The Smithsonian Institution,

comprised of 21 different museums, is largely funded by the federal government, and its collections include priceless artifacts of American history.

The original Star-Spangled Banner, Abraham Lincoln's famous stove pipe hat, the plane

the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk.

But the Smithsonian doesn't just protect and exhibit objects that have played a role in our

history.

In the choices curators make about what to display and in what context,

it serves in many ways as a kind of official voice of our shared history.

No wonder we fight about what belongs there.

From KERA in Dallas, this is think.

I'm Chris Boyd.

Last summer, President Trump called for a comprehensive review of the Smithsonian's history facilities,

including the National Portrait Gallery, calling for them to celebrate what's great about this country

using unifying and constructive language in educational materials, and presumably editing out content

that details history we are not so proud of. That alarmed some historians, but as my guest will explain, it is hardly the first time

politicians have tried to influence Smithsonian Museum's presentation of this country's story.

Lily Meyer is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where you can read her article, The Real Fight

for the Smithsonian.

Lily, welcome to think. Thank you so much for

having me. I'm excited to be here. So I look this up. The Smithsonian's museums and research centers

hold 157 million objects, which is pretty astonishing. And yet a lot of people see the Smithsonian really

as more than the sum of its possessions, right?

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