ βEpisode 230β Investigate how Crispus Attucks disappeared from American memory after 1770, then reemerged in the 1840s as free Blacks used his story to claim citizenship.
History and the American Revolutionβ βEpisode 307β Discover how the nation's first historians deliberately constructed the United States' grand narrative about the American Revolution to create unity in a diverse country.
Fourth of July in 2026β βEpisode 361β Join three historians for a discussion of ideas about how Americans should celebrate and commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2026.
Sleeping with the Ancestorsβ βEpisode 386β Join guest host Ashley Bouknight and Joseph McGill, Founder of the Slave Dwelling Project, for an exploration of the preservation of slave dwellings and the stories they hold.
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π¬ What Do You Think?
James Smithson wanted to 'increase knowledge,' not confirm beliefs. How do you think museums should balance presenting uncomfortable truths while also celebrating national achievements?
You power this newsletterβand the effort to keep history in the headlines. π Support our workβ
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P.S. Staying the Course
Early North America was a vast, diverse, and complicated place. It was also a fascinating place, which is part of what makes our historical study of this period so engaging.
I started Ben Franklin's World to explore all of early America's complexity with others who share this curiosity. As an independent production, we're committed to offering you history that is complete, accurate, and grounded in rigorous scholarship.
Over 11 years, Joe, Karin, and I have made the best historical research accessible to you. In return, we hope we've earned your trust. You can continue to count on us because we bring you complete, accurate histories of early America from multiple perspectives and methodologies.
The past is complicated. The scholarship is sound. The stories matter.
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