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Congressional History Caucus

History Museum Advocacy: Federal Level

March 20, 2022
by Peter Feinman

To follow-up on my previous blog on museum advocacy at the Federal level, I want to explore the possibility of history advocacy at the Federal level. In particular, I wish to call people’s attention to the National Coalition for History:

The National Coalition for History (NCH) is a consortium of over 50 organizations that advocates on federal, state and local legislative and regulatory issues. The coalition is made up of a diverse number of groups representing historians, archivists, researchers, teachers, students, documentary editors, preservationists, genealogists, political scientists, museum professionals and other stakeholders.

Since 1982, the NCH (formerly the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History) has served as the voice for the historical community in Washington. The NCH seeks to encourage the study and appreciation of history by serving as a clearinghouse of information about the profession and as a facilitator on behalf of the interests of our diverse constituency.

The Executive Officers of the organization represent the leading history and social studies organizations in the country:

American Historical Association
National Council for the Social Studies
Organization of American Historians

The Executive Committee consists of leaders from multiple national organizations in the history field:

American Association for State and Local History
American Council of Learned Societies
American Political Science Association
Association for Documentary Editing
Council of State Archivists
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
HISTORY™
National Council for History Education
National Council on Public History
Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations
Society for History in the Federal Government
Society of American Archivists
Southern Historical Association

Clearly if there is to be history advocacy at the Federal level, this organization is the one through which it should be conducted. However, I must also add that the last annual report on its website is for 2020 and the last event on the membership events page is an annual conference from April 2020.

According to the NCH website:

A summary of our policy agenda, developed in conjunction with our constituent organizations. See our more detailed briefs below for further information on the individual issues.

For our archive of past advocacy issues, click here.

Public Access to Government Records and Information

Through legislation, regulation, and adequate funding for the National Archives, ensure that the public has the greatest possible access to federal government records and information.

Support the National Endowment for the Humanities

We urge Congress to maintain or increase funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities, and to reject President Trump’s efforts to eliminate this vital agency. [The website should be updated to reflect current activities]

Support the National Historical Publications and Records Commission

We urge Congress to maintain or increase funding for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and to reject President Trump’s efforts to eliminate this crucial program. [The website should be updated to reflect current activities]

Support History Education

Through legislation, policy, and especially funding, ensure that every K-12 student in America receives a high-quality history education.

Support the Institute of Museum and Library Services

We urge Congress to maintain or increase funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and to reject President Trump’s efforts to eliminate this crucial agency. [The website should be updated to reflect current activities]

Support Historic Preservation

Ensure that efforts to preserve America’s historic sites, buildings, and artifacts have strong federal government support.

Support the Smithsonian Institution

We urge Congress to maintain or increase funding for the Smithsonian Institution.

Creating an American Museum of Women’s History

We urge Congress to support the creation of an American Museum of Women’s History (AMWH) as part of the Smithsonian Institution. This includes the appropriation of federal funds and the allocation of land and/or a building to house the museum.

According to the website of the Smithsonian Institution:

What is the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum?

Decades in the making, the Smithsonian is building the American Women’s History Museum in our nation’s capital. The museum will recognize women’s accomplishments, the history they made, and the communities they represent. 

So again, the website needs to be brought up-to-date.

Support the Library of Congress

We urge Congress to maintain or increase funding for the Library of Congress.

Protect Oral History

Ensure that oral historians remain free from Institutional Review Board oversight and other unnecessary and restrictive government regulation.

Senate Hearing Focuses on Presidential Records Act Reform

March 16, 2022

On March 15, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee convened a hearing to consider reforms to the Presidential Records Act (PRA), especially in light of recent revelations about the mishandling of records at the end of former President Trump’s term. The National Coalition for History (NCH) submitted testimony for the record urging the more >

Final FY 22 Budget for History, Archival and Education Programs

President Biden is soon expected to sign into law an omnibus appropriations bill which will fund the federal government for the approximately last six months of fiscal year 2022. Click here to access a chart showing how programs of interest to our community fared. It includes the budget for FY 22 and compares it with more >

The programs the NCH monitors are:

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
K-12 history and civics programs at the Department of Education
The Title VI/Fulbright-Hays International Education programs
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
The National Park Services’ Historic Preservation Fund
The Library of Congress
The Smithsonian Institution
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

On a national level, it should be possible to create a Federal level history advocacy program comparable to what the AAM just did for museums.

CONGRESSIONAL HISTORY CAUCUS

Perhaps, surprisingly, there is a Congressional History Caucus. I confess I have not heard of it in the news despite history being in the news especially at the state level. Officially, the Caucus does exist.

The caucus aims to provide a forum for members of Congress to share their interest in history and to promote an awareness of the subject on Capitol Hill. It is important for our community to be seen as a resource by Congress and we hope to build lasting relationships between Members of Congress and historians, archivists, teachers, students, genealogists, researchers, and other stakeholders in their respective districts. The History Caucus will increase NCH’s visibility and provide a network of supporters in Congress that we can reach out to when issues arise.

According to the website, some activities the History Caucus leadership has planned include:

I do receive emails announcing the upcoming 2022 programs under the name of the Washington History Seminar. But that entity is not part of the NCH.

A joint venture of the National History Center of the American Historical Association and the History and Public Policy Program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Washington History Seminar meets each week, January to May and September to December. The Washington History Seminar aims to facilitate understanding of contemporary affairs in light of historical knowledge of all times and all places and from a variety of perspectives.

These seminars then are not organized by the NCH. I am receiving the notices through the auspices of my membership with the AHA.

To summarize, my overall impression, is that NCH is not ready to be a grassroots history advocacy organization with a program similar to the one just conducted by AAM. Clearly there are areas of overlap in the potential advocacy items between these two organizations. However, I think this organization would need to bulk up before it could undertake an effort for a national grassroots history mission. In addition, there is nothing in its advocacy agenda that is specifically geared towards the needs of the traditional mom-and-pop historical organization which exist in municipalities across the country. Since the history community does not advocate much at the state level, it should be no surprise that it has no national voice either.

History Agenda for the New Year

January 6, 2019
by Peter Feinman
"A New History Year Is Coming! A New History Year is Coming!" Paul Revere postcard c. 1910 (https://historyofmassachusetts.org)

January marks the beginning of a new year for the legislators as well. Following the November elections there may be new people in office and new people in charge of the committees and subcommittees that affect the history community. Below are three items which can be considered for advocacy for the coming year.

Congressional History Caucus

The first item is one borrowed from the Federal Level. The National Coalition for History (NCH) has worked with the offices of representatives to create a Congressional History Caucus. These elected officials circulated a “Dear Colleague” letter to their fellow representatives urging them to join the caucus.

The caucus aims to provide a forum for members of Congress to share their interest in history and to promote an awareness of the subject on Capitol Hill. It is important for our community to be seen as a resource by Congress and we hope to build lasting relationships between Members of Congress and historians, archivists, teachers, students, genealogists, researchers, and other stakeholders in their respective districts. The History Caucus will increase NCH’s visibility and provide a network of supporters in Congress that we can reach out to when issues arise.

This mission statement could be adopted for the state level as well.

How exactly would the History Caucus achieve these goals? Some of the initial activities the History Caucus leadership has planned included:

1. Lectures by prominent historians and policy makers to provide historical context and perspective on current and past issues.
2. Promotion on the Hill of events and exhibits at the Library of Congress, National Archives, the Smithsonian and other historical institutions in Washington
3. Establishing relationships between Members of Congress and historians, the Architect of the Capitol, former Members of Congress, and historical institutions and history departments at academic institutions in their district.
4. Programs designed to increase awareness of history both here on Capitol Hill and among their constituents, especially students.
5. The creation of an annual award to be presented by the Congressional History Caucus members to an outstanding advocate for preservation of the past.

These specific activities may not all relate to state-level actions but are suggestive of what might be achieved. Exactly what has been done in practice since this initiative was launched is another matter.

Regardless of what has been achieved at the Federal level, my recommendations at the state level are:

1. Identify a statewide history organization willing to undertake such an initiative.
2. Identify legislators who have expressed an interest in history.
3. Have them write a “Dear Colleague” letter in support of the History Caucus to their fellow legislators.
4. Invite the legislators to an opening event during the legislative session.

As to where the event should be held: if you have a statewide history organization in the capital that can host it, it should be there; if you do not, then try to have one of the legislators arrange for a meeting within the legislative building.

As to what to once the kickoff session is held, here is where it gets tricky. Do you have an agenda for which to advocate? If not, then why not? The initial meeting can be a somewhat open fluid exchange about what the history community has to offer the state. It is quite likely that preservation efforts are the ones the best organized at present and already doing something. That still leaves open anniversaries, civics, funding, education, and tourism as a starter for topics to discuss.

If there already is a history caucus endeavor in your state, please let me know and I will be happy to share what are doing there with other states.

History Day

Each year National History Day selects a theme for the contest. Although you may select a topic on any aspect of local, regional, national, or world history, your project’s research and conclusions must relate clearly to the annual theme.

In a newsletter to the municipal historians in New York State, Devin Lander, the State historian, commented on the operation of the History Day program and where it could be improved.

THE HISTORIAN’S EXCHANGE
A Message from the State Historian
VOLUME 23 NUMBER 2

I would like to see History Day grow and become more inclusive of students from all schools. I know that teachers are busy and that resources in some districts are slim and that having students participate in History Day amounts to an extracurricular activity in most schools. Which is why I would like to encourage those Local Government Historians who are not already involved to take part in their local and regional schools’ History Day programs, or work with their schools to start a program where there is currently none.

Despite how wonderful the projects were that I judged both at the regional level and at the statewide competition, I was struck by the fact that in all three categories there was only one project that dealt with New York history (the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire). This year’s theme, Conflict and Compromise in History, could have been filled with local and state history topics, as could any year’s theme. I think this presents Local Government Historians with an opportunity to work with their schools, teachers, and students to develop exciting, engaging, and fun local and state-based History Day topics. As a judge, I know that such topics would really stand out.

Local Government Historians are resource rich treasures of historical knowledge; you know where the good local stories are! If you are not already doing so, I encourage you to reach out to your schools and find out if they are currently participating in History Day and offer to help. Perhaps you could work with a teacher or teachers to help facilitate meetings of a History Day club after school at your office, the local library, or historical society.

History Day provides an existing framework through which high school students can be exposed to local and state history. It provides another way to strengthen the connection between the schools and the historical societies. The theme this year is “Triumph & Tragedy in History.” Of course, another possibility is to create a State History Day tied into to an anniversary in the state. The anniversaries of the ratification of the Federal or state constitutions are two such days that come to mind. It does not really matter, it is the engagement with the students that matters.

Arts and Cultural Districts

New York State Senator Jose M. Serrano has proposed an Arts and Cultural Districts Bill. The legislation would create arts and cultural districts throughout the state in order to promote the growth and development of the arts and culture sector. The State has an abundance of artistic and cultural destinations. These destinations are major economic engines for the local economy and greatly improve the quality of life for the surrounding communities. The legislation will create guidelines for state-certified “Arts and Cultural Districts”, allowing these destinations to receive technical assistance in applying for grants, marketing, increasing tourism opportunities, and other economic development opportunities. Whether it is a concentration of museums or historic sites with artistic or cultural value, many destinations throughout the state have untapped potential that can be further harnessed through this bill.

According to the proposed legislation, a district would be defined as follows:

(A)  ATTRACTS ARTISTS OR CULTURAL ENTERPRISES TO THE COMMUNITY,

(B)  ENCOURAGES BUSINESS AND JOB DEVELOPMENT DUE TO THE PRE-EXISTING INSTITUTIONS,

(C) ATTRACTS A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF TOURISM,

(D) ENHANCES LOCAL PROPERTY VALUES AND FOSTERS LOCAL CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT, OR

(E) HAS THE POTENTIAL TO MEET ANY OF THE CATEGORICAL DETERMINATIONS IF SUFFICIENT STATE SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE IS PROVIDED TO THE PROPOSED DISTRICT.

This legislation has been kicking around the two chambers since the 2015/2016 session. Exactly how it would work if implemented remains to be seen. The point is here is legislation which affects the history community. If I may cite the musical “Hamilton,” does the history community want a seat at the table in the room where it happens? Does Senator Serrano know if the history community cares about this legislation or has anything to contribute?  Are there similar initiatives in other states?

As the new legislative year, let’s think about what if anything the history community would like to see happen and then what needs to be done to make it happen.

HAPPY HISTORY COMMUNITY NEW YEAR