WASHINGTON (AP) — In an afternoon's walk through ground zero of Americana — the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History — objects around every corner invite one question: What could possibly be more American than this?

There's the enormous Star-Spangled Banner in all its timeworn glory, Dorothy's ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz" and totems of achievement throughout.

There are also testaments to pain and cruelty. What could be more American than a reckoning with the nation's sins, as illustrated by shackles representing slavery and photos of Japanese Americans confined to detention camps in World War II?

In myriad ways, the museum explores “the complexity of our past," in accord with its mission statement. President Donald Trump wants a simpler tale told. He wants this and

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