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Patrick Rael is a professor of history at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. He specializes in African-American history, the Civil War era, and the history of slavery and emancipation.

Recently speaking of the renowned set of museums that adorn the National Mall in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump once again exposed his ignorance of American history.

He wrote in a social media post, “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing a

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