• Philadelphia filed lawsuit Thursday to restore displays removed from Independence National Historical Park
• Critics including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro condemned the removal as attempt to erase uncomfortable truths
• The exhibits honored nine people enslaved by George Washington at the President's House during 1790s

PHILADELPHIA, PA (TDR) — Outraged critics accused President Donald Trump of whitewashing history on Friday after the National Park Service removed a Philadelphia slavery exhibit at Independence National Historical Park in response to his executive order mandating removal of displays that inappropriately disparage Americans.

Empty bolt holes and shadows are all that remains on brick walls where explanatory panels once honored the nine people enslaved by George Washington and Martha Washington at the President's House Site during Philadelphia's time as the nation's capital. Visitors left flowers at the empty spaces, with one hand-lettered sign reading "Slavery was real."

Federal Order Drives Controversial Removal

Crews on Thursday dismantled the exhibit which included biographical details about the nine enslaved people at the presidential mansion, part of Trump's March 2025 executive order titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" that directed federal agencies to review interpretive materials.

"The National Park Service has removed artwork and informational displays at the President's House site referencing slavery, presumably pursuant to the mandate" of the executive order, the city's lawsuit states.

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The Department of Interior defended the action, stating that federal agencies must review interpretive materials to "ensure accuracy, honesty, and alignment with shared national values."

"Following completion of the required review, the National Park Service is now taking appropriate action in accordance with the Order," a Department of Interior spokesperson said.

A department spokesperson called Philadelphia's lawsuit "frivolous," claiming it aimed at "demeaning our brave Founding Fathers who set the brilliant road map for the greatest country in the world."

City Files Federal Lawsuit

Philadelphia filed suit Thursday against Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron, seeking a preliminary injunction to restore the displays. The lawsuit argues the removal violated a 2006 cooperative agreement between the city and federal government requiring both parties to "meet and confer" before exhibit changes.

"The interpretive displays relating to enslaved persons at President's House are an integral part of the exhibit, and removing them would be a material alteration," the lawsuit states.

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The President's House opened in 2010 as a memorial to the nine people Washington enslaved there, including Oney Judge, who famously escaped to freedom in 1796 while the Washingtons ate dinner. Judge fled to New Hampshire with help from Philadelphia's free Black community and remained free despite Washington's attempts to recapture her.

Bipartisan Condemnation Follows Removal

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans condemned the removal as part of a broader pattern.

"Their shameful desecration of this exhibit raises broader, disturbing questions about this administration's continued abuse of power and commitment to whitewashing history," Evans said in a statement.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro vowed resistance to the federal action.

"Donald Trump will take any opportunity to rewrite and whitewash our history. But he picked the wrong city — and he sure as hell picked the wrong Commonwealth. We learn from our history in Pennsylvania, even when it's painful," Shapiro said on social media.

Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson called the removal "totally unacceptable."

"Removing the exhibits is an effort to whitewash American history. History cannot be erased simply because it is uncomfortable," Johnson said.

Historians Warn Of Dangerous Precedent

Ed Stierli, senior mid-Atlantic regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association, warned the removal sets a troubling precedent.

"It reverses years of collaborative work by the National Park Service, City of Philadelphia, and community members, and sets a dangerous precedent of prioritizing nostalgia over the truth," Stierli said.

Timothy Welbeck, director of the Center for Anti-Racism at Temple University, saw broader implications.

"It shows that the United States is still unwilling to reckon with the horrors of its past and would rather prefer to sanitize the history that it has and try to present a convenient lie," Welbeck said.

Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, noted the exhibit's unique significance.

"This is the only federal historic site that commemorates the history of slavery in America," Steinke told CBS Philadelphia.

Timing Ahead Of National Anniversary

The removal comes as Philadelphia prepares for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, when the city's historic sites will receive national attention. Trump's executive order specifically directed Burgum to complete infrastructure improvements at Independence National Historical Park ahead of the anniversary celebration.

The exhibit titled "Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation" featured original bricks from Washington's home, demolished in 1832, along with videos and panels telling the stories of enslaved people held there. The site was designated in 1998 as a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom location.

Will the lawsuit succeed in restoring exhibits that tell the complete story of American history, including its uncomfortable truths about slavery?

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