In early 2025, the AHA issued five statements and signed on to two others regarding actions taken by the federal government that would affect archives, history education, and public history in the United States. In conjunction with this advocacy, we also released a working document of resources for historians whose jobs have been affected by actions taken by the federal government.
At the state level, AHA staff member Julia Brookins testified before the Texas State Board of Education and the AHA wrote to the Iowa and Ohio Senate education committees regarding proposed legislation that would negatively impact history education in those states. Additionally, the AHA sent action alerts to historians in Oklahoma, Iowa, and Ohio about proposed legislation in their states that would have adverse effects on history education, encouraging them to reach out as constituents to oppose those bills.
AHA Senior Program Analyst Testifies Before Texas State Board of Education
In November 2024, senior program analyst Julia Brookins testified before the Texas State Board of Education twice. On November 18, she spoke about the proposed approval of Bluebonnet Learning, new reading and language arts instructional materials developed by the Texas Education Agency; Brookins explained in her testimony why the history content is “a great disappointment.” On November 22, she testified about the AHA’s 2024 report, American Lesson Plan: Teaching US History in Secondary Schools. The report provides empirical evidence and rigorous analysis to inform current debates over how history is taught in our schools. Brookins discussed the report’s conclusions: “Number one: secondary US history teachers are professionals who are concerned mostly with helping their students learn.”
AHA–OAH Joint Statement on Executive Order “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling”
On February 5, the AHA and the Organization of American Historians (OAH) released a joint statement on the presidential executive order “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling.” The executive order “grossly mischaracterizes history education across the United States, alleging educational malpractice.” “The executive order’s narrow conception of patriotism and patriotic education does more than deny the actual history of American democracy; it also undermines its own goals of a rigorous education and merit-based society,” the statement reads. “We reject the premise that it is ‘anti-American’ or ‘subversive’ to learn the full history of the United States with its rich and dramatic contradictions, challenges, and conflicts alongside its achievements, innovations, and opportunities.” As of April 10, 40 organizations have signed on to the statement.
AHA Sends Letter to White House Regarding Dismissal of US Archivist
On February 10, the AHA sent a letter to President Donald Trump regarding his dismissal of Archivist of the United States Colleen J. Shogan. “Federal law (44 U.S.C. Chapter 21 § 2103) requires that ‘The President shall communicate the reasons for any such removal to each House of the Congress,’” the AHA wrote. “The Administration has not yet complied with this statute by communicating reasons for Dr. Shogan’s dismissal. . . . Democracy rests on the rule of law. And the history of the United States rests on unfettered access to the archival record.”
AHA Sends Letter to Iowa Senate Education Committee Opposing HF 402/SF 322
On March 3, the AHA sent a letter to the Iowa Senate Education Committee “register[ing] strong objection to core provisions of House File 402 (HF 402) and its companion Senate File 322 (SF 322).” The AHA wrote, “This legislation threatens to undermine the quality of history instruction at Iowa’s public universities and community colleges, tarnishing the reputation of these world-class institutions of higher learning. . . . The AHA recommends more effective ways of improving the historical knowledge and civic awareness of college graduates.”
AHA Submits Testimony Opposing Ohio SB 1
On March 10, the AHA submitted testimony to the Ohio House Workforce and Higher Education Committee opposing Senate Bill 1. During the previous legislative cycle, the AHA spoke out strongly against previous versions of this bill (SB 83), and our many objections to the proposed legislation remain. Our testimony warned, “If passed, SB 1 would undermine the quality of public higher education in Ohio.”
AHA–OAH Joint Statement on Federal Censorship of American History
On March 13, the AHA and the OAH released a joint statement condemning “recent efforts to censor historical content on federal government websites, at many public museums, and across a wide swath of government resources that include essential data.” “Our professional ethics require that ‘all historians believe in honoring the integrity of the historical record,’” the statement said. “We expect our nation’s leadership to adhere to this same basic standard and we will continue to monitor, protest, and place in the historical record any censorship of American historical facts.” As of April 10, 40 organizations have signed on to the statement.
AHA Statement Condemning Indiscriminate Cuts to the Federal Government
On March 24, the AHA released a statement condemning “the dismantling of federal departments and agencies through the indiscriminate termination of federal employees and elimination of programs, including historical offices.” “Closing federal history offices, rolling back protections granted by the Freedom of Information Act, firing archivists, and dismantling departments responsible for education, the humanities, arts, and sciences will render it impossible for Americans to learn about and from the past,” the statement read. “A scorched-earth approach to the federal bureaucracy will leave our nation without the records and accumulated knowledge to make well-informed decisions.” As of April 10, 19 organizations have signed on to this statement.
AHA Signs On to Joint Statement on Executive Order to Dismantle Department of Education
On March 24, the AHA signed on to a joint statement from the American Council of Learned Societies and the Phi Beta Kappa Society on the executive order to dismantle the US Department of Education, urging the administration to rescind the order. “For nearly half a century, the Department of Education has been critical in ensuring robust funding for colleges and universities nationwide and safeguarding student financial aid necessary to access colleges and universities,” the statement said. “Dismantling of the Department of Education will result in catastrophic implications for students, faculty, communities, and the nation.”
Resources for Federal Workers
On March 24, the AHA released a working document of resources for historians whose jobs have been affected by actions taken by the federal government. The AHA recognizes that our colleagues in the federal government are facing unprecedented workforce reductions and compiled these resources in support. Additionally, the AHA is offering one year of free membership in the AHA to former employees of the federal government who have been terminated or resigned since January 20.
AHA Statement Defending the Smithsonian
On March 31, the AHA released a statement in support of the Smithsonian Institution, the target of the recent executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” This order “egregiously misrepresents the work of the Smithsonian Institution” and “completely misconstrues the nature of historical work.” As of April 10, 32 organizations have signed on to the statement.
AHA Statement Defending the NEH and American Public Culture
On April 4, the AHA released a statement condemning the evisceration of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), as the current administration’s Department of Government Efficiency has terminated hundreds of grants and put 75 percent of staff on leave. “The NEH and the grants it administers nourish our democracy through research, education, preservation, institutional capacity building, and public programming in the humanities for the benefit of the American people,” the statement said. “This frontal attack on the nation’s public culture is unpatriotic, anti-American, and unjustified.” As of April 10, 12 organizations have signed on to this statement. The AHA also signed on to the National Humanities Alliance’s statement opposing threats to funding and staff of the NEH on April 4.
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