Weaving a National Story as the Nation Frays: The National Museum of American History

ABSTRACT In a fraught cultural moment, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History has committed to doing public history that is inclusive, intersectional, contingent and, forward‐looking. Deputy Director of Public History Benjamin Filene explores how these values run through two of the museum's major recent interpretive endeavors—creating a new Interpretive Plan for the museum and advancing a multifaceted commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—and suggests how they have shaped early visions for reimagining the museum's East Wing, nearly half of its public space. Throughout, Filene foregrounds tensions and possibilities in the museum's commitment to doing audience‐centered work that is grounded in scholarship and attuned to conflicting expectations from the museum visitors.