Trump’s Garden of Heroes Student Contest Downplays Historical Hardships

The Trump administration has initiated a nationwide student art competition linked to the proposed National Garden of American Heroes, with criteria that exclude the more troubling elements of historical figures’ lives. The American Heroes Student Art Contest, revealed on Thursday in a video featuring Education Secretary Linda McMahon, is backed by Freedom 250, an organization established by President Trump to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Contest guidelines refer to Phillis Wheatley as “the first American of her background” to publish poetry, neglecting her status as an enslaved person. Similarly, Booker T. Washington is depicted as a symbol of perseverance without acknowledging slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. is honored for his “can-do spirit” and unity message, bypassing his civil rights work. The 168 first-place winners, one from each state and territory, will showcase their artwork at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall from June 25 to July 10. This contest is part of a larger initiative by the administration to portray a more favorable interpretation of American history.