Remarks by President Trump from the National Archives Museum
Issued on: September
17, 2020
National
Archives Museum Washington, D.C.
2:54
P.M. EDT
The president
Thank
you very much. Thank you, Mike. A great Vice President. I am truly honored to
be here at the very first White House Conference on American History. So
important.
Our
mission is to defend the legacy of America’s founding, the virtue of America’s
heroes, and the nobility of the American character. We must clear away the
twisted web of lies in our schools and classrooms, and teach our children the
magnificent truth about our country. We want our sons and daughters to know
that they are the citizens of the most exceptional nation in the history of the
world. (Applause.)
To grow
up in America is to live in a land where anything is possible, where anyone can
rise, and where any dream can come true — all because of the immortal
principles our nation’s founders inscribed nearly two and a half centuries ago.
That’s
why we have come to the National Archives, the sacred home of our national
memory. In this great chamber, we preserve our glorious inheritance: the
Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights.
On this
very day in 1787, our Founding Fathers signed the Constitution at Independence
Hall in Philadelphia. It was the fulfillment of a thousand years of Western
civilization. Our Constitution was the product of centuries of tradition,
wisdom, and experience. No political document has done more to advance the
human condition or propel the engine of progress.
Yet, as
we gather this afternoon, a radical movement is attempting to demolish this
treasured and precious inheritance. We cannot let that happen. (Applause.) Left-wing
mobs have torn down statues of our founders, desecrated our memorials, and
carried out a campaign of violence and anarchy. Far-left demonstrators have
chanted the words “America was never great.” The left has launched a vicious
and violent assault on law enforcement — the universal symbol of the rule of
law in America. These radicals have been aided and abetted by liberal
politicians, establishment media, and even large corporations.
Whether
it is the mob on the street, or the cancel culture in the boardroom, the goal
is the same: to silence dissent, to scare you out of speaking the truth, and to
bully Americans into abandoning their values, their heritage, and their very
way of life.
We are
here today to declare that we will never submit to tyranny. We will reclaim our
history and our country for citizens of every race, color, religion, and creed.
The
radicals burning American flags want to burn down the principles enshrined in
our founding documents, including the bedrock principle of equal justice under
law. In order to radically transform America, they must first cause Americans
to lose confidence in who we are, where we came from, and what we believe. As I
said at Mount Rushmore — which they would love to rip down and it rip it down
fast, and that’s never going to happen — two months ago, the left-wing cultural
revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution.
As many
of you testified today, the left-wing rioting and mayhem are the direct result
of decades of left-wing indoctrination in our schools. It’s gone on far too
long. Our children are instructed from propaganda tracts, like those of Howard
Zinn, that try to make students ashamed of their own history.
The left
has warped, distorted, and defiled the American story with deceptions, falsehoods,
and lies. There is no better example than the New York Times’ totally
discredited 1619 Project. This project rewrites American history to teach our
children that we were founded on the principle of oppression, not freedom.
Nothing
could be further from the truth. America’s founding set in motion the
unstoppable chain of events that abolished slavery, secured civil rights,
defeated communism and fascism, and built the most fair, equal, and prosperous
nation in human history. (Applause.)
The
narratives about America being pushed by the far-left and being chanted in the
streets bear a striking resemblance to the anti-American propaganda of our
adversaries — because both groups want to see America weakened, derided, and
totally diminished.
Students
in our universities are inundated with critical race theory. This is a Marxist
doctrine holding that America is a wicked and racist nation, that even young
children are complicit in oppression, and that our entire society must be
radically transformed. Critical race theory is being forced into our children’s
schools, it’s being imposed into workplace trainings, and it’s being deployed
to rip apart friends, neighbors, and families.
A
perfect example of critical race theory was recently published by the Smithsonian
Institution. This document alleged that concepts such as hard work, rational
thinking, the nuclear family, and belief in God were not values that unite all
Americans, but were instead aspects of “whiteness.” This is offensive and
outrageous to Americans of every ethnicity, and it is especially harmful to
children of minority backgrounds who should be uplifted, not disparaged.
Teaching
this horrible doctrine to our children is a form of child abuse in the truest
sense of those words. For many years now, the radicals have mistaken Americans’
silence for weakness. But they’re wrong.
There is
no more powerful force than a parent’s love for their children. And patriotic
moms and dads are going to demand that their children are no longer fed hateful
lies about this country. American parents are not going to accept
indoctrination in our schools, cancel culture at our work, or the repression of
traditional faith, culture, and values in the public square. Not anymore.
(Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.
We
embrace the vision of Martin Luther King, where children are not judged by the
color of their skin but by the content of their character.
The left
is attempting to destroy that beautiful vision and divide Americans by race in
the service of political power. By viewing every issue through the lens of
race, they want to impose a new segregation, and we must not allow that to
happen.
Critical
race theory, the 1619 Project, and the crusade against American history is
toxic propaganda, ideological poison that, if not removed, will dissolve the
civic bonds that tie us together. It will destroy our country.
That is
why I recently banned trainings in this prejudiced ideology from the federal
government and banned it in the strongest manner possible. (Applause.)
The only
path to national unity is through our shared identity as Americans. That is why
it is so urgent that we finally restore patriotic education to our schools.
Under
our leadership, the National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded a grant
to support the development of a pro-American curriculum that celebrates the
truth about our nation’s great history. (Applause.)
We are
joined by some of the respected scholars involved in this project, including
Professor Wilfred McClay. Wilfred, please. Thank you very much. Welcome.
(Applause.) Thank you. Dr. Peter Wood of the National Association of Scholars.
Dr. Peter. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. And Ted Rebarber. Thank you, Ted.
(Applause.) Thank you very much, Ted.
Today, I
am also pleased to announce that I will soon sign an Executive Order
establishing a national commission to promote patriotic education. It will be
called the “1776 Commission.” (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. It will
encourage our educators to teach our children about the miracle of American
history and make plans to honor the 250th anniversary of our founding. Think of
that — 250 years.
Recently,
I also signed an executive order to establish the National Garden of American
Heroes, a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest
Americans who have ever lived.
Even
though he was suffering from very advanced cancer — he was deathly ill — Rodney
rode 80 miles through the night, through a severe thunderstorm, from Dover to
Philadelphia to cast his vote for independence.
For
nearly a century, a statue of one of Delaware’s most beloved citizens stood in
Rodney Square, right in the heart of Wilmington.
But this
past June, Caesar Rodney’s statue was ordered removed by the mayor and local
politicians as part of a radical purge of America’s founding generation.
Today,
because of an order I signed, if you demolish a statue without permission, you
immediately get 10 years in prison. (Applause.) And there have been no statues
demolished for the last four months, incredibly, since the time I signed that
act.
Joe
Biden said nothing as to his home state’s history and the fact that it was
dismantled and dismembered. And a Founding Father’s statue was removed.
Today,
America will give this Founding Father, this very brave man, who was so
horribly treated, the place of honor he deserves. I am announcing that a statue
of Caesar Rodney will be added to the National Garden of American Heroes.
(Applause.)
From
Washington to Lincoln, from Jefferson to King, America has been home to some of
the most incredible people who have ever lived. With the help of everyone here
today, the legacy of 1776 will never be erased. Our heroes will never be
forgotten. Our youth will be taught to love America with all of their heart and
all of their soul.
We will
save this cherished inheritance for our children, for their children, and for
every generation to come. This is a very important day.
Thank
you all once again for being here. Now I will sign the Constitution Day
Proclamation. God Bless You. And God Bless America. Thank you very much.
(Applause.) Thank you.
(The
proclamation is signed.) (Applause.)
END
3:13
P.M. EDT
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