00:00Director Hartig, do you believe that the American History Museum should be politically neutral?
00:10Yes, sir.
00:12Do you believe that the American History Museum should advocate for contemporary political or social causes?
00:21No, sir. The American History Museum does not advocate.
00:24Do you think the American History Museum should avoid the appearance of bias?
00:29Absolutely.
00:30Do you believe that one of your roles is connecting research and scholarship to advocacy and activism?
00:41No, sir. I do not.
00:42You want to be clear on this. You don't believe that one of your roles is connecting research and scholarship
00:48to activism and advocacy?
00:51I believe perhaps you're quoting from some of my public speeches.
00:55Yeah, 2020 University of California Riverside virtual lecture, which you said that one of your roles is connecting research and
01:04scholarship to activism and advocacy.
01:07You said that in 2020.
01:09And so I just want to be clear on the record that in the video that I watched, this 2020
01:14online, you can watch it on YouTube.
01:17Everybody at home will put it up for folks.
01:19But you're now saying that you don't believe that that is one of your roles.
01:23Has your position changed on this topic?
01:26Thank you. I better understand your line of querying.
01:29I think what's important for me is that...
01:33I only have five minutes, so I just want to be direct.
01:35Just real clear, you just answered my question differently than you answered it five years ago, which is positions can
01:42change.
01:43So I just want to understand, in 2020, did you believe that one of your roles is connecting research and
01:50scholarship to activism and advocacy?
01:52In 2020, did you believe that?
01:55So one of the roles of an historian...
01:58Just yes or no.
01:58I mean, in 2020, it was real straightforward.
02:01And for the record, you said this, so it should be an easy yes.
02:04It shouldn't be complicated on my side, but maybe it's complicated on your side.
02:08In 2020, I'm not even asking what you believe today.
02:10In 2020, did you believe that one of your roles is connecting research and scholarship with advocacy and activism?
02:18Yes?
02:18One of the key things a historian does, especially at the National Museum of American History, is to tie threads
02:24together.
02:25I'm just going to note your filibustering on the answer.
02:29You said it, so I'm going to...
02:30In 2020, you said it, so I'm going to assume in 2020, you believed it, unless you said things you
02:34don't believe.
02:35So in 2025, in 2026, as we sit here today, I'll ask you for the record one additional time.
02:42Today, do you believe that one of your roles is connecting research and scholarship to activism and advocacy?
02:49As a historian, I believe that intellectually, we can connect those two together, absolutely.
02:55So you think that...so it is one of your roles to...
02:58As a historian, absolutely.
03:02To be an activist?
03:03No, sir.
03:03One of your roles as a historian is to...go ahead.
03:10One of my roles as a historian and the director of the National Museum of American History is to help
03:16connect the long history of activism and advocacy on all topics,
03:21from gun rights to identity to immigration.
03:25That is a connection that I make.
03:28And do you think that that is important to show that advocacy and activism at the National History Museum?
03:34I believe our work is grounded in rigorous scholarship and that we often will connect both our objects and two
03:42million that we share with the American people to the major...
03:45So I'm sure it's trying to help me square this.
03:48You think that the American History Museum should not advocate for political or social causes.
03:54You just said that.
03:55You think it should be politically neutral.
03:56But you also are stating that one of your core roles is connecting research and scholarship to activism and advocacy.
04:08One of the core roles...
04:10I mean, do you support activism and advocacy or do you think your goal at the museum should be neutral?
04:16Our goal at the museum is to educate all Americans and everyone who comes through our door free of charge.
04:23To persuade them?
04:24Our goal is to educate them about the history of the United States.
04:28In a neutral way?
04:29Absolutely.
04:31Do you think...you noted in your statement that you love America.
04:34I love America too.
04:36For me, that's not complicated.
04:37Do you believe loving America is complicated?
04:40My personal belief is that loving America is not complicated.
04:44But as an historian, I can tell you that over time it has been very complicated for many people.
04:51So for you, loving America is not complicated?
04:53It's unconditional.
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