Philadelphia Files Federal Lawsuit Over Removal of Slavery Exhibit
The City of Philadelphia has initiated legal action against the United States Department of the Interior, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the National Park Service, and its acting director, Jessica Bowron. This lawsuit follows the abrupt removal of a slavery exhibit from the President's House Site within Independence National Historical Park.
Exhibit Details and Historical Context
The display in question, which was installed in 2010, detailed the lives of the nine African slaves owned by Founding Father George Washington during his residence at the property from 1790 to 1797. These individuals were transported from Washington's plantation home in Mount Vernon, Virginia, to serve him in Pennsylvania. The President's House served as the executive mansion before John Adams occupied it until 1800, prior to moving into the newly constructed White House.
On Thursday afternoon, a National Park Service work crew dismantled the informational boards without prior notification to city authorities. The exhibit had functioned as an educational memorial, explaining the experiences of those enslaved individuals during Washington's presidency.
Legal Action and Presidential Order
Philadelphia's lawsuit, filed in federal court, seeks a preliminary injunction to restore the removed displays. The legal documents suggest the removal likely complied with President Donald Trump's Executive Order No. 14253, signed in March 2025 and titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History."
The lawsuit states: "Without notice to the City of Philadelphia, the National Park Service has removed artwork and informational displays at the President's House site referencing slavery, presumably pursuant to the mandate in the Executive Order. Defendants have provided no explanation at all for their removal of the historical, educational displays at the President's House site, let alone a reasoned one."
Government Response and Executive Order Provisions
Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace explained that the decision resulted from a review process, stating: "The president has directed federal agencies to 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 action to remove or revise interpretive materials in accordance with the order."
President Trump's executive order argues that a "corrosive ideology" has been permitted to "undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light." The order further contends that under this perspective, America's legacy is "reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed."
The directive specifically instructs Secretary Burgum to ensure that properties within Interior Department jurisdiction do not contain content that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times)." It explicitly references Independence National Historical Park and allocates funding for infrastructure improvements by July 4, 2026, coinciding with the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations.
Historical Community and Local Reactions
When the executive order was issued last spring, the American Historical Association expressed criticism, stating: "Historians explore the past to understand how our nation has evolved. We draw on a wide range of sources, which helps us to understand history from different angles of vision. Our goal is neither criticism nor celebration. It is to understand – to increase our knowledge of – the past in ways that can help Americans to shape the future."
Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson responded angrily to the exhibit's removal, declaring: "Removing the exhibits is an effort to whitewash American history. History cannot be erased simply because it is uncomfortable. Removing items from the President's House merely changes the landscape, not the historical record."
Michael Coard, founding member of the advocacy group Avenging the Ancestors Coalition which originally campaigned for and installed the display, called its removal "outrageous and blatantly racist" in a social media post. The Black Journey, which conducts historical walking tours of Philadelphia, commented on the same platform: "Just because Trump ordered the panels taken down doesn't erase the history. The truth still lives here."
The Independent has contacted the White House, Interior Department, and National Park Service for additional comments regarding the lawsuit and exhibit removal.
