UPDATE | Park Service Removes Slavery Exhibit From Independence National Historical Park

Editor's note: This updates with congressmen calling for explanation into removal of the items.

The National Park Service has removed an exhibit from Independence National Historical Park examining the legacy of slavery, prompting outrage from some members of Congress.

The interpretive display was located at the President’s House Site at the park and depicted individuals who had been enslaved by George Washington, along with a timeline detailing the history of slavery in America. Washington and John Adams both resided at the site during their presidencies.

The display opened in 2010 after the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition spent years advocating for the Park Service to highlight the history of slavery. The display was titled, "Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation," and featured original brick from Washington’s home, which was demolished in 1832, and videos and panels that tell the stories of the people enslaved by Washington who were held there.

The exhibit’s removal happened in response to an executive order calling for the review or removal of information or signage at national parks that “disparages Americans past and living.” The executive order specifically targets Independence Hall, stating, “At Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — where our Nation declared that all men are created equal — the prior administration sponsored training by an organization that advocates dismantling ‘Western foundations’ and ‘interrogating institutional racism’ and pressured National Historical Park rangers that their racial identity should dictate how they convey history to visiting Americans because America is purportedly racist.”

In Washington, U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman demanded an explanation for the objects' removal.

“It is deeply troubling that at sites dedicated to preserving our shared heritage, NPS appears to be actively revising both modern scientific reality and historical truth,” Huffman and some of his colleagues wrote in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. "When the NPS sanitizes historical narratives or scientific data, it denies the American public a full understanding of the forces that have shaped and continue to threaten these landmarks. […] Whether the subject is the historical reality of slavery or the current threat of sea level rise, NPS has a mandate to present the facts without political interference.”

The lawmakers requested documentation by February 6, including:

• A detailed explanation of the decision-making process and directives that led to the removal of slavery and climate-related exhibits. 
• A list of all park units that have altered interpretive materials related to slavery or climate change since January 2025.
• Confirmation of whether new directives or style guides have been issued to park superintendents regarding terminology.

Since the issuing of the executive order, more than 1,000 items from across the National Park Service have been flagged for review, and information related to climate change, slavery, Japanese internment, Native American history, and LGBTQ+ history has been flagged or removed entirely.

“The Trump Administration is trying to rewrite American history by subtraction, with scant transparency and minimal input from the American people,” said Jackie Ostfeld, director of Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All campaign. “Let’s be clear – this is a censorship regime, and Donald Trump has established himself as its editor-in-chief. Part of the role of the National Park Service is to tell every part of the American story so future generations may learn from our past. Conspicuously cutting entire chapters reeks of the very prejudice these sites are meant to memorialize.”   

The City of Philadelphia filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior, the Park Service, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and Acting Director of the National Park Service Jessica Bowron in response to the display’s removal. The lawsuit argues that the government wrongfully removed the panels and exhibits that were part of the display without consulting the city as required under a Cooperative Agreement developed in 2006. It requests that the court grant a preliminary injunction to stop the removal and an order to return or restore the items that were removed.

“A strong country does not attempt to ignore or paper over uncomfortable parts of our history. A good leader acknowledges past wrongs and learns from them,” said Tom Schuster, director of Sierra Club’s Pennsylvania Chapter. “The reason our democracy has survived for 250 years is because we embraced the aspiration of forming a more perfect union through constant improvements to justice and civil rights for all people. We cannot backtrack from that. We cannot deny historic harms and pretend we have been perfect all along. This action smacks of cowardice, encourages ignorance, and is a recipe for failure.”