{"id":54786,"date":"2026-07-24T16:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T14:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=54786"},"modified":"2026-07-23T01:14:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T23:14:34","slug":"national-council-on-public-history-ncph-statement-in-response-to-white-house-saving-americas-story-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=54786","title":{"rendered":"National Council on Public History (NCPH): Statement in Response to White House \u201cSaving America\u2019s Story\u201d Report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">NCPH Statement in Response to the White House \u201cSaving America\u2019s Story\u201d Report and in Support of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Published July 9, 2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Council on Public History (NCPH) rejects the findings of the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/releases\/2026\/07\/saving-americas-story\/\">Saving America\u2019s Story<\/a>\u201d report on the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. This unserious and distorted document violates the professional ethics and values that have guided history institutions, museums, and cultural organizations for generations. It also fails to reflect the basic and fundamental standards of scholarship, including an accurate interpretation of the full evidentiary record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet its implications are significant. By seeking to shape public history through political interference, the report threatens the independence of the Smithsonian and the public\u2019s trust in museums. It is an outgrowth of Executive Order 14253 (\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/03\/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history\/\">Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History<\/a>\u201d), which has repeatedly been used to undermine federal museums and historic sites and the work of dedicated and skilled government historians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NCPH rejects authoritarian efforts to rewrite and simplify our rich and complex history; we reject the Trump administration\u2019s attempt to control knowledge; we reject efforts to silence the voices of communities of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ individuals; we reject the dismissal of intellectual freedom, expertise, and collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We affirm that history must be grounded in rigorous evidence, professional expertise, open inquiry, and collaboration with communities who hold stories, materials, and memories that expand understanding of our past. While historians debate interpretation, those debates are informed by evidence and peer review; they are not based on political directive. An accurate portrayal of the past requires engaging with the full range of historical experiences and perspectives, not diminishing the experiences and reality of our country\u2019s diverse people. Inclusive history is not partisan history\u2014 it is honest history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We stand with Smithsonian leadership and staff whose work reflects these values every day through exhibitions, collections, research, and public programs that encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and informed dialogue. We thank them for their continued service and support them in this time of unwarranted criticism and politically motivated attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This report is only the latest attempt to silence staff from the Smithsonian, the National Park Service, and other federal and state agencies who preserve and share our history. Such attacks are familiar to anyone who studies history. They come from the playbook of authoritarians who seek to reshape public memory in favor of a simplistic, hierarchical narrative they hope will control our future and limit power to a select few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We unequivocally reject efforts to use government power to dictate historical interpretation or replace evidence with ideology. Museums best serve the public when they are free to present history that is accurate, inclusive, and shaped by scholarship, evidence, and multiple voices rather than political pressure. In this moment, there is no greater threat to America\u2019s story than those who would use their political power to repress it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This statement is <a href=\"https:\/\/ncph.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NCPH-Statement-in-Response-to-the-White-House.pdf\">available in PDF here<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/ncph.org\/news\/ncph-statement-in-response-to-white-house-saving-americas-story-report\">https:\/\/ncph.org\/news\/ncph-statement-in-response-to-white-house-saving-americas-story-report<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-novosti","category-rasprave"],"acf":{"facebook_opis":"\"The National Council on Public History (NCPH) rejects the findings of the \u201cSaving America\u2019s Story\u201d report on the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.\" "},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Statement-Release.png?fit=1536%2C864&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":55002,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=55002","url_meta":{"origin":54786,"position":0},"title":"Hazardous Chemicals: Agents of Risk and Change, 1800-2000","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"18. kolovoza 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"Edited by Ernst Homburg and Elisabeth Vaupel 422 pages, 18 illus., bibliog., index Hb \/ Published (August\u00a02019) Pb \/ Published (March\u00a02022) Reviews \u201cHomburg and Vaupel provide an excellent review of the industrial development of eight chemical substances that have emerged as problematic agents to global public health and the environment\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Knjige&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Knjige","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HomburgHazardous.jpg?fit=400%2C597&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":55072,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=55072","url_meta":{"origin":54786,"position":1},"title":"Victoria Khiterer, \u201eBitter War of Memory: The Babyn Yar Massacre, Aftermath, and Commemoration\u201c","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"25. kolovoza 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"Bitter War of Memory: The Babyn Yar Massacre, Aftermath, and Commemoration\u00a0discusses the Holocaust in Kyiv and the efforts to memorialize the Babyn Yar massacre. Babyn Yar is one of the largest Holocaust sites in the Soviet Union and modern Ukraine, where the Nazis and their collaborators killed virtually all the\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Knjige&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Knjige","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bitter-War-of-Memory-2.jpg?fit=596%2C466&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bitter-War-of-Memory-2.jpg?fit=596%2C466&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bitter-War-of-Memory-2.jpg?fit=596%2C466&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52677,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=52677","url_meta":{"origin":54786,"position":2},"title":"CfP: NAVIGATING THE PAST, FACING THE PRESENT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN RE-PRESENTING CONFLICTS AND VIOLENCE IN MEMORY AND EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, WARSAW, 22ND\u201324TH OCTOBER 2026 (DEADLINE: 30TH APRIL 2026)","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"27. travnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"The conference and graduate workshop (October 22-24, 2026, Warsaw) addresses the representation of history in public and institutional contexts, with a focus beyond the often-studied field of \u201cmemory culture\u201d. Rather than emphasizing the politicization of memory and cultural institutions, the discussion shifts toward new methods, media, and challenges in historical\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Novosti&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Novosti","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54169,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=54169","url_meta":{"origin":54786,"position":3},"title":"Women, Nationalism, and Social Networks in the Habsburg Monarchy, 1848\u20131918","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"18. lipnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"Edited by Marta Verginella Purdue University Press Series: Central European Studies 258 Pages Published 2023 Women, Nationalism, and Social Networks in the Habsburg Monarchy, 1848\u20131918 focuses on the lives of women in Southeastern Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, exploring the intersection of gender and nationalism. By looking at\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Knjige&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Knjige","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Verginella.avif","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Verginella.avif 1x, https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Verginella.avif 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55143,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=55143","url_meta":{"origin":54786,"position":4},"title":"Caillan Davenport, \u201eBehind Caesar&#8217;s Back: Rumor, Gossip, and the Making of the Roman Emperors\u201c","author":"Filip \u0160imunjak","date":"31. kolovoza 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"Traversing more than seven hundred years of Roman history, this book explores how everyday Romans swapped gossip, spread rumors, told jokes, and chanted protests about their emperors\u2014activity that amounted to much more than idle chatter. Caillan Davenport uses ancient evidence, including letters, graffiti, and songs, to reveal how Romans engaged\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Knjige&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Knjige","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Behind-Cesars-Back.webp?fit=596%2C894&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Behind-Cesars-Back.webp?fit=596%2C894&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Behind-Cesars-Back.webp?fit=596%2C894&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54832,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=54832","url_meta":{"origin":54786,"position":5},"title":"Rob van der Laarse, Charles Jeurgens i Sabina Tanovic, &#8220;The Former \u201cYugoslavia Tribunal\u201d as Monument of Justice: History, Heritage and Memory of the ICTY and IRMCT in the City of Peace and Justice&#8221;","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"28. srpnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"After Nuremberg, there is probably no other place where the future of Europe has been so definitively tested and safeguarded as in The Hague. The iconic building of the former International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has become a global symbol of international law and transitional justice since\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Knjige&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Knjige","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tribunal-scaled.webp?fit=794%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tribunal-scaled.webp?fit=794%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tribunal-scaled.webp?fit=794%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Tribunal-scaled.webp?fit=794%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=54786"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54791,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54786\/revisions\/54791"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/54787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=54786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=54786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=54786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}