The Trump administration has been accused of attempting to rewrite and sanitise American history by removing or altering scores of interpretive signs in national parks, according to a Guardian investigation. Critics say the campaign targets references to slavery, the genocide of Native Americans, and climate change, among other topics.
Park employees were given three months last year to review all content, a task made difficult by staffing cuts of over 25%. With little guidance, some staff said they adopted the mindset of a 'white supremacist' to flag material. A leaked database containing nearly 2,000 flagged items was obtained by the Guardian, which verified its contents with multiple National Park Service (NPS) staff.
Among the threatened signs is one at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, depicting five generations of the Bransford family, who were enslaved guides in the 19th century. Jerry Bransford, a former NPS ranger and descendant of the family, said the sign commemorated their contribution to the park's history.
Historians warn that the erasure of diverse perspectives could have a lasting chilling effect on how history is told in America’s national parks. Anne Mitchell Whisnant, a history professor at Duke University, said the administration has 'a very particular idea of whose stories are important'.
The Department of the Interior declined to answer questions about how flagged materials were reviewed or how many signs were removed. The Trump administration has framed the review as an effort to ensure historical accuracy, but critics argue it represents a broader campaign to whitewash the past.
