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Trump administration replaces slavery exhibit at Washington's home with version historians call whitewashed
🇺🇸 United States /Culture & Society

Trump administration replaces slavery exhibit at Washington's home with version historians call whitewashed

From PBS NewsHour · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • The Trump administration replaced an exhibit on slavery at George Washington's Philadelphia home with a new version that historians criticize as whitewashing history.
  • The original exhibit, installed in 2010, detailed the lives of nine enslaved people who lived in the home. The new exhibit replaces it after a federal court reversed a lower court order to restore the original.
  • Critics argue the change aligns with President Trump's broader efforts to overhaul cultural institutions and remove content that could be seen as disparaging American history.

An exhibit on slavery at President George Washington's Philadelphia home has been replaced by a new version that historians and city officials say whitewashes the nation's past. The federal government installed the new panels, which replaced an exhibit detailing the lives of nine enslaved people who lived in the home during the 1790s.

Overnight, under the cover of darkness, the federal government removed panels at the President's House that told a thorough history of Philadelphia.

— Cherelle L. ParkerPhiladelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker described the timing and nature of the exhibit's replacement.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker condemned the action, stating, "Overnight, under the cover of darkness, the federal government removed panels at the President's House that told a thorough history of Philadelphia." She added that the government's decision to act at night indicated an understanding that the move was "shameful" and violated community trust.

It was allowed to do this by the decision of the federal court, but that it did so at night shows it understands this action is shameful, that it violates community trust.

— Cherelle L. ParkerPhiladelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker commented on the federal government's actions and the court's decision.

The original exhibit was installed in 2010. The Trump administration's decision to replace it comes amid a broader campaign to overhaul cultural and historic institutions. An executive order issued in 2025 directed federally owned sites to avoid content that "disparages Americans past or living" and instead focus on "greatness and progress."

Over the past few years, the federal government has been trying to remove panels at the President's House that told a thorough history of Philadelphia.

— Cherelle L. ParkerPhiladelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker expressed her dismay over the removal of the slavery exhibit.

Historians and city officials objected to the content of the replacement panels, but a three-judge panel of the U.S. 3rd Circuit of Appeals ruled on July 3 that the work could proceed. The Interior Department defended the new panels, stating they are "full of historical context and highlight the momentous events that took place in the President's House and the other sites at Independence National Historical Park."

They acknowledge the evils of slavery and the contributions of African Americans to the founding of this nation.

— Interior DepartmentThe Interior Department defended the new exhibit's content.
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Originally published by PBS NewsHour in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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