Fox News Report Finds Smithsonian's American Indian Museum in New York Presents Native Perspective on Washington and Revolutionary War
The National Museum of the American Indian's Manhattan branch, housed in the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, includes an exhibit called "Native New York" that labels George Washington "town destroyer" — a Haudenosaunee name applied to Washington and all U.S. presidents. The exhibit describes American armies destroying 40 Haudenosaunee towns and burning harvests during the Revolutionary War era. The Trump administration has ordered a review of Smithsonian exhibits and materials, citing what it describes as an overly negative portrayal of American history.
Single source · Not corroborated
Fox News Digital reported in September on the contents of the "Native New York" exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian in Manhattan, describing displays that emphasize destruction suffered by Native communities during the Revolutionary War period. The exhibit's central display on George Washington features his profile over a label reading "town destroyer," accompanied by text describing American armies destroying 40 Haudenosaunee towns and burning harvests.
Fox News Digital reported that the display does not reference the raids on American frontier settlements that preceded Washington's military campaign. The outlet cited a National Park Service excerpt describing how raids by Native forces and American loyalists on New York and Pennsylvania frontiers in 1778 "crippled the American Continental Army by depriving it of food and manpower and spread terror by destroying frontier settlements and taking prisoners."
The report also described a placard recounting Iroquois history from the perspective of a Native woman, which states that "it was peaceful, she said, until the white men began their revolution." Fox News Digital noted that the Iroquois were engaged in intertribal conflicts over animal pelts for roughly 100 years before the Revolutionary War period, between 1609 and 1701.