Administration Redoes Slavery Exhibit Overnight

Overnight, a key slice of how Philadelphia tells the story of slavery and the presidency was rewritten on Independence Mall. National Park Service workers quietly swapped out the last panels of the President's House exhibit—once centered on the nine people George Washington enslaved there—for a version that leans more heavily on the evolution of the presidency and early American politics, WHYY reports. The change followed a federal appeals court ruling that Philadelphia has no authority over interpretive content at the federally owned site, clearing the way for an overhaul sparked by a Trump order targeting exhibits it considers to be "disparaging" American history.

The new panels still mention slavery and Washington's policies, but critics say they dilute his role as an enslaver and broaden the focus to general "anti-slavery sentiments" and constitutional nuance. City officials and activists blasted the overnight swap—Mayor Cherelle Parker said it was done "under the cover of darkness"—and pledged to keep fighting in court and in person, with volunteers reading aloud from the removed text. "We will not be erased," said tour guide Mijuel K. Johnson, as Park Police cited one protester $310 for taping a paper sign to the display. Making the switch at night, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said, shows the government "understands this action is shameful."

The Interior Department told the AP on Wednesday that the new panels "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." The statement added: "They acknowledge the evils of slavery, including its injustices and hypocrisies, and, by telling the stories of the nine slaves that Washington kept in the President's House, remind us of their essential humanity." The change was made while Philadelphia was hosting the MLB All-Star Game, Axios points out.