BREAKING: parks must post signs that encourage guests to report any information that is critical of American history [View all]

The order requires signs throughout the parks to have the following message:

(Name of property) belongs to the American people, and (name of land management bureau) wants your feedback. Please let us know if you have identified (1) any areas of the (park/area, etc. as appropriate) that need repair; (2) any services that need improvement; or (3) any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.

----------------------------------

The Trump administration is enlisting national park visitors into the Republican president’s fight to rewrite American history, with a new directive that forces all park units to display signs that encourage guests to report any information that is critical of American history.

On May 20, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed all park units to display the signs to comply with President Donald Trump’s earlier executive order, which claims that U.S. history has been distorted by ideology and seeks to counter what it describes as revisionist narratives that portray the country’s past in a negative light.

Burgum’s order directs federal agencies and cultural institutions to remove content that “inappropriately disparage[s] Americans past or living,” and to instead highlight the nation’s progress and achievements. It also calls for the removal of what it terms “improper ideology” from museums, monuments and public exhibits under federal control.

In a statement released in March, the American Historical Association, or AHA, condemned the order, defending the importance of historical integrity in public institutions and places. Thirty-six other organizations also signed on to the AHA statement.

“The stories that have shaped our past include not only elements that make us proud but also aspects that make us acutely aware of tragedies in our nation’s history,” they wrote. “No person, no nation, is perfect, and we should all — as individuals and as nations — learn from our imperfections.”

https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/national-parks-negative-history-trump-20343308.php


Burgum's order implements President Donald Trump's executive order called "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," which aims to remove any stories or information that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times)" from national parks and monuments.

The parks in question include many historic locations central to slavery, Civil War battles, the imprisonment of Japanese Americans, and other ugly chapters of American history.

Denver7 reached out to the National Parks Conservation Association, the 100-year-old nonprofit created to protect America's national park system. President and CEO Theresa Pierno called Secretary Burgum's order "outrageous" and "frightening."

"A lot of our history is difficult to hear, but these are the places where people are educated about many issues in our past, and it's so important," said Pierno. "How do you tell that story accurately, but you can't describe anything that might negatively impact the history? History is full of good and bad, and mistakes were made. And we try to understand that history so we don't repeat those mistakes."

https://www.denver7.com/news/national-politics/interior-secretary-orders-signs-to-flag-negative-depictions-of-u-s-history-at-national-parks