Like most other countries, America's past is both inspired by high ideals and flawed by cruelty. But the Trump administration wants any depictions that might be unflattering removed from national parks and public lands.
That led U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and some of his Senate colleagues to blast the Trump administration Wednesday for what they say is an effort to erase America's history by ordering the removal of images it says “disparage” the country’s history.
Heinrich said America can't be a better nation by hiding from its past.
"Right now, President Trump is dumbing down our history – but he will not take our history from us," Heinrich said. "We will tell these stories as long as it takes, and long after he is relegated to the history books."
Heinrich and other members of Congress previously sent a letter to the U.S. Interior Department demanding answers about the removal of exhibits and signage. Nonetheless, Heinrich said references to slavery, climate change, settlers’ mistreatment of Native Americans, Hispanic history and more have been removed or altered at multiple sites.
While federal courts have found the Interior Department's actions broke the law, a database still lists sites where changes are planned. Heinrich said many states' histories, including New Mexico's, have brutal chapters. But it's necessary to learn from the hard parts.
"It is a story of triumph, of hardship, of resilience – and sometimes of cruelty," he said. "Not every chapter in this story is uplifting. But to understand who you are as Americans, we have to learn from all of it."
According to a lawsuit objecting to the actions, National Park Service staff were instructed to tell visitors who inquired that they were not aware of the reason for the change, or that it was made to comply with orders from the Interior Department.