As American Family News recently reported, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (NMAH) is facing congressional scrutiny over what critics describe as an ideological shift away from traditional American history.
A Trump administration report accused the museum of moving from historical education toward "extreme political activism," and pointing to exhibits involving gender identity, sexual practices and drag queens, as well as selective treatment of figures such as Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton, Hillsdale College professor Matthew Spalding says it increasingly presents history through a postmodern lens centered on oppression and power, downplaying America's founding and achievements.
On Fox News earlier this month, Bishop E.W. Jackson accused the Smithsonian of promoting "anti-American indoctrination" by presenting U.S. history primarily through race, class and oppression rather than American exceptionalism.
He also criticized the NMAH director for calling history a "tool of social justice."
Talking about this on American Family Radio (AFR), Jackson said modern cultural institutions and educational programs are moving away from objective historical facts.
"These people — who are supposed to be promoting an accurate and factual view of American history — are instead using sort of the Howard Zinn model, which is: use American history to try to denigrate it and embitter people and divide people and anger people and convince them that America is just the worst country in the world," Jackson said.
He went on to point out that this ideology starts early through public school curricula and culminates in universities, where young adults are taught to view the United States with hostility.
"If you're indoctrinated from kindergarten through high school, and then further indoctrinated in college, by the time you get out into the world, you are so thoroughly brainwashed that you think you're doing the country a favor by pointing out, frankly, that it really needs to be overthrown," he told the "Today's Issues" crew.
Addressing the broader political landscape, Jackson also pointed to what he views as a contradiction in modern progressive narratives surrounding immigration and systemic racism, arguing that political movements are driven primarily by a pursuit of institutional power rather than social justice.
Turning to global history, Jackson addressed revisionist claims surrounding the origin of slavery, reminding audiences that human bondage has existed globally since antiquity.
Jackson concluded the interview by warning against the growing influence of socialist and radical progressive policies, urging younger generations to look closely at the historical realities of collectivist ideologies before embracing them.
Bishop E.W. Jackson founded The Called Church and the nonprofit S.T.A.N.D. (Staying True to America’s National Destiny). He is a former Republican nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia and former U.S. Senate candidate, and he has been a frequent media commentator on Christianity, American history, politics and constitutional issues, including on his AFR podcast, "The Awakening."
