A visitor browses an exhibition in August at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Alex Wong/Getty Images

As museums across the country face pressures to scale back a purported “overemphasis” on difficult subjects like slavery, experts warn such moves could diminish American exceptionalism and limit national progress while sidestepping the full historical picture visitors want.

“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,” President Donald Trump posted online in August as he directed his attorneys to review the non-profit that runs the nation’s flagship, federally funded public museums .

“Nothing about Success, nothing about

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