On the official National Archives website, the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence now has a trigger warning, cautioning visitors that the documents contain “harmful language.” The controversial warnings have been criticized.
“The National Archives have now put a disclaimer on their website that our historical documents may include Harmful Content,” tweeted Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO). “They even slapped this warning on the Constitution!”
The move appears to be part of the National Archives’ “institutional commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.”
The archive says is now flagging content on its website that is “potentially harmful.”
The institution defines harmful content as content that is “discriminatory towards or exclude diverse views on sexuality, gender, religion, and more” or content that reflects “racist, sexist, ableist, misogynistic/misogynoir, and xenophobic opinions and attitudes.”
This development comes a few months after a National Archives task force concluded that historical documents’ portrayal of the founding fathers was “too positive.”
